Earlier this year, Nomad came out with a unique universal cable that's able to charge the Apple Watch while also charging USB-C devices like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
I took the Universal Cable for Apple Watch with me on a recent trip as my only charging option, and it ended up working well to charge the Apple Watch, Steam Deck, iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Pro that I had with me on the trip.
This is a USB-C to USB-C cable, but it has an Apple Watch charging puck added to the end below the USB-C connector on one side. Either side can be plugged into a USB-C power adapter that's then plugged into the wall, but a power adapter is not included and you'll need to supply your own. Since this is a cable that can be used for charging a Mac, a 100W power adapter works best if you have a MacBook Pro.
The cable is 1.5 meters, which was fine for charging at night, but I prefer a longer cable during the day just in case I'm not close to a power outlet, so the cable length was a bit inconvenient when trying to use it as my sole travel cable.
Nomad uses a sturdy, kevlar-reinforced braided design for its cables, and the Universal Cable feels like it's going to hold up to a lot of abuse. In fact, I have a cat that likes to take a nibble on cables now and then, but the Universal Cable hasn't suffered damage. There's a silicone tie attached to the cable, which is nice for wrapping it up when it's not in use.
I used the cable with the Apple Watch charger at the power adapter and at the end plugged into a device, and it was fine either way. I have a Braided Loop watch band, so when the cable was plugged into the wall on one end and plugged into a device at the other, my Apple Watch band couldn't go around the charger, but I ended up just flipping the band up and sticking my watch on the charger.
With a 100W power adapter, my phone was able to fast charge with USB-C and my watch was able to fast charge with the Apple Watch adapter. Note that the cable is limited to 100W charging speeds, so it is not one of the cables that supports 240W. There's not too much else to say because it's just a cable with an Apple Watch charger attached, but it worked well as my only travel charging option for a week where most of my devices were in heavy use.
Separately, I've also been testing Nomad's USB-C ChargeKey, which came out earlier this year. It's a cable that I've been keeping with me all the time because it's so small and portable. It attaches to a keyring with the loop at the top, and the two USB-C ends are magnetic and stick together when not in use.
I use this for connecting a power bank to my iPhone, but I've also used it for connecting an iPhone to my Mac and for connecting my Fujifilm camera to my Mac and my iPhone. It supports up to 10Gb/s data transfer, so it can be used for connecting an SSD to an iPhone for shooting ProRes video.
The ChargeKey is pretty useful for any situation where a small cable will do, and it's nice to have a cable on hand wherever you are.
Bottom Line
If you're looking for an all-in-one charger that's portable and no bigger than a cable and power adapter setup, Nomad offers a solid solution. The cable is able to charge the Apple Watch, but it also has enough power for even Apple's 16-inch MacBook Pro.
As with many of Nomad's products, the main downside is the price. It is a well-designed cable that's probably nicer than any other cable on the market, but $80 is expensive and pricier than some more traditional two-device chargers.
As for the USB-C ChargeKey, it's more reasonably priced and makes for a super convenient addition to a keychain.
How to Buy
Nomad's Universal Cable for Apple Watch can be purchased from the Nomad website for $79.
The ChargeKey can be purchased for $25.
Note: Nomad provided MacRumors with a Universal Cable and Charge Key for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
Top Rated Comments
You have to REALLY want one cable, lol
Also, now if the cable fails you can't charge anything. Not really sure how that is very practical for frequent travelers. Maybe if you have a ton of money, don't travel often, and want to only carry one cable instead of two?
I don't have a problem spending money on quality things, accessories included, but this just makes no sense to me. Good for Nomad if people buy it though, serving some market segment I guess.
This cable does look pretty great for the business traveler (aka: person more likely to have/use/need a laptop). Instead of packing multiple cables, power bricks, or a bulkier all-in-one charging device, just packing one cable for charging two devices is pretty slick. Pricier than I'd hope. $49 gets closer to an insta-buy, for me. At $79, there is pause.