Tech brand Shargeek will soon be launching the wholesome, Apple Macintosh-inspired Retro 35 GaN Charger, after a massively successful Indiegogo campaign led to the product attracting over 4,500% of its crowdfunding goal.
The charger, shaped like an adorably small early Macintosh computer, can still be pre-ordered from the product's Indiegogo campaign page with a special 'early bird' discount. It's selling fast, which isn't surprising as it's priced at just $25 / £20 (about AU$35 for a single charger, or $48 / £38 for a pack of two. Shipping is slated to begin in July (via 9to5Mac).
The charger is cute, impressively tiny, and comes with a healthy selection of decals which you can apply to its display. The display itself is also color-coded to reflect how fast your device is charging: a white light represents no charge, while yellow, blue and green lights indicate normal, fast and super-fast charging respectively.
Not just a pretty face
This Macintosh-inspired phone charger certainly has charm, but Shargeek seems to have also made sure that it has the power to be a worthwhile purchase.
The charger has a USB-C port with a 35W maximum output, which is more than enough to enable fast charging on a variety of phones, including the iPhone 13 and Samsung Galaxy S22. Of course, the charger can also be used to power larger devices like tablets and laptops, too.
We genuinely love seeing charming little devices like this, especially when they're more useful than their aesthetic gimmickry lets on. The Macintosh design is eye-catching, certainly, but the specs of the charger are equally impressive.
It's a shame, then, that after the early bird period has ended the device is probably going to be quite hard to come by – and the retail price is set to double to $50 / £40.
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And when the price does increase you'll really just be paying for the novelty of the design, as chargers that are just as efficient can be found for much cheaper.
Rhys is TRG's Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.
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