A Fun, Useful Novelty – Review Geek


    Rating:
    9/10
    ?

    • 1 – Absolute Hot Garbage
    • 2 – Sorta Lukewarm Garbage
    • 3 – Strongly Flawed Design
    • 4 – Some Pros, Lots Of Cons
    • 5 – Acceptably Imperfect
    • 6 – Good Enough to Buy On Sale
    • 7 – Great, But Not Best-In-Class
    • 8 – Fantastic, with Some Footnotes
    • 9 – Shut Up And Take My Money
    • 10 – Absolute Design Nirvana

    Price: $25.99

    Chipofy LED power display cable plugged into MacBook
    Kevin Bonnett

    If you think it’s impossible to improve upon the standard 100W Power Delivery USB-C to USB-C cable, you’d be wrong. Fortunately, Chipofy thought to add a small LED display, allowing users to see how much power is being drawn, and I love this cable!

    Here’s What We Like

    • Display is easy to read
    • Supports 100W power delivery
    • Braided nylon cable is super durable

    And What We Don’t

    • No USB 3.0+ speeds
    • Not ultra-precise
    • Pricey for a USB cable

    Admittedly, this feature is by no means a necessary one, but it’s still useful and incredibly cool for anyone who geeks over tech accessories. It’s super easy to use—literally just plug it in—and if you’re like me, you’ll probably spend 20 whole minutes watching the numbers fluctuate ever so slightly before you realize you zoned out. There’s not much to this cable beyond its novelty device, but it’s fun to have an indicator that shows how much power you’re drawing.

    Specs as Tested

    • Power: 100W (20V/5A) fast-charging
    • Interface: USB-C
    • Transmission Rate: 480Mbps
    • Cord Length: 6.6 feet

    Design

    TheBoth ends of the Chipofy LED Power Display cable unplugged atop a colorful background
    Kevin Bonnett

    While the cable ships in a fairly nondescript brown cardboard box, the cable itself has a premium feel and gorgeous design. Every component feels well-made, from the 6.6-foot braided nylon cable to the connectors, which both sport a dark finish. It also features reinforced joints to help it last longer against those who tend to be hard on them (totally other people and not me). The solid aluminum shield within the cable did an excellent job with heat insulation, even when pulling near 100 watts for my MacBook while I gamed on it.

    The LED display is only on one end of the cable—and only on one side, from there—so you’ll need to hearken back to the days of old and plug it in with the display side facing up. Of course, the cable works no matter how you plug it in, but since there’s only a single display, it’s more useful if you point it in the right direction. It’s USB-C to USB-C, and perfect for charging your smartphone, tablet, laptop, and other compatible devices. It charged all of my USB-C gadgets with ease.

    Performance & Ease of Use

    As I briefly mentioned above, this cable is super easy to use. All you need to do is plug it into something that starts drawing power, and you’ll see the approximate wattage it’s drawing displayed on the cable. It has a non-slip grip that’s easy to maneuver, and the connectors fit snugly into everything I plugged it into.

    The cable can handle power delivery connections up to a maximum of 100W; when I plugged in my MacBook Pro, I consistently saw 96W on the display, though it fluctuated a couple of watts in either direction, occasionally. It’s a novelty item, though, and doesn’t show fractional increments, so it’s likely not the most accurate reader in the world. Furthermore, it doesn’t show the voltage or amperage, nor can it show the percentage of your phone or laptop’s charge level.

    The Chipofy cable plugged into a smartphone showing a wattage reading
    Kevin Bonnett

    The only other thing it does show is whether or not the device you’ve connected is using Power Delivery or not. It also supports data transfer, which is nice, but the transmission rate is limited to a maximum of 480Mbps (that’s USB 2.0 speeds). If you were looking for lightning-fast transfer speeds in addition to fast charging, this isn’t the cable for you. It won’t, unfortunately, give you faster USB 3.0+ speeds. Still, though, the cable was reliable and I never encountered any issues with charging, overheating, or slower speeds. If you aren’t in any hurry, you won’t have any complaints here.


    Final Thoughts

    The Chipofy LED Power Display cable is one of those gadgets that reminds me that accessories can be just as fun and exciting as the tech they’re designed to complement. Does anyone need this cable? No. Is it a fun and clever addition to something most of us use on a daily basis? Absolutely. And even if you’re not totally into watching the current-time wattage a device is drawing, I think this is still a super nice USB-C cable that works well and will last for years to come .

    It’s also worth noting that Chipofy is not the only manufacturer out there creating these LED display cables, and that they frequently tend to sell out then be back in stock a few days later. If the Chipofy cable isn’t in stock, feel free to check out the many alternatives like this one from URVNS or this cable from WOTOBEUS. They look similar and have matching features.

    Rating: 9/10

    Price: $25.99

    Here’s What We Like

    • Display is easy to read
    • Supports 100W power delivery
    • Braided nylon cable is super durable

    And What We Don’t

    • No USB 3.0+ speeds
    • Not ultra-precise
    • Pricey for a USB cable





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