I was browsing for car charger and came across this cable.
Description says:
Magnetic Micro USB Sync/Charge Cable with LED Indicator Light for Android AU$ 6.79(US$4.99) with free shipping @Tinydeal
Instantly connect your Android smartphone, tablet and other micro USB devices to your charger without the hassle of plugging the connector in the wrong way.
Note:
This charger cable will only work for android devices. The magnetic connector can be used as anti-dust plug when out of charging.
just pull it out , use you finger nail to lift it out.
very magnet
so charge
such convenient
shutupandtakemymoney
wow
pretty cool idea. I guess it depends on the shape of your phone whether it would look OK or not.
And there were several Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns selling these for ~$20 each…
I own a couple and they're great. The connector is a pain to get out if you bite your nails.
I saw one on indigogo and was waiting for reviews before getting one .. I want to use it with a tablet and was concerned that maybe the cables would not charge quickly or the the 'head' might be loose/fall out too easily…. can you give me your thoughts on yours in these cases?
If the bottom of your phone isn't completely level and straight then you will encounter a couple of issues. My first gen Nexus 5 is curved at the bottom and it looks horrible with this on it. Charging seems to be normal for 2.1a and the magnet holds well.
Edit: 1M sucks too. Needs to be longer.
Wait……… it's out? I thought I saw a kickstarter for this, not more than……. 3 months ago? Was there more than one?
Sounds kinda awesome, wish this was standardised
OEM product from Alibaba getting rebranded by people and stuck on crowd sourcing sites.
Yeah sure ok, I mean that is common and understandable - it's more…. oh…….. hang on I just read what you wrote.
So like, the thing exists and then people advertise it on a kickstarter like it doesn't?!…. very clever
The one I saw was actually pretty swish tho - it was gonna do Apple and Android surprisingly.
Here's the one I found..
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1041610927/znaps-the-9-…
That is correct. Before Android Wear existed there were a lot of Android watches from OEMs being put up on Kickstarter and becoming very successful. That Kickstarter you linked is like the ones on Indiegogo except with a different logo.
There is also the issue where some projects are legit and the factory contracted to make the device steal the design and sell it as their own. The Auris Wily Speaker being an example of their design being stolen. One of the copied versions is on Tinydeal.
@Clear:
This is nothing like the Znaps in anything other than function, the Znaps is smaller and comes in gimmicky Ironman, Thor, Loki etc. themed editions.
I'm sure you're right and there are unscrupulous rebranders out there but you know … brush tar the same with all don't them.
@geekboy: znaps is bigger it requires ur original cable plus and adapter AND a plug
so you dont even get a cable like this does
the guy in the video isnt even part of the team. if you read the project team its 4 asian dudes from HK who just hired a marketing teams
@furythree: The plug that fits into the device is visibly smaller, being barely wider than the plug itself, as that's the part that's permanently in my device that's the only part I care about. I like that each of the components is separate, if any part breaks be it cable, plug or adapter, you don't have to shell out for the whole solution again, although admittedly the price on this product is very good.
@Clear : None of the devices linked below are a rebranded Znaps, the only one that looks similar costs twice as much and is still visibly different.
@geekboy: fair enough i did some research and agree
got confused with a separate indiegogo one which was clearly just an OEM rebrand
this is why they offer microusb only and znaps offers both usb and lightning.
I found some lightning ones but the smaller ones are charge only and sync plus charge ones are bulky like this cable here. Also looks shoddy
Is the cable good enough for quick charge?
I was going to ask the exact same thing.
"Only"? 2.4a is beast mode, that'll charge an ipad air 2 and allow you to keep using it.
@ComfortablyNumb: Well …… I guess? but I've never even heard of a 3a device and I bet 98% of our actual cables couldn't do 3a
@hamwhisperer: QC2.0 achieves this by upping the voltage and lowering the ampage.
For example on Samsung QC2.0 Charger:
5V 10W = 2A
9V 15W = 1.67A
I'm not sure how it achieves such quick charging due to the lower amperage but higher voltage however thats why a regular micro USB cable can still support QC2.0
This charger cable will only work for android devices.
Why would it not work with Windows Phone, surely its just USB charging at the end of the day?
Windows Phone? No Pob,man.
They had nobody in china with a Windows phone to test it with d:
Works perfectly on my Lumia 930. Use this in the car, wireless at home. No micro USB plugging… Also backed znaps, different design, snap on adaptor allows you to use your own cable. I will see which is best.
(did pay over $20A on ebay though, selling as Xcable by WSKEN on Amazon etc)
plus for a really clever idea, who needs usb-c with stuff like this and reversible micro usb cables :)
When we will have new phones with usb c? Then this will become useless I think?
edit:
almost bought but realised i need to buy many one for office, bedroom, living room otherwise need to pull out and put in. too expensive!
not buying.
