The ARCTIC C2 is a 4-port universal USB charger with multiple AC plugs and a compact and light design.
Product on Review: Arctic Cooling ARCTIC 4-Port USB Charger
Manufacturer and Sponsor: ARCTIC COOLING
MSRP: 17,95 € / US$ 26.55
Street Price: Unknown
USB-powered devices have become an integral part of any technology enthusiast. From media players to mobile phones, many of today’s portable devices can be recharged through a USB connection. Most manufacturers include an AC-to-USB adapter to charge their devices directly from a power outlet whereas others simply include the required USB cable. Unfortunately, in most cases, the given adapter has a single USB port. What happens if you have multiple devices that need to be charged at the same time? A possible problem ensues: you might run out of power outsets or, even, USB ports! Another dilemma might arise: when you’re on the travel, would you carry multiple adapters with you or would that defeat the idea of traveling light?
This is where the Arctic Cooling ARCTIC C2 comes in handy. Sporting 4 USB ports, the ARCTIC C2 makes it possible to charge 4 different devices simultaneously. Compact and light, the ARCTIC C2 becomes a great traveling companion with its different AC plugs standards allowing the device to be used in different countries. On paper, the ARCTIC C2 seems to be hitting the right notes, but the product will be examined in more detail in the following review.
About ARCTIC COOLING:
| Who we are? ARCTIC COOLING is a privately owned company founded in 2001 with headquarters in Switzerland, offices in Hong Kong and the USA and production facilities in Asia. The ARCTIC COOLING team consists of international highly educated people with business, technical and communicational skills. The attitude to work is based on Swiss principles of innovative spirit and high standards of workmanship for which it is recognized internationally. This striving for excellence is integrated in all processes as a matter of course. ARCTIC COOLING´s core competencies are multifarious including systematic noise reduction,copper and aluminum heatsink development, customization of thermal solutions, as well as designing quiet fans. More recently quiet and cool PC Cases and Power Supplies have been developed. What we do? ARCTIC COOLING is a leader in creating thermal cooling solutions for personal computer systems that enable CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) and PC case cooling whilst reducing the noise level. Increased heat generated by modern computer systems has overwhelmed most existing cooler manufacturers in their efforts to keep pace with the demands in terms of noise level and cooling. The noise pollution caused by today´s IT systems has increased, severely affecting productivity in open office environments. ARCTIC COOLING has been working closely with globally recognized companies such as Inno3D, ECS, Galaxy, Sapphire, Powercolor and ATI. Through these partnerships ARCTIC COOLING has been able to adapt to the changing market requirements and has quickly developed the optimal solutions. ARCTIC COOLING combines the Swiss art of engineering to realize innovative cooling ideas. Thanks to the low labor cost in Asia, ARCTIC COOLING has consistently produced innovative solutions which lead the market in price / performance. Cooling solutions are created from the demand of our customers. Due to the continuous product development at ARCTIC COOLING the demands of end-users will always be satisfied. As a result of the head-start ARCTIC COOLING has in knowing end-user´s requirements, manufacturing possibilities and ARCTIC COOLING´s strong R&D, ARCTIC´s products will continue to be market leaders in cooling solutions and provide assemblers, computer hardware distributors and IT-technicians with innovative, virtually silent, cost-effective cooling solutions for CPU, GPU and PC-case worldwide. |
Features: Link
Specifications: Link
Specification sheet: Link
Packaging and Contents
The Arctic Cooling ARCTIC C2 comes packaged in a small blister pack that shows off the device itself and its 4 different AC plugs. The blister pack is actually a heat-sealed clamshell package which is any person’s worse nightmare. Indeed, opening the packaging can be quite a chore if you do not have the right tools in hand; usually scissors are good enough, but some people might decide to use a knife and, invariably, the risk of injury increases.
Asides from the clamshell package, a paper artwork is inserted into the packaging. Silver, white, grey and black colours are printed onto this paper and these are the typical Arctic Cooling colours. It’s a simple, attractive and effective packaging design.
The front of the packaging
The back of the packaging gives a thorough list of the features, specifications, usage and possible applications. A more complete set of information can be found on Arctic Cooling’s product webpage. Languages used here are English, German, French and Spanish. In all, Arctic Cooling provided all the needed information for the consumer to make a choice. A list of package contents could have been added simply to confirm to the consumer that no USB cable is included with the ARCTIC C2. Nevertheless, the latter could have been figured out by looking at the diagram demonstrating the device’s usage which states “USB cable of your device”.
The back of the packaging
Once the package is opened, the contents are easily taken out. Each of the AC plugs is locked into the plastic of the packaging, ensuring that they do not fall out of the packaging. The ARCTIC C2 wasn’t locked into the packaging, however. It accidently slipped out and fell to the ground when I opened the clamshell. Thankfully, no damage to the device was done
The contents of the packaging
Overall Look
The Arctic Cooling ARCTIC C2 is a compact white 4-port USB charger. Its logo and the company’s logo are both printed on the left side of the device. Again, the ARCTIC C2 has a simple yet attractive design. Near the front, we can see its 4 USB ports. In between the two middle ports, there is a small LED. As we’ll see later in the installation, this LED will glow blue when the device is powered.
