Gadget Review: Magnetic Charging Cables

The only thing I miss about my old MacBook was its magnetic charging cable. It was just so convenient to be able to hover the plug near my laptop and have it snap into place. If I walked off with my machine, I knew the cable would easily spring out - rather than jerking me back or breaking.

So here's a gadget to convert any USB device to magnetic charging! Chinese company TOPK have sent me some of their Magnetic Charging Cables to review.

How it works

1. Plug the receiver into your gadget.
2. Plug the cable into a power source.
3. Bring the two magnets close together and snap power starts flowing.

You get five different cables, with different lengths, and a range of connectors.

The 50cm, 100cm, and 200cm cables all end with a "straight" socket - like this:

All the cables have a glowing blue LED so you can see power is flowing.

There's a 200cm and 300cm cable with right-angled socket - like this:

And, it just works. As much as USB-C has made it easier to get your plug the right way up, the TOPK magnets make it 100x easier. Just slide the device near the cable and it automatically couples. Just like magic! The magnets are strong enough to hold up a phone, which is nifty.

The adaptors are small enough to fit anywhere a USB cable can. My BlueTooth headphones have a notoriously unforgiving amount of free space, but the connector slipped in just fine.

They weigh next to nothing, and don't seem to slip out easily.

Accessories

The five-pack of cables comes with 12 connectors. 4x USB-C, 4x USB-micro, and 4x Lightning. This is great if you have a "mixed economy" househould. The same cable can now charge three different types of device. Really handy if you don't want dozens of wires everywhere. I don't have any iPhones, so I couldn't test that connector - but the USB-C and Micro worked flawlessly.

You can buy more connectors separately.

Cons

There a couple of minor drawbacks with these cables. They are power only. They don't have any data lines. Perfect for charging devices by your bed, and in your car. But you'll have to rely on BlueTooth and WiFi for data transfer.

They do offer magnetic data cables which are slightly more expensive.

Finally, these only support 2.4 Amp charging. If you have a 3 Amp, Fast Charge, or Power Delivery device (like a laptop), you'll be stuck at the slower speeds. They do sell 3 Amp magnetic cables if you really crave that much power.

Final thoughts

5 cables for £26 is a pretty good deal. You get a range of lengths, and a bunch of different connectors. The nylon weave is flexible and good looking. If you need more power, or data transfer, different cables are available.

I kinda wish that this was the standard way to charge all USB devices.

You can buy the TOPK Magnetic Charging Cables from Amazon.