Thanks for pointing that out. I was considering one for the bedroom, but then I'd need another for the car.
They say it will fit any android phone, but will it? I'm looking at that plug, and it's not the same shape as the one on my HTC One M9 - nor the charging cable that recently came with the car quick charger 2.0 "Clear" posted about 3 weeks ago, nor the OTG adaptors I bought. In fact, although the last one I just listed is the correct shape, it is a terrible fit. And this plug not being the same shape, makes me concerned it may be even worse.
The plug is the same shape its a micro usb. However the overall thing won't be flush on your phone so it will probably look horrible.
As for quick charge 2.0, I don't see why it won't work. This device is actually quite simple lay the pins out straight and wrap a magnet around it to make it stick together. There is absolutely no circuitry between the adapter and the cable.
In effect this is just a Micro USB charger cable chopped in half and had a magnet put on both sides, so it should be a straight through connection.
It's (technically) not the same shape. It may still fit, but the physical shape isn't the same as any of the other things that plug into my phone. So you're saying despite that difference, it still fits?
You see, I saw this item recently - but I discounted it because of the shape difference.
Really, Micro USB is Micro USB, the rendering of the computer image maybe slightly off but don't think they could REALLY screw up a common standard like Micro USB hahaha.
Taking a look at the pic sort of shows it maybe Mini USB but I'm pretty sure they cant screw it up that badly. lol.
With otg cable, the connector and adapter set from the kickstarted link posted by hamwhisperer will works better I guess, and those can be use with any existing cable so if one damaged just get another generic cable where is the one listed here you would need to source another magnet cable and has to be the type that fit the connector
Hmmm, interesting idea, but sadly not really applicable with quite a few phones. e.g. won't look good. You'd have to get a reasonably rectangle phone with flat edges to make it look good. Not many phones are rectangle and flat anymore, they are usually thin and more a half oval shape so it would look pretty bad on most phones on the market.
is this the charger that comes with macbook?
Lol, no. But i would be interested to see if somebody attempts to plug a Macbook charger into this and see how much smoke it creates. Laptop chargers are like 15+ volts, where as Micro USB is 5V.
Love the idea that will render all the tronsmart cables bought to be useless.
Looks like a good idea but You will probably have some issue with covers.
Will have issues with pretty much every single bumper type cover out there. Not to mention edges protruding
Pretty neat idea
Awesome idea! Too bad it probably wouldn't work really well on my Galaxy S5 (because of the waterproof USB port cover). But maybe it's thin enough to fit underneath the cover…?
And I'm also going to assume this will charge really slowly just like every other cheap USB cable.
It wont charge slowly, it will charge as fast as what the cable is plugged into. It doesn't use anything special like Qi, its just a Micro USB with magnets holding the contacts in place.
What I'd love to see is something like this but cheaper…. when will china make dupes? lol.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MagCable-Magnetic-Android-Micro-U…
Now this one will be very good due to its miniature size.
In my experience, not all USB cables are created equal. The official cable that came with the phone charges more than twice as quick as other random USB cables that I've tried.
True, sometimes it comes down to wire gauge and sometimes (older cables) only hook up 2 pins + and GND therefore slower charging. Most cables nowadays do hook up all 4/5 pins and negotiates with the phone on which charging mode it should put itself on.
What makes you think that one has a smaller size? The only measurement on the specification shows 17mm, which is bigger than the 15mm on the one posted by OP. And for the width, well in my impression they both seem square. Not miniature, just good camera angles.
Quite possibly. haha. Maybe its another one of those buy from alibaba/aliexpress and sell it for 5x the price lol.
So when it says Affiliate, is the user advertising this deal the affiliate or OzBargain????
With a case on, 16mm seems too wide to fit on a phone, would like to get one though, if only they were smaller
Ordered, now we wait :P
Damn Galaxy S5 and its dust cover not letting me have one of these!!
Yep, I ordered a few Znaps like these on Kickstarter then my old phone died and I replaced it with an S5. Looks like my kids will have a spare or two.
This is a great price, but not a great product. I bought 'Xcable' branded ones on AliExpress some months ago. They function as advertised, but there's a couple of problems:
The micro-usb plug is either ever-so-slightly larger than standard, or, because it's cast metal rather than folded sheet metal it doesn't flex enough. In any case, it stretched the charging socket on my phone and now all other micro usb cables flap around, don't always connect, and drop out easily. This will be find if you intend to use only this cable, forever, but it'll suck if you decide to switch back to regular micro-usb cables.
