Product Showcase: Affordable compact chargers from Stuffcool, Tempt and Honeywell

A lot of phones these days do not bundle chargers along. Some come with bulky bricks that are cumbersome to carry around. There are dozens of third party USB-PD chargers available in the market to charge various phones. Today we will feature three of them that address various needs. These fairly compact chargers from Stuffcool, Tempt and Honeywell won’t take much space in your bag or weigh you down.  

One thing to note is that these chargers deliver standard USB-PD output and not proprietary fast charging tech that you get with most Chinese manufacturers. So while these featured chargers will charge phones from OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo etc. or almost anything with a USB-C charging port, they may not do it fast enough. However, they are perfectly capable of fast charging phones from Google, Apple and many from Samsung. Time to meet the chargers.

Stuffcool Zeno 

Price: Rs 1,899

The Stuffcool Zeno is a neat little 30W GaN charger with built-in retractable USB-C cable as well as another USB-C port. Both can provide 30W USB-PD output when used individually. The output drops to 15W each if you use both outputs simultaneously. The 75 cm flat retractable cable option is damn cool and it goes back in completely into the charger while the USB-C charging head rests in a groove provided for it. Avoid yanking it too hard as physical damage isn’t covered under warranty. There were no mishaps during the course of our testing.

The charger weighs a shade under 100 grams, making it a great travel companion. At less than 4.5 cm in width and height and under 7.5 cm in depth, it doesn’t take up much space either. And the freedom to not carry an extra cable is a big plus. Stuffcool does bundle a USB-C to USB-C cable along with the charger, which is always welcome to charge two devices at a go. If you or someone traveling with you has an older Apple iPhone with a Lightning port, you may want to carry a USB-C to Lightning cable instead.

We tried charging the Google Pixel 10 as well as an Apple iPhone 14 Pro multiple times (individually) with this charger and the charging times were consistent with other more expensive 30W chargers. The charger did not get unusually warm either. To sum it up, the Stuffcool Zeno is a compact, convenient and capable travel charger that’s worth its asking price of Rs 1,899. It comes with a 6 months warranty and you have an option to extend it for another 6 months for free by registering your purchase on the company’s website.

Tempt Elite 30W GaN3 Charger

Price: Rs 899

If you are looking for something even more compact and lighter, this Tempt charger might just be the thing. The Tempt Elite 30W GaN3 is arguably the smallest 30W USB-PD 3.0/ PPS charger I have ever used, and it does its job quite well. Its tiny footprint and a mere 41 grams weight makes it a perfect candidate to accompany you wherever you go.  

There is nothing fancy about it and you get a solitary USB-C port for charging a single device at a time. There is no bundled cable either, but it’s hard to complain given its price tag. This Tempt charger claims to host an advanced GaN III chipset for efficient, low-heat and safe charging, and it sure didn’t heat up much while charging the phones for an hour. It also boasts of multi-layer protections that cover over-current, over-voltage, over-temperature, short-circuit, and has a fire-retardant body too.  

Its performance is as good as any 30W USB-PD charger we have tried with the Pixel phones at hand. Given that even the most recent phones from Google cannot draw more than 30W power for charging, this is an ideal travel charger for those who own a Pixel. Even a higher capacity charger doesn’t really give you faster charging speeds, so no point spending more. On that topic, the Tempt Elite 30W GaN3 charger is priced at just Rs 899 with a one year warranty and is well worth the money if you are looking for a tiny charger that performs as well as the big ones.

Honeywell Micro CLA 100W PD Smart Car Charger

Price: Rs 1,559

One of the most common questions we get asked is if you get fast chargers for cars. I meant one to be used in a car and not to charge an electric vehicle. Of course, you do, and the Honeywell Micro CLA 100W PD is a very good option. When travelling together in a car, invariably more than one person’s phone tends to run low on charge at the same time. This Honeywell charger lets you charge not one or two but four devices simultaneously, and it’s surprisingly compact too.

This charger has four ports - two USB-C and two USB-A ports that can collectively deliver 100W output. The company hasn’t specified the exact output numbers for different scenarios when multiple ports are used together, however, if you choose to use all four ports at a go, not all devices may charge at full speed. Individually, the two USB-A ports can deliver up to 18 Watts each, while one of the Type-C ports (C1) delivers 36W USB-PD output and the other (C2) can go as high as 65W. C2 can also be used to charge certain laptops briskly.

We would suggest charging not more than a couple of devices at the same time for good charging times, unless it’s an emergency. But it’s always good to have the option available. Mind you, you will need to purchase the necessary cables separately as the company does not bundle any with this charger. The Honeywell Micro CLA 100W PD smart car charger is priced at Rs 1,559 and covered by an impressive 3 years warranty in India, making it a great option for charging multiple devices on the drive.