Will this charger sort out my cable clutter?
13-10-2026
Translation: Katherine Martin
Pictures: Lorenz Keller
The Team charging station from 4smarts does more than just charge five devices. It also provides storage space for them. Could it be the ideal addition to my living room dresser?
Whether it’s Bluetooth speakers, headphones, power banks, tablets or smartphones, there’s always something at home that needs charging. So often, in fact, that I’ve set up a charging station on the dresser in my living room. But so far, it’s been an unsightly hodgepodge of chargers and cables.
Keen for that to change, I went looking for a neater solution on Galaxus. And given that we have nearly 6,000 chargers in our range, the search took a pretty long time. Four ports aren’t enough for me. Plus, I need a charging station with a micro-USB port and a Lightning port for older devices. USB-C just won’t cut it.
Eureka! After a lengthy search, I found the Team charging station. The manufacturer, 4smarts, then sent me one for testing purposes. Could it put an end to my cable chaos?
Plenty of ports, limited charging power
Although the charging station isn’t particularly expensive (54 francs at the time of testing), it’s well made. The top surface is slightly rubbery to prevent your devices from slipping off. On the side, there’s a power switch allowing you to turn everything off at once, reducing standby power consumption to zero. If you leave the charger running, it consumes 0.3 watts when there are no devices plugged in. Not bad.
By contrast, you can’t take the cables out. On the bright side, the ones attached to all six ports are 30 centimetres long. Plus, they’re all the same colour and shape, so they look neater than the bundle of wires on my dresser. I also like that the cables are fabric-wrapped, as it immediately makes them look higher quality. Five of the cables have a USB-C connector, while one cable splits into four different connectors: 2x USB-C, 1x Lightning, 1x micro-USB.
In theory, this means you could connect more than six devices. In reality, the station charges a maximum of five devices at a time, and has a total power output of only 100 watts. Each USB-C port delivers a maximum of 20 watts, while the multi-cable port delivers 18 watts. That means the 100 watts are distributed among the devices hooked up to the station.
The fact that the station doesn’t support fast charging might just be its biggest drawback. It can’t deliver anything beyond 20 watts per device, even if you only have a smartphone plugged in. However, since I typically use my living room charging station overnight, that’s not a big deal for me.
Every device has its own compartment
There are six dividers on top of the charging station. As a result, you can neatly position your smartphones and tablets so that they don’t take up space while they’re charging. The station’s so robust that even 11-inch iPads don’t tip over. Each gap measures 23 millimetres, which is wide enough to accommodate numerous types of headphone cases. Bluetooth speakers can either be placed on the little ledge on one side or next to the charging station.
It immediately makes my charging setup look neater; the short, identical cables bother me much less. For very little money, I’ve got a high-quality solution that does a good job of meeting my needs.
There are two changes I’d make to the 4smarts Team charging station to perfect it. First, I’d add a Qi charging pad for wireless charging. Second, I’d make the cables retractable so that they’d roll up and disappear into the station when they’re not in use.
In a nutshell
Nice and neat, limited power output
The 4smarts Team charging station is ideal for tidily charging multiple devices at once, as long as power output isn’t a major concern. The six ports can handle a maximum of 100 watts – and no more than 20 watts per port. That’s enough to deliver a steady supply of power overnight, but not enough for fast charging.
The manufacturer has given the device a consistent look, including high-quality cables with the station. Not only is the charger well made, but it’s also reasonably priced. If you’re alright with the charging speed, you’ll be happy with the device overall.
Pro
- Well made
- Decent price
- Standardised cables included
- Six ports
Contra
- Maximum charging power of 20 watts per port
- Lots of cables required
Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.
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