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Hands-on: Nomad Wireless Hub with integrated 4-port USB charger [Video]

Nomad, known for its popular line of leather smartphone cases, has just launched a new charging hub to accommodate all of your power-hungry devices. The Nomad Wireless Hub is capable of charging up to five devices at once, thanks to four USB charging ports, and a 7.5W wireless charging top surface. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for more details.

Specifications

  • Charges 5 devices simultaneously
  • 1x fast charge USB-C port (15W)
  • 3x USB ports (2x 5W + 1x 10W)
  • Includes power brick
  • 7.5W Qi-enabled wireless charging top
  • Rubber anti-skid top surface
  • LED lights indicate charging status
  • Ambient light sensor to dim LEDs
  • Smart cable routing for clean cable management
  • Heavy-duty weighted rubber base
  • Price: $79.95

If you have several devices that you charge on a regular basis, then Nomad Wireless Hub makes for a solid desktop companion. Its 7.5W wireless top surface allows it to replace your normal desktop wireless charger, while at the same time accommodating traditional wired charging needs.

Overall the unit is capable of providing up to 30W of power at any given time. This means that connecting to all devices simultaneously will result in some connected devices being slower to charge. In real world practice this likely won’t be a hindering factor for most users who charge a couple of devices at a time. If you’re charging five devices at night before bed, then it should be of little consequence since enough time should elapse to fully charge all devices.

Video walkthrough

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As a bonus, there’s even a built-in USB-C port for fast charging devices like the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPad Pro. The single fast charging port provides 15W of power to eligible devices, making the Nomad Wireless Hub a do-all unit for those with several smart devices.

After unboxing the unit, it’s clear that Nomad aimed at providing its wireless hub with a high quality build profile. Its non slip rubber top and bottom ensure that the unit stays secure on a desk, and its substantial weight further helps prevent it from sliding around.

Multi-charging solutions like this can easily become unwieldy from a cable management perspective, but Nomad has considered this as well. It features a port on the rear of the device for routing the unit’s charging cable, along with all of the cables that go to the various devices that you wish to charge.

Each charging option on the Nomad Wireless Hub features an associated LED light on the top of the device. The LED lights shine orange when a device is charging, and display a white color once charging is complete. There’s also a handy ambient light sensor on the front of the device to help with dimming the LEDs when in a dark area.

My main complaint with the device, is admittedly a very ‘nitpicky’ one — Nomad’s Wireless Hub lacks any of the cool Nomad-branded braided USB cables that the company sells on its website. It would have been nice if they included at least a couple to get started since they are prominently displayed on the product’s box art.

The product’s box art shows a configuration with four black, braided Nomad charging cables, and it looks perfect for the setup. With normal white Apple-provided cables, the setup doesn’t look nearly as cool as it does on the box. Granted iMac Pro owners can always use their special black Lightning cable to help compliment things.

That said, it’s simple to purchase these cables if you’re aiming for the cleanest look. Just keep in mind that it will increase the cost of the entire setup.

As someone who likes the look of Mophie’s sleek and simple Wireless Charging Base, Nomad’s hub is a little on the large side for my personal taste, but it easily beats the mess of tangled wires and power bricks that can take over a work space. Even with its size, it’s one of the most flexible, functional, and best-looking all-in-one chargers that I’ve seen thus far.

What wireless charging solutions, if any, are you currently employing? Does Nomad’s $79.95 Wireless Hub seem like a good all-in-one solution to you?

There is a slight backorder for Nomad’s Wireless Hub with orders shipping 1/19.

Coming off our time with Hyper’s 8-in-1 Wireless Charger we were interested in a simpler option, which Nomad’s Wireless Hub definitely is. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough of Hyper’s latest offering below for more details.

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Avatar for Jeff Benjamin Jeff Benjamin

Jeff is the head of video content production for 9to5. He initially joined 9to5Mac in 2016, producing videos, walkthroughs, how-tos, written tutorials, and reviews. He takes pride in explaining things simply, clearly, and concisely. Jeff’s videos have been watched hundreds of millions of times by people seeking to learn more about today’s tech. Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube to catch Jeff’s latest videos.