The front of the Arctic Cooling ARCTIC C2
At the back to the ARCTIC C2, we see, from top to bottom, a power inlet (a figure-8 or unpolarized C7 connector), two ridges and a button that can be pushed upwards. The provided AC plugs lock into the power socket and two ridges. In order to unlock the AC plug, the button can be depressed and the given plug removed.
The back of the Arctic Cooling ARCTIC C2
On the right side of the ARCTIC C2, we see a sticker that gives information regarding its power input and output. From the input, we see that the device can accept a range of voltages, from 100V to 240V, and a frequency of 50-60 Hz. Therefore, this device should work in most countries from, for example, North America to Europe without any problem when the proper AC plug is used. As for output, we see that the device can give a maximum of 2000mA at 5V to a single device. Once more USB devices are plugged into the ARCTIC C2, the power output is divided and distributed to each device.
The right side Arctic Cooling ARCTIC C2
Closer Look: Accessories
Arctic Cooling advertises the ARCTIC C2 as being traveller friendly. As such, various AC plugs are included with the ARCTIC C2 so that the device may be used in a variety of countries. The four AC plugs are the following: Europe/Africa/South America, North America/Japan, Australia and UK/UAE. I myself will be using the North American AC plug. For those that travel frequently around the world, the ARCTIC C2 no doubt offers the right amount of AC plugs that you would need.
The included accessories: AC plugs
The design of the AC plugs are quite particular: a power socket (a figure-8 or unpolarized C7 connector) and two small ridges that lock into the ARCTIC C2. The design works well, but it offers little option in the sense that there is only one way to install it. Those wanting to rotate the AC plug at 90 degrees are out of luck.
To remove the AC plug, a small button at the bottom the ARCTIC C2 can be depressed to release the locking mechanism.
Each of the AC plugs snap onto the ARCTIC C2
Installation and Usage
The installation process of the ARCTIC C2 is straight-forward and it is described in the installation manual that can be found here:Installation manual: Link
As it was mentioned earlier, the back of the ARCTIC C2 has a power inlet (a figure-8 or unpolarized C7 connector) in addition to two small ridges that have a latch inside them that lock onto the AC plug. To install the AC plug, simply depress it onto the back of the device into the given sockets.
The ARCTIC C2 and an AC plug lined up for installation
In order to remove the AC plug, there is a button at the bottom back of the ARCTIC C2 that can be depressed in order to release latches holding the AC plug in place. The design works quite well. However, the fixed attachment of the AC plug could cause a problem for certain set-ups. For example, when installed on certain power bars, the ARCTIC C2 could block other outlets. Some kind of design that would allow rotating the AC plug to 90 degrees would have been interesting. Otherwise, a work-around for a consumer would be to use a power extension cord or a figure-8 cable like those used on many printers or notebook power adapters.
The AC plug installed
Once the ARCTIC C2 is plugged into a wall outlet, its blue LED will glow continuously. It simply shows whether the device is powered or not, but it does not indicate its status of charging or not. The blue LED is quite bright. I find it to be a bit too bright, honestly. In the dark, it could easily light up a 1 1/2 meter radius quite well.
When I tested the ARCTIC C2, it seemed to support all of my USB devices including the Samsung YP-K3 2GB, the BlackBerry Curve 8300 smartphone and the HTC Snap smartphone. It is reassuring to know that the ARCTIC C2 comes with various power protection features, such as short circuit protection, over current protection and over power protection. When you are charging expensive devices, you want to be sure that it is done in a safe and reliable manner. Even after 5 hours of charging various devices, the ARCTIC C2 was barely hot.
Note that no USB cable is included with the ARCTIC C2. However, USB adapters for Nokia and Sony Ericsson mobile phones can be purchased directly from Arctic Cooling around the US$4.90 excluding shipping price mark.
Additional cables: Link
The ARCTIC C2 powered
Conclusion
USB has become a standard connection for many of today’s devices. Not only do USB connectors allow data transfers, they are increasingly being used as a means to recharge these devices, such as mobile phones, portable media players and portable game consoles. The Arctic Cooling ARCTIC C2 fills the role of recharging these devices by being an AC-to-USB adapter. With its 4 USB ports, the ARCTIC C2 allows one to power up to 4 devices simultaneously without any trouble.With its compact design and its 4 different AC plugs, the ARCTIC C2 makes for a great travelling companion for those that love to bring their USB-powered portable devices with them. Through prolonged testing of charging various devices, the ARCTIC C2 performed admirably and remained cool. At a modest price tag of 17,95 € / US$ 26.55, the ARCTIC C2 is definitely a good investment for any technology enthusiast.
As for the downfalls of the device, there were no major ones. Two minor ones were noticed, however. The first issue was a power LED that was too bright, and the second issue was a the non-rotatable AC plug locking mechanism that could possibly cause the ARCTIC C2 to block adjacent power outlets.
The Arctic Cooling ARCTIC C2
In a nutshell, the Arctic Cooling ARCTIC C2 is a formidable device that meets its role of a traveler-friendly universal USB charger. As such, it is awarded the Vortez Hardware Gold Award.
Pros
+ 4 different AC plugs included
+ 4 USB ports
+ Compact
+ Light-weight and travel-friendly
+ Modestly priced
Cons
– Non-rotatable AC plug, which might cause the device to block other wall outlets
– Blue LED is too bright
Vortez Hardware would like to thank Arctic Cooling for supplying this product sample.
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