Introduction

The amount of time one spends commuting in the car has increased a lot. As a result, it has become imperative to have a car charger that can help make it easy to charge your phone/device when on the run. What helps further are quick chargers. After all, it's much better to quickly get the device fully charged than to just keep it plugged at all times. Moreover, when you have more than 2-3 occupants in the car, the need for more charging options arises. This is where chargers like the new Toreto Rapid Charger 13 come to the rescue.

What is it?

The Rapid charger 13 is a car charger that serves to the charging needs of an entire family in a car at the same time. It gets four charging ports and is compatible with all Android and iOS devices. Apart from two standard USB ports, there's a type C port and a port that supports Qualcomm 3.0 as well.

What's in the box?

The neat and compact box gets a fancy transparent cover that previews the items inside. Apart from the primary car charger there’s also a small warranty booklet in the carton. The charger has two parts connected by a 1.8m cable with a good sheath. One end of the charger gets one USB port, while the other end gets the Qualcomm, type C and USB ports.

How to install?

This is just plug-and-play business! Insert the charger in the 12V power outlet of your car and wait for the tiny LED to emit blue light. This means the device is plonked in securely and you can plug in the cable of your electronic device. Just make sure the long cable doesn't intrude the gear-lever movement space or seat-belt levers. It will look neat only when routed tidily between the centre console gaps. Since the second part of the charger doesn't have a clip or hook, it will have to be kept inside the centre bin or in seat pockets.

How does it work?

The key features of this charger are 'share and charge', fast charging and universal compatibility. Multiple ports and support for Android as well as iOS devices take care of the first two features. Now for the fast charging aspect, current input and output of DC 12-24V and 3.4A respectively, ensures a quick charge unlike conventional USB chargers providing 1.0A. Furthermore, Qualcomm Quick Charge are leaders in fast charging technology where Qualcomm 3.0 reduces charging times by up to half when compared to a standard 1A charger. Then, with the support of a type C port, this charger provides power to devices with those type C charging pins as well.

It should be noted that fast charging is only possible if your device supports it in the first place. However, even if it doesn't, there is no need to worry as a hand-shake mechanism ensures that your phone will draw only the amount of current it requires. So, it is still safe to use this charger to charge your smart phone, which obviously will not get a quick charge but still charge safely. In addition, an over-power protection fuse protects the charger from any power spikes, over-currents, harmful short circuits or overheating.

How much does it cost?

The carton comes with a price tag of Rs 999. However, it has been listed for Rs 599 on Amazon and Flipkart making it all the more desirable. It is perfect for a user looking for a fast charging option that supports all smart phones including iOS and Type C devices as well. Not many chargers in this price bracket support Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 and have such a strong build quality. It doesn't have any downsides apart from having to mess around with the wire if not routed properly. After all, the rear seat passengers can get their phone charged and use it at the same time without any hassle.

Specifications

Brand Toreto

Model TOR-410

Weight 90.7 g

Package Dimensions 16.9 x 10 x 3.6 cm

Compatible Devices All smart phone, iOS, Type C devices

Additional Features Rapid Charging, Qualcomm 3.0 quick charging, 3USB and Type C port, Sharing car charger, 1 USB port & undetachable wire length 1.8m, 7.2amp output, Over power protection

Pros

Fast charging

Four ports for all occupants

Compact and portable

Widely compatible

Good robust quality

Add-on type C port

Cons

Undetachable long dangling cable looks messy

No clip/hook to fix charger

Can be a bit fussy if not routed tidily

Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi