Over the past few years, wireless charging has become quite common; even some barbed wire earbuds support it. Since this is quite possible, you currently have several wireless charging-compatible devices in your home. If you want to simplify your power control, a multi-device charging pad can help you do just that. The Artellia Monno, now funded on Kickstarter, is a sleek and capable charging pad that can complement three devices wirelessly at once. If you can grab one at the price of early birds, there is not much to complain about, but you need to hurry.
Design, hardware, what’s in the box?
The Monno is characteristically good looking for a wireless charger. It is pill-shaped, about nine inches wide. It’s not as striking as something like the Zens Liberty, but it’s understated and clean in the same way that many of Google’s home products are, with soft edges and a dusty top (the color I’ve used here even ‘ Called Chalk ‘) on the box; it’s also available in darker gray). It’s not very technical looking, which I appreciate – I would not mind having it in my living room.
Artellia describes the substance that covers the loading surface of the road as ‘anti-scratch’, which is all well and good, but I have my doubts about how it will age. Large, flat stretched materials are dust magnets, and I have not had the Monno long enough to understand how easy it is to keep clean. It still looks nice on my desk after a few weeks, but I wonder how it will carry over the course of months or years.
“Anti-scratch” fabric.
There is a white LED on the front of the charger that burns slowly when there is a compatible device on the road or when there is a problem. Around the rear there are USB-C charging inputs that can take up to 35 watts, ventilation openings for the two cooling fans of the Monno (one in, one out) and two USB-A ports of five watts. I would have liked these ports to be inserted a bit for more flexible cable management, but the Monno’s internal layout seems to make this impossible.
The Monno’s guts. | Image: Artellia
In the container there is the charging pad itself, a one-meter USB C-to-C cable and a 45-watt brick that is uncomfortably large: in the power strip under my desk, it blocks the adjacent outlets on both sides . of the one on which it is plugged. At least it does not obstruct the second container on a socket, but for the price, the package should really contain something nicer.
Performance
You can charge up to five devices simultaneously with the Monno: two devices wirelessly up to 10 watts each and a third up to five, plus two wired via USB-A at five watts per piece, for a maximum output of up to 35 watts. The capacity should be more than enough for the levy of most people. Even if you do not have three devices that you need to charge wirelessly, the Monno’s seven overlapping charging coils mean it’s not very picky about where your phone or earbuds go. You can not be completely want-nilly with it, but it’s pretty hard to miss the loading area.
The Monno is actively cooled by two fans.
I even in cases did not have problems charging phones on the Monno. If you have three large phones in Otterboxes, you may not be able to place them all on the charger at once, but two phones and a pair of earbuds fit very comfortably.
The charger’s built-in cooling fans turn on each time it is active, with increasing intensity as you add more appliances. I never felt the charger heat up to any alarming degree, not even after a few hours of charging. Most devices on the charger also do not get too hot. My phones maintained the battery temperature in the mid 90’s – warm to the touch, but not extraordinarily so. I did notice that my Pixel Buds got a little more grid than I wanted.
The fans’ turn is certainly noticeable in a quiet room, but by using it on my bedside table, the soft whistle did not keep me awake.
USB ports all around. The white of the composite USB-C cable does not quite match the charger.
Wired loading is slow at five watts; I would like to see higher capacity on the Monno’s USB ports. I also wish they were USB-C instead of USB-A. Yet they are enough to soak up smart watches or other small devices overnight.
Should you buy it?
Artellia Monno wireless charger
7.5/10
Can be. The Monno is currently funded in Kickstarter, where it blew past its bizarre small target of $ 644 – from publication, the campaign has raised nearly $ 13,000. You can secure one for $ 79 before the funding ends on January 14th at 9am in the East (it’s tomorrow), which is a reasonable price for a nice and functional charger. It is expected that the units will only be sent to supporters in April. If you’re patient enough to wait it out, go for it.
However, after the campaign ends, Artellia says they plan to charge $ 129 for the Monno. It’s honestly a very first class price to pay for such an accessory from a company you’ve never heard of – in the vicinity of what I would expect to pay for a similar product from Apple or Google, and which I would even complain about. this then. If this is ultimately the Monno selling price, I can only recommend picking one up if it is exactly what you are looking for.
Buy it as:
- You can participate in the Kickstarter campaign before it ends.
- You dig the Monno’s simple look.
Do not buy it if:
- You do not have multiple devices charging wirelessly (duh).
- It ultimately costs $ 129 and you do not love the concept.
