Hands-on review: Journey NEXA 4-in-1 Laptop Sleeve with Wireless Charging
With the increase in popularity of wireless charging, it's no wonder that companies are coming up with innovative ways to incorporate the technology into everyday items, and that's exactly what technology solutions company Journey has done with the NEXA 4-in-1 Laptop Sleeve with Wireless Charging.
Designed across the ditch in Australia, the NEXA laptop sleeve is not only sleek, stylish, and sophisticated, it's also the answer for those of us who may need that to top up our gadgets with a bit of juice throughout the day but loathe carrying around cables to get the job done.
The NEXA laptop sleeve is available in two sizes, either for 13 and 14-inch or 15 and 16-inch laptops, and you have two colours to choose from, either Black or Dove Grey. Our review product was the 13 and 14-inch Black variant. Size-wise, it comes in at 260mm (W) x 340mm (L) x 25mm (D) and weighs just 289g.
The NEXA is not only a laptop sleeve and a wireless charger – thanks to the slick finish of the vegan leather it can also be used a mousepad or a portable desk mat to keep your workstation looking as neat as possible.
The laptop sleeve has an executive aesthetic to it and is finished in vegan leather on the front and a grainy synthetic material on the rear, which wraps around the flap at the top. The inside has a softer, quilted feel that has been engineered for increased protection, and the corners of the sleeve are firm, which gives you confidence that it will provide ample protection if you were to drop it with your laptop inside.
The MagSafe-compatible dual wireless chargers are located on the sleeve's flap and give out up to 15W of power, distributed via the included USB-C cable, which plugs discreetly into the side of the flap. Unfortunately, the case doesn't include a power bank, so it must be plugged in should you want to utilise the wireless charging functionality – one of the downsides to the case's lightweight design.
Using the NEXA over the last few weeks with a Microsoft Surface Pro 8 has been great, although the sleeve's super slim profile might be an issue for anyone with a bulkier machine. It would be perfect for anyone with a MacBook, which makes sense, given the MagSafe chargers for your iPhone and AirPods.
The NEXA laptop sleeve retails for AUD $129.95, which is reasonable given its versatility and build quality. It might not be for everyone, however, as anyone with a thicker laptop might struggle to squeeze their machine into the sleeve. Others might also prefer to simply fast charge their devices via a traditional cable, given the case needs to be plugged in to utilise the Qi wireless charging.
Despite a couple of minor gripes, the NEXA laptop sleeve would be a worthy purchase for anyone who works on the go and wants increased functionality out of something as basic as a laptop case.