The LED light in the charge connector is white or very light green, and stays on whenever power is supplied to the cable, whether the phone is connected or not, charging or not. They don't claim that the cable behaves like a Macbook charge cable (off when disconnected, changes colour to indicate charged or charging) but it would be nice if it did.
tl;dr: this damaged my phone, doesn't give charge indication. Would not buy again.
Thanks for the info. Seems odd that it would change the socket size. Which phone did you use it with?
"this damaged my phone" nope I'm not trying this, thx for tip m8
Xiaomi Mi3
This may expose usb contacts that are normally shrouded.
There is no indication in the description whether the contacts are protected when they are not coupled to the magnetic cable.
If they are not protected, is there a potential to damage your phone?
If you use the micro-usb connector from one set/brand of cables, would they fit the magnetic connectors on other brand cables? i.e. are all the generic ones from Chinese sites similar?
Bought one for my mother in law for her moto g, with her eye sight she always has problem insert the plug the right way…. Hope it won't ruin the phone…..!!
For someone who plugs the phone in at just one location all the time, and will use the same cable all of the time, then this system is likely to be pretty good. It doesn't really matter if it stretches the plug slightly if you're never planning to remove it. It's definitely a much easier way to connect a phone to a charger.
How safe is this product? It's a great idea, can't believe the big manufacturers haven't done it (maybe they are scared of being sued by Apple?)
"if you are driving on the high-speed way, can you stop to charge the phone?"
The smart thing to do would be to plug your phone in before you start driving.
Great idea!
Great idea!
Yep, looks nifty.
My 2 years old Sony Xperia Z2 has magnetic charging port! What's new? Next!
What's new? The loss of the magnetic charging port on the Z5. Was/is super handy.
I'm still getting the Z5! Next!
Same. except Z3 (the last one with mag port)
I suspect Z9 or iphone 9S will "invent" it again.
Anyone know the maximum wattage on the cable? I.e. should it work with quick charge2.0?
See above, theoretically it "should" work with QC2.0
Didn't know they existed.
Don't really need one.
Bought one.
Thanks Ozbargain.
Has anyone received theirs?
Got mine today. Doesn't fit in my Micro port.. Anyone else have this issue?
Hello, there, can you attach a picture show me the Micro port of your phone, then I can help to figure out what happened.
It's strange. I got 3 cables. None fit my Note 4.
Tried it in my wife Galaxy S3, and it does just fit.. Very tightly.
(Will get a photo, but it wont tell you much, its a standard Micro port.)
Then you may need to buy the original cable for your Note 4.
And according to what you said, maybe you should go to the store you bought the Note 4 and ask the stuff for solution.
See whether there's any problem with the Micro port.
I have used many different micro usb cables and never had an issue.
I think its a little remiss for you to assume that the problem is with my phone.
I'll get the pic tonight.
Sorry that I made a mistake, you said you got 3 cable.
I wonder you are talking all the cables you have ever used, including others not buying from our store.
It's strange that we have never meet with such a case.
So, in this case, I suggest you to contact our customer service department via [email protected]
You can tell more detail for the problem, and my colleague will follow and see how to deal with it.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Thank Torben, I will follow up with them.
Are you able to test if you can fit this in a standard Mirco usb port?
Seems @Tm15 is having the same issue.
dont worry mine doesnt fit either
Got mine today. Doesnt really fit in my htc one m8 or my galaxy tab s 10.5. not going to risk damaging either trying to get it in there.
Torben would you upload a side by side photo of this next to oneplus one or Samsung standard micro USB plug please.
We have tested the cable for many cellphones, and it works well.
I will upload some pictures later.
Bump. Can you please provide pics. Galaxy Note 4?
Did you change mind about delivering the Xiaomi wall plug timer switch ?? not thrilled to be shortchanged $0.60 with partial refund. Those pics have not been forthcoming either
Would you intend to mark your less secured deals, Pre-sale, accordingly? And limit available number to units In Stock. Thanks.
To those who have already received theirs, when did you place your order?
I'm still waiting on mine and I ordered mine on the 7th Nov
Hello, there
Can you give me your order number so that I can help accordingly?
Just PM us.
Still haven't recieved mine
me too.
When did you guys order? I'm still waiting on mine.
Hello, there.
For those who haven't received your package, please PM me your order number so that I can help accordingly.
Best wishes
Not delivered for me either, :( PM sent.
No sign of mine, have PMed you. Cheers.
Ordered on 7/11, still nuffin.
That's long enough - i'll be seeking a refund.
Doesn't even fit my Samsung Galaxy…
the bloody thing doesn't even charge!
How do you remove the magnetic connector if you want to?