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Hands-on: Nomad’s new super slim chargers are perfect portable power for Pixel

Carrying around a spare charger can be a little cumbersome, depending on its size and design, but as the tech gets better, the hardware is also getting pretty impressive. This week, Nomad has launched a new duo of super slim USB-C chargers that are barely thicker than your Pixel phone.

Available now, the “Slim Power Adapter” from Nomad is a Gallium Nitride (GaN) charger that really pushes the limits on just how small a travel charger can be. The charger is designed with a right-angle orientation, which has a foldable outlet plug and a USB-C port (or two) at the bottom.

The super small size is what’s impressive here. The 35W size is barely thicker than a Pixel 8 Pro. It’s a bit unbelievable.

The actual measurement here is just 13.8mm thick, and 71 x 41mm tall and wide. It’s compact to a genuinely incredible level, to the point where you could keep it in a purse, backpack, or even just your pocket, and barely notice that it’s there. I’ve seen plenty of tiny power bricks on Amazon and elsewhere, but they often don’t have a foldable plug, which makes it a little cumbersome in my bag.

Meanwhile, the 65W version isn’t much bigger, and that one can charge two devices at once. It seems rather perfect for charging up a Pixel phone and a Pixel Watch while on a trip. With the prongs folded up, it measures 76.4 x 48.5 x 14.9mm, but the difference feels even smaller than that in person.

In terms of power output, 35W is perfect for a Pixel phone (the Pixel 8 Pro tops out at 30W), but the 65W one is what really caught my eye. It can deliver 65W out of either port if only one is being used, and it delivers 40W output and 20W out of the respective plugs when both are being used. As mentioned, I think that’d be perfect for charging up a phone and a watch while traveling light, but I love the added flexibility of being able to even keep a laptop charged up as needed.

Nomad’s Slim Power Adapters are available now from the company’s website for $35 and $65, respectively.

Now I just really want Nomad to start making Pixel cases again because the first-party offering sucks.

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Avatar for Ben Schoon Ben Schoon

Ben is a Senior Editor for 9to5Google.

Find him on Twitter @NexusBen. Send tips to schoon@9to5g.com or encrypted to benschoon@protonmail.com.


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