The consumer electronics market is dynamic and regularly develops new technology. However, one of the trends that some of the biggest names in the tech industry now follow is the exclusion of accessories users actually deem necessary. You guessed it! The removal of earphones and chargers. It seems this practice is here to stay, but we can always rely on brands like AOHi to supply us with high-quality alternatives like their Magcube 40W.
Last month, the company was awesome enough to send us a sample of their clutter-free fast-charging solution – the Magcube 120W. Unlike your typical charging brick, it was more like a power strip replacement except for the absence of the standard socket. Instead, it had two USB-A and two USB-C ports, which are commonly used by modern devices. Now, they’ve sent over their latest model for us to try out. Stick around to find out if this is what you need!
Unboxing The Magcube 40W
The box it ships in already sets expectations properly that what AOHi delivers is a compact accessory. Printed on the top cover are the branding, the model, and the image of the charger in yellow. Meanwhile, the sides and bottom show product information. Greeting you upon opening is a translucent sheet with stylish graphics. Below that is the Magcube 40W, documentation, and that’s about it.
Design And Build Quality
Despite the colors listed at the back of the packaging, the Magcube 40W is available in Classic Black and Lemon Yellow. We’re not entirely sure if more are on the way. The housing sports a matte finish that feels premium to the touch. The top has the AOHi label and a small notch where an LED indicator light resides. It measures 1.9” x 0.7” x 0.8” and is remarkably lightweight.
To help you attach and remove the charger to a socket, its edges have concave indentations. These give our fingers and thumb a better grip on the slim body. Another cool feature aside from its small physical footprint is the folding prongs. When not in use, these swing into grooves for storage.
AOHi even went the extra mile to precision engineer these to sit flush, yet with just a tiny bit of the tip out to make it easy to deploy with a flick of your fingertips. This is a simple mechanism that makes the Magcube 40W truly convenient for travel. Next up are the two USB-C ports.
Once again, you can see that the manufacturer has an eye for fine details. To protect the plastic from scuffs and damage when users plug in their cables, AOHi surrounds the interfaces with CNC-machined aerospace-grade aluminum. It may seem irrelevant, but nuances like it add value to the user.
Using Your Magcube 40W
After putting the Magcube 120W through its paces since last month, AOHi’s chargers are certainly some of the best ones out there. In fact, a little over a week with the Magcube 40W tells us that the performance is on par with its higher capacity sibling. It’s packing advanced technology supplied by Power Integrations ensuring whatever device you’re plugging in is charging according to its specifications.
Despite its size, the cutting-edge electronics inside operate much cooler. According to the product page, the Magcube’s temperature control safety measures allow it to run efficiently without overheating. In our experience, the Magcube 40W never got to a point wherein it felt too hot to touch. Take note that it does get warm, but you can still hold it in your hands without any issues.
A nifty feature comes from the color-changing LED. Green means the charger is active, blue stands for standard charging, and amber denotes fast charging. After hooking it up to various devices ranging from smartphones, tablets, and even some laptops, we are impressed. Just keep in mind that the AOHi Magcube 40W will split its maximum charging capacity between the two USB-C ports when both are in use.
Our Takeaway
Just like the earlier model AOHi shipped over before, the Magcube 40W lives up to what it advertises. It is a truly portable travel charger equipped to handle the varying needs of our devices. Perhaps, the only caveat we can think of is the lack of a USB-A port. Nevertheless, almost everything uses USB-C these days, so this is basically negligible. Don’t forget to grab a couple of their Magline+ nylon-braided cables too, which are more durable than the standard ones you get with your gadgets.
