Hands-on: Nomad ChargeKey is a keychain-size USB-C cable perfect for power sharing

Nomad is a premium accessory brand that primarily makes Apple gear, but from time to time, there’s a product perfect for Android devices too. Today, Nomad is launching the ChargeKey, a revival of one of the company’s older products, a charging cable that fits on your keychain and – thanks to USB-C – is perfect for power sharing.

The first Nomad ChargeKey launched a decade ago, with the 2013 version of the ChargeKey having been a key-shaped piece of flexible plastic that had a stripped-down USB-A plug on one side and either a Lightning port or micro-USB plug on the other side.

The new ChargeKey has two very short cables that connect in the center with a piece of metal that you can attach to your keychain. The two ends of the cable – which can be either two USB-C or one USB-C and one Lightning – then magnetically attach to one another to keep things tidy. The metal housing and strong, braided nylon cable scream quality too.

The super small cable fits on a keychain or can attach to a backpack, so you always have it on hand. That’s great for hooking up to a public charging port or plugging into a battery, but I think the most useful situation here is for power sharing.

Android phones with USB-C ports have for years now been able to share their battery with whatever device is plugged in, even if that’s another smartphone or tablet. The small size and the folded nature make this a natural use case. It’s certainly a lot faster than the wireless power-sharing we see on many devices, which is usually limited to 5 W and wastes a lot of power through heat in the process of charging.

However you choose to use it, the utility of the Nomad ChargeKey is quite clear, and I’m a big fan of it. The cable can handle up to 60 W charging and data transfer at USB 2.0 speeds.

Nomad ChargeKey costs $25 for the USB-C to USB-C variant and is available today.