The $79 Zolt Laptop Charger Plus offers power in a small package
The Zolt is a 3oz charger that ships with 8 PC-compatible charging tips.
The Zolt Laptop Charger Plus is a 3-inch, 3-ounce laptop charger that wants to replace the bulky brick that shipped with your laptop.
It's tiny, and the prongs at the end fold in, which promises to keep things compact in your bag. And the Zolt can twist 90-degrees while plugged in, which should save some space on a surge protector or outlet. There are three USB ports: one for laptops, and two for smaller devices. And the Zolt can be charge all three simultaneously, intelligently sussing each device's energy requirements.
The Zolt delivers 70W of power, which should complement most laptops that ship with 60W and 65W power bricks. You'll connect your devices with one of the eight tips that are compatible with a wide array of PCs -- the Zolt also includes a 6-foot USB charging cable. There are also charging tips that are compatible with Apple's laptops. You can pre-order optional "L" type MagSafe connectors, and a MagSafe 2 connector, that will work with
Airs and MacBooks -- they'll set you back $20 each. I was also told that the Zolt will work with MacBook Pro models too, though those laptops will charge decidedly less quickly than a MacBook Air.
The Zolt also isn't compatible with Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 , as that device uses a proprietary charging cable -- the Surface 3 should be fine, as it charges via MicroUSB. The latest Apple MacBook charges via USB-C -- I was told that the Zolt doesn't currently support USB-C, but the company is working on compatibility.
As far as compact chargers go, the Zolt feels a bit more versatile than the Finsix Dart I checked out CES in January. That product also offered tips you could swap out, but only charged one laptop and one extra USB device at a time, and served up 65W of power. At 60 grams the Dart is a bit lighter, but the Zolt's design feels easier to travel with.
The Zolt Laptop Charger Plus is currently available for pre-order for $79 (about £50, or AU$97), and will be shipping later this year for $99 (about £63, or AU$122).