Review: Kensington AbsolutePower 2.1 USB wall charger for iPad, iPhone, iPod

by Bill Palmer

It’s been said that absolute power corrupts absolutely. But according to Kensington, AbsolutePower simply recharges your device as absolutely fast as possible. The company’s new AbsolutePower 2.1 with PowerWhiz is a wall charger for any USB device. It takes into account the differing power capabilities for various devices, from an iPad or iPhone to random Android device, and provides the fastest charging possible for that device. Those who have spent all day charging an iPad with an iPhone-specific 1.0 amp wall charger, for instance, understand what Kensington is offering here.

The unit itself is an all-black brick, with rounded corners and slightly angled sides which keep it from quite being cube shaped. The two prong plug flips out in a manner similar to that of Apple’s own wall charger, and folds back into the unit when not in use. The single USB port is on the bottom, which places it in contrast with many competing chargers which feature the USB port on the front.

I tested the AbsolutePower with various USB devices, and I found that it does indeed charge a higher power device like the iPad swiftly. This is a bring-your-own-cable product, which means it’s compatible with any USB device but it comes with no cables at all. So those users looking to charge a Lightning device like the new iPhone 5 or iPad mini will be able to use the AbsolutePower in conjunction with the cable which came with your iDevice, no adapter required.

The only angle potentially not to like here is a stylistic one, with the AbsolutePower being black and your Apple cable being white. Kensington could have avoided that fashion snafu by including black cables in the box. But for a widely compatible product like this, that wouldn’t have been practical without jacking up the price tag significantly. You can get competing USB wall chargers cheaper elsewhere, but going with the AbsolutePower guarantees you’ll get the proper charging speed.

Price: $24.95 • Kensington.com

About Bill Palmer

Bill Palmer is Editor in Chief of Beatweek Magazine. His editorial contributions include interviews with musicians and iPhone industry coverage.