Today we are taking a look at the LUXA2 (Thermaltake) TX-200 Dual Wireless Charging Station. The TX-200 utilizes the Qi inductive power standard. It comes with two wireless charging pads as well as a USB port for wired charging, allowing for up to three devices to charge at once.
Full specifications are below:
- Length: 182 mm (7.1 inches)
- Width: 97 mm (3.8 inches)
- Height: 14.5 mm (0.5 inches)
- Input: DC 5V3A
- Output: USB Output : 5V1A, Wireless Output 1 : 5V1A (Qi Compatible), Wireless Output 2 : 5V1A (Qi Compatible)
- Material: Plastic, Silicone
- Weight: 188g
- Warranty: 2 year
The TX-200 is a solid feeling, sleek looking device. It is made of plastic and silicone, but at first glance looks as though it is aluminum. The charging spots have raised and rubberized rings to keep charging devices from sliding around on the TX-200. The TX-200 also comes with a variety of different outlet options, so it can easily be used in a number of regions.
Using the TX-200 is simple, just plug in the TX-200 to a wall outlet, place a Qi-capable device on one of the rings and it begins to charge. The TX-200 has two notification LEDs that are solid when the TX-200 is plugged in, but blink to signify when a charging ring is charging a device (left LED corresponds to left ring, and right LED corresponds to right ring). The TX-200 also beeps when a device begins charging. While it?s a nice indicator to let the user know that the device is properly set on the TX-200, it would be nice if it could be disabled or the volume of it adjusted, as sometimes the beep can be annoying.
In terms of performance, we drained the battery on our Nexus 5 to 30%, and charged up to 90%. We used Battery Monitor Widget to poll the phone every 10 minutes to determine change in battery life. Using the standard Nexus 5 charger which has a draw of 5V at 1.2A, the Nexus 5 would recharge anywhere between 7-11% every 10 minutes. Using the TX-200 wireless which has an output of 5V at 1A, it recharged 5-6% every 10 minutes.
Best case for the TX-200 and worst case for the wired charger results in almost identical charging speeds, but worst case for the TX-200 and best case for the wired charger results in more than double the charging speed on wired. However, that?s a limitation of inductive charging. The advantage of charging wirelessly is for convenience, ease of use, and to limit wear on a device?s microUSB port.
The LUXA2 TX-200 is very convenient to use. We use it almost exclusively for charging, since we can just put down our phone, even just for a few minutes, and immediately pick it up and go. Also, the difference in charging speed makes no difference when charging overnight, which is primarily when devices are charged.
At an MSRP of $70, the LUXA2 TX-200 isn?t cheap, but when compared to many Qi wireless chargers currently available, it is quite competitively priced. The new Nexus Wireless Charger for example, retails at $50, and unlike the TX-200, it only has one wireless charging spot, and doesn?t allow for a device to be plugged in on a wired connection. For $20 more than the Nexus Wireless Charger, you get a sleek, high quality charger that can charge up to three devices simultaneously. To us, that?s quite appealing.
