USB-C PD charging

What if your cables could magnetically stick to themselves, forming a neat coil that wouldn’t tangle loosely in your drawers and bags?What if they were also good cables that could charge and sync everything via USB-C, Lightning, etc.?
Well…you can now buy the USB cable that completes the first part!And they’re cool enough that I really hope the cable makers fix the rest.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been testing some really nifty USB cables that actually do the magnetic snake trick.Originally brought to the attention of the English-speaking world by a brand called SuperCalla, they are now sold by many obscure brands including Amazon and Alibaba.They’re incredibly fidget toys, as SuperCalla’s Indiegogo campaign promised more than two years ago:
As you can see in my photo below, they are exactly coiled like a GIF!They’re not exactly “self-winding” as some sellers claim, but the six-foot ones are definitely easy to pack.
And, of course, you can attach them to various other ferrous metal objects and pay for as many cables as you want.I now have one cable hanging from my metal mic stand, another on my corner, and another that runs neatly along the edge of my keyboard while my phone is charging:
Ready to get caught?I bought four different types of cables, and they all took a lot of time (that’s a technical term) for data transfer, charging, or both.
This one also has its own built-in blue LED light and magnetic replaceable tips for USB-C, micro-USB, and Lightning, won’t charge most of my USB-C gadgets at all, but I can hang it with USB 2.0 speeds Some files from a slower external drive and charging my iPhone via Lightning.It also has super weak coil magnets and feels cheaper than others.
This USB-C to USB-C charges pretty well, gives me 65W of USB-C PD power, and has the best magnets in its class – but it won’t connect to the Pixel 4A phone or my USB -C Drive externally.They just don’t show up on my desktop!
This USB-A to USB-C cable is the worst.Just wiggling it disconnects anything I plug in, and it tops out at 10W of charging power – not the 15-18W I usually see on the Pixel.
Finally, this USB-A to Lightning appears to be a SuperCalla cable that comes in the “Original SuperCalla” box, even though it’s sold by a brand called “Tech”.Slow charging, slow data, but at least so far it seems to have a solid connection with my iPhone.
But these aren’t the only magnetic tangle-free cables I’ve found.I also bought this neat accordion and it’s probably the best: I got 15W charging and it feels better than the rest.
But it’s not as fun to play, the magnet isn’t as strong, and its shape is a bit awkward when fully extended because the joints always stick out.Plus, it has USB 2.0 speeds of up to 480Mbps (or around 42MB/s actually).I can’t find a C-to-C or Lightning version.
I’d definitely pay a fortune for a sturdy, reliable 6-foot USB-C to USB-C easy-wrap cable with strong magnets, 100W USB-C PD charging, and at least 10Gbps of USB 3.x bandwidth.
Or, if I’m really dreaming, how about 40Gbps over USB 4?Let’s go all out and build the ultimate cable – give it a built-in power meter while you’re using it.
Now, all I’ve found is these cheap, $10 novelty cables, which is a shame.Magnet design deserves better, and so do we.