You would think car chargers are a dime a dozen, but it turns out some of them stand out from the rest of the crop due to their design and features. We’ve been playing around with the ZUS Car Charger & Car Locator for the last couple of weeks, and we’d like to spend a minute talking about why we like it so much.
Winner of the 2016 IF Design awards, the ZUS Car Charger by Nando does look pretty slick, as far as car chargers go. Integrated LED lighting (which the company calls ElegantShineTM) makes it easy to find in the dark and gives it a bit of a touch of class. It’s a slick, solid piece of kit, and nothing about it feels flimsy (especially the USB connector).
More importantly, it features two angled USB ports, so you can power up two devices simultaneously. Integrated circuitry detects which device is plugged in and automatically adjusts power output to the maximum. In this way, charging time is minimized while reducing the risk of damaging the electronics. And in our testing we did find that our iPhone 6 Plus does get juiced up considerably quicker than when we were using a competitor’s charger.
The “Car Locator” part of its name refers to its ability to direct you back to your car after you’ve parked. It does this by pairing to your smartphone through bluetooth, and keeping track of your car’s whereabouts through the companion app. When it senses the phone disconnect (by your walking away), the system knows you’ve parked and remembers the location the car was in. When it’s time to find your way back, just start the app up and follow directions. In our testing we found this feature worked relatively well, but the compass directions were mostly hit and miss; it was better to just find the car on a map. Also, it has its limitations, such as when you’re parked in an indoor car park,for which you’re prompted to “take a picture of your car’s location”. Of course, this is not the fault of the ZUS, but just how GPS signals work.
Overall we’re extremely satisfied with the ZUS Car Charger & Car Locator. You’re purchasing a solid, titanium-coated charger with a construction rated to “US Military MIL-STD-810G High Temperature Standard. Temperature as high as 100ºC”. The best part is you get all this for $35, and until March 31st, OhGizmo! readers can use promo code SMM-AKZUSSUMMER16 to get 10% off, when buying on Nonda’s website below.
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