AUKEY OMNIA 61W PD Charger REVIEW | MacSources

Travel-ready, high-powered charger provides easy charging option for USB-C devices.

When it comes to providing power to my devices, I choose my accessories very carefully. I don’t want something that is going to overpower my precious tech, but I do want something powerful enough to power all my devices including my MacBook Pro, which requires at least 61W (based on the Apple original wall charger). Over the years, I have come to love and respect products from AUKEY. While they are not a widely known brand, their products have consistently been solid. So, when I decided to look for a wall charger to travel with me day-to-day, I looked at their line-up and found the OMNIA 61W PD Charger.

DETAILS

The OMNIA 61W PD Charger is a wall charger that features up to 61W of power delivery for USB-C compatible devices. The charger carries the model number PA-B2 and has an advanced GaN power chip that is designed to improve charging efficiency. This technology also keeps the internal components cool. The charger is compact. It’s 65% small than the Apple 13" MacBook Pro wall charger. It has a foldable plug for additional portability. This charger is works with most USB-C devices. It’s ideal for use with laptops such as the 13" MacBook Pro or the Dell XPS 13. It will also work with iPhone, iPads, Nintendo Switches and other compatible devices that support USB Power Delivery. AUKEY claims that the charger will fully charge a 13" MacBook Pro in just 1.8 hours or fast charge an iPhone 11 up to 50% in 30 minutes.

Model: PA-B2

Input: 100–240V~1.5A 50/60Hz

USB-C Out (Power Delivery 3.0): DC 5V 3A, 9V 3A, 12V 3A, 15V 3A, 20.3V 3A

Max Power Output: 61W

Dimensions: 1.77" x 1.77" x 1.18" inches

Weight: 92g/3.25oz.

UNBOXING

AUKEY does not put a lot of pomp and frills into their packaging. In fact, they use a very simple brown cardboard box with an illustration of the product on the front. The one thing I’ve noticed recently with their products is that while the model number matches the product in the box, the name of the product doesn’t match what AUKEY lists on their website. For example, this wall charger is titled “61W PD Wall Charger” on the box, but on the website product page, it’s called out as “OMNIA 61W PD Charger.” Even though the packaging is plain, it’s practical. It isn’t much larger than the product it houses.

When you open the box, you’ll find the charger wrapped in plastic, a 24-month product warranty card, and a user manual. AUKEY’s user manuals are actually very well done. They provide a lot of information about the product and its technology. For example, the manual describes what USB Power Delivery (PD) is in addition to outlining the instructions for how to use the product. One thing that is mentioned is that fast-charging power delivery is supported for the iPhone 11 series phones when an original Apple USB-C to Lightning cable is used. The user manual is multilingual and features the product information in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese.

FORM & FUNCTION

The charger feels really good in the hands. That might sound strange, but the truth is the matte finish makes the charger feel clean to me. There is a single USB-C port on the back of the charger along with an LED indicator that shows when power is flowing through the charger. The prongs of the charger flip up and down easily and they stay locked in place. As noted in the product details, this charger is quite a bit smaller than the Apple version. I have actually included a picture of the two products side-by-side to show the size difference between the two. I really love how small this charger is. It’s incredibly convenient and much easier to cart around than the Apple charger.

As far as testing goes, I opted to plug in my iPhone 11 Pro, which only had a 42% charge since I had been using it all day. I used a third-party USB-C to Lightning cable to connect to the charger. Since the manual claims the Apple USB-C cable provides a fast charge (50% in 30 minutes for an iPhone 11), I was curious how quickly third-party cables would charge. As it turns out, the third-party cable made it possible to charge the iPhone 50% in approximately 50 minutes. That is a charging rate of 1% per minute. Even though that didn’t meet the iPhone 11 claim, it was still a very fast charge in comparison to other charging options. I also used the OMNIA charger to charge my 11-inch iPad Pro and my MacBook Pro. I had no issues with either device detecting and charging from the charger. The OMNIA charger did not feel warm even after prolonged use.

CONCLUSION

The OMNIA 61W PD Charger is a great, compact option for any device using USB-C to charge. It’s a great alternative to users who need a replacement for the Apple 61W USB-C Power Adapter. That charger retails for $69 and the AUKEY OMNIA 61W PD Charger is only $30 (at the time of writing this review). This is one of the best chargers I think I’ve ever used.

For more information, visit aukey.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

Originally published at https://macsources.com on July 7, 2020.