If you own a vehicle, chances are that stashed away in your glove compartment or a storage bin is a charger for mobile devices. One of the ones that plugs into the 12V outlet (formerly known as the cigarette lighter socket). These things are a must-have for road trips, and handy for keeping your smartphone charged during the daily commute.
The SyncWire iPhone Lighting/USB Car Charger is one of many on the market, but this one does offer some advantages for iPhone owners. Note that while the company’s website describes it as a “USB Type C” charger (at time of publication), that is a typo…
Dual Ports
This SyncWire charger has an integrated cable with an Apple Lighting connector. SyncWire says it uses an Apple authorization chip to ensure compatibility and I didn’t run into error messages with any of my Apple devices. It charges my iPhone 7 Plus even faster than the Apple’s own charger.
Compared to an official Apple Lightning cable, the connector on the SyncWire charger is virtually identical, although slightly slimmer and less rounded. Basically, if an Apple Lightning cable will fit your iPhone’s case, the SyncWire cable should.
The second port is a USB Type A, so you can connect pretty much anything –assuming you have the right cable. I used it to charge the first generation iPad we use as a travel video entertainment device. Each port is rated at 2.4A output and it can power both simultaneously.
The charger itself is CE and FCC certified. It’s equipped with over-load and over-charging protection.
Fit and Cable
Despite the fact that 12V outlets are supposed to be a universal standard, it’s been my experience that some chargers stay in place better than others. The SyncWire adapter was a tight fit (2008 Nissan Pathfinder), but stayed firmly in place –even with tugging on the cable.
Speaking of the cable, that’s one of the best features on this charger. It features a tightly coiled cable that can extend nearly four feet if needed, but otherwise remains neat and tidy. Less cable looping around the dashboard is better in my books, and it makes it a lot tidier when stashed in the glove compartment between uses.
If you could use a new 12V charger –especially one that’s made specifically for Apple products– the SyncWire iPhone Lighting/USB Car Charger works well, keeps things tidy, and usually sells for under $20.
Disclosure: SyncWire provided a charger for evaluation but had no input into this review.
