Thermaltake Luxa2 S100 & R200 Review – Welcoming Wireless Charging!

Today we get another innovative product from Thermaltake’s mobile division – Luxa2 – the S100 Wireless Charging Pad and Receiver Kit as well as the R200 Dual Receiver. The S100 is an interesting product and from what we can see is a stepping stone to further wireless charging capabilities.

The S100 comes in a small black box with some blue trim and a clear packaging that allows you to see the product itself. The backside of the box gives you the dimensions of the product as well as some other key features.

Upon opening the package you pull out the plastic skeleton and find the charging pad and the receiver kit, as well as the S100 manual. Both pieces of the product are black in colour. The charging pad is a soft rubbery pad with a grey circle and LUXA2 written in the center. Along the underside of the pad is the serial number along with some electronic information. There is an USB plug that extends roughly three feet from the back of the charging pad, allowing a very diverse charging arsenal. When plugged in, you’ll immediately see a red LED at the front of the charging pad and this indicates it is ready to charge.

Moving on to the receiver kit you’ll notice it’s a small thin puck-like disk. The S100 and R200 are identical in size they only differ in the fact the R200 is white and has two LED’s that shine through the top of the receiver when ready to charge. Taking a closer look, you’ll see two pull-out attachments along the edges of the receiver at opposite ends. At one end, a lighting plug for your lighting devices (i.e., iOS) and at the other, a micro-USB for your android devices or other micro-USB ready devices. The cords are short, extending at about two inches from the receiver to the plug. It is important to note that the S100 can only charge one device at a time. The R200 charges both a micro-USB and a lighting device at the same time.

For our testing are using an iPhone 6 to review the S100. As we went to plug the lighting charging end into the iPhone we ran into our first obstacle, the design of the plug is not case-friendly and we had to take our case off in order to plug it in. So, unless you have an open bottom design to your case, you may have a hard time using this device while still keeping the case on. Now that we are case-less and plugged in we can put the receiver on the charging pad. When you do this the red LED on the front will turn to a blinking green one indicating that the device is charging.

REPORT ANALYSIS AND FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, the idea of this product and an introduction to wireless charging technology is great, but given it does have a cord it does still lack that totally wireless feel. Nonetheless Thermaltake is quite an innovative company and we are sure you will see improvements to come in the future.

We believe that the idea behind the small disk and plug is to aim this product more at the consumer who needs to charge their device more frequently. At the rate that plugs fray and break, being able to keep this plugged in and just put it on the pad when you need to charge it alleviates that issue. All of this, while not adding to much weight to your phone. As a matter of fact while texting, playing games or talking on the phone the small disk fits right behind the device and in the palm of your hand while on calls. The main concern with the S100 and R200 is the ability to use the plugs while cases are on the phone. Presumably an easy fix for future wireless charging products.

The S100 comes in at $49.99 on Amazon, while the R200 addition comes in at $24.99. Both are  reasonably priced and provide you with a year long warranty. This comparable to other Qi wireless charging products. We easily award Thermaltake and Luxa2 with our Silver Seal Award!

Check Out Luxa2 Accessory Pricing On Amazon!