Design and Durability: A bit messy
Charging cables and wall chargers generally look a certain way without many points of design interest. But solid construction can go a long way toward endearing a customer. The KOZOPO wall charger and cords are lightweight, and the power block is FCC certified against power surges and other safety issues. But those are the only highlights of the build and design execution. The 6-feet long cables are too flexible and don’t feel as sturdy as the original Apple iPhone Lightning cable, and the USB connecter heads also do not fit flush in the USB ports. If I wanted to remove the USB cord from the power block, wiggling the cord out of the slot took a fair amount of effort. There was no easy sliding or removal. Of course, if you plan to keep the cords plugged in at all times, this won’t necessarily be an issue. But then you’ll deal with what was my biggest pet peeve: long and tangled cords. There’s no Velcro strap to keep the very long cords neat, which decreased the portability factor. This product won’t overwhelm your backpack or suitcase, but other options are smaller and easier to stow in pockets and tinier bag compartments. And if you use a case with your phone, beware that some customers have noted that the Lightning pin covering is too large to work with some iPhone cases.
Charging Performance: Consistently speedy
The KOZOPO charging combo delivers fast charging. Over the course of a few charging sessions, I could consistently rely on an iPhone 6S from charging from dead to 50% in just about 30 minutes, an iPhone X could charge in full in just about 2.5 hours, and an iPhone 7 Plus powered up from 2 percent to 50 percent in about 55 minutes. These charging times are consistent with the kind of performance I see from Apple Lightning cables. Even when I powered up both the iPhone 6S and iPhone 7 Plus from zero to 50 percent at the same time, the performance remained the same. There was no noticeable overheating either—of the devices or the power block.
Price: Cheap and not certified
For around $11-$13 you could have your solution for a streamlined charger for iPhones in your home or at the office. That is a great deal, but that comes at the cost of no warranty coverage or Apple accessory (MFi) certification. It’s true that MFi certification doesn’t guarantee overall quality, but it does provide an extra level of assurance that the hardware at work lives up to Apple device compatibility standards—to avoid negative effects like device overheating or ruining your device’s ability to charge. Generally, you will spend a bit more for this confidence, but you don’t have to spend much more for it.
