As with many modern electronics, there really isn’t much to see. Of course it uses GaN components to achieve its small size, but that’s not really obvious just by looking at it. To the untrained eye, it usually looks like a neat collection of capacitors, solder joints, and various other components.
Luckily for Nomad, that makes for an incredibly cool aesthetic (at least in my opinion), especially for people like me who can appreciate electrical engineering, even if we don’t understand exactly what we’re looking at.
Outside of the case, there isn’t much special about this charger; it is normal a from multiple 30W compact chargers on the market with a suggested retail price of around $30. That’s not to say it looks bad, just routinely competent. The company says it aims to quickly charge iPhones and is even capable of supplying enough power for a MacBook Air. But still… that case does.
As these tweet notes, the nostalgia cycle has reached the late 90s and early 2000s — aka the golden age for fun, see-through gadgets. And while I certainly can’t fault the aesthetics of Nomad’s offerings (nor, say, the Nothing Phone or other recent transparent devices), I’d love to see other companies add a pop of color. Picture a pink iPhone where you can see the battery, MagSafe magnets and charging coil. How about an official? clear switch or steam deck? And as long as I’m making a list of wishes that don’t come true, I hope Sony brings the PSP back and makes it transparent, all in one fell swoop.
