If you try thinking about the most important smartphone accessory, you’d probably first think of protective cases and power banks. In reality, a charger is probably the most critical sidekick to a mobile device, to the point that there were a lot of ruffled feathers when Apple, followed by other manufacturers, started excluding it from smartphone boxes. Admittedly, there is an overabundance of chargers out in the wild, justifying that sustainability strategy, but chargers have seemingly been ignored by designers despite their popularity.
With the emergence of charging technologies like GaN (Gallium nitride), chargers can be even more compact or, conversely, take on less conventional shapes, appearances, and even materials. Designers now have more wiggle room to craft a charger that you won’t hide away in embarrassment but even proudly display on your desk, even when you’re not charging anything.
Designer: (Wise Integration)
Like many simple electronics, smartphone chargers are commonly boxy in shape to maximize the space inside while also making the design compact. The last thing you need is to take out a bulky charger that sharply contrasts with your thin and luxurious smartphone but even then, charger designs often look either uninspiring or too technical. Apple mastered the art of minimalist charger design, of course, but not everyone subscribes to that aesthetic.
The Gazelle TheOne offers an alternative that turns the charger into a sleek and elegant design object. Its curvy, pebble-like shape makes it look quite appealing, and the layer of color on top adds a bit of character to the design. It’s definitely larger than your average phone or laptop charger, and it might compete for space on cramped power outlets or strips, but it makes up for that by looking good while being rather visible.
TheOne charger also challenges the status quo by offering a design that’s also more sustainable, attacking the problem of e-waste from a different angle. The charger’s base is made from recycled resin, for example, and the casing makes use of recycled plastics as well. Interestingly, the packaging for the charger, in addition to being fully recyclable, can also be used as a boxy phone holder in the meantime.
Gazelle is able to pull off this unconventional charger design thanks to the use of Wise Integration’s GaN technology. That said, despite the charger’s large size, it is capped at a maximum of 65W. That’s plenty fast for a smartphone or tablet, but it will struggle to keep up with many laptops. At the end of the day, TheOne is a challenge to long-held mindsets that chargers have to be bland and downright unattractive.
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