Review: Give your mobile, headphones, and more a charge with the Duracell M100 portable hub

Need to take some power on the go, or just set up a multifunction station at home? Duracell has a great option with the M100.

Power!

Solutions for docking your gadgets, no matter what you’re looking to power up, can be a little bit of a pain. Hubs tend to be not that great looking themselves, or have a form-factor that’s not conducive to a tidy desk.

Personally, I tend to either use a power bank/hub on my desktop to charge up, though I also have a lamp on my nightstand that has a USB input. Though that’s mainly for overnight phone charges and the occasional Evercade juice-up.

Neither is ideal, since the former is inconvenient, and the latter only has allowance for one device at a time. Plus the bank that I have is flat and tends to look messy. I’m not a huge fan of it, but that kind of build seems the norm. That though, is why I jumped at the chance to take a look at the Duracell M100. Yes, Duracell, the battery company.

But as you’ll see, the copper top adorns a lot more than just disposables in the modern age.

It’s chargin’ time

The M100 is vertical, as you can see, and has a cradle-like base that it sits on. In fact, the only the wire that has to be attached is for the AC adapter. As such, setting things up couldn’t be easier.

All users need to do is find a place for that plug, and once you have it jacked into an outlet, you set the base on a flat surface and place the M100 on top of it. The LEDs on the face of the unit will light up at that point to showcase that it’s charging, and also display how much power its already got stored. And… that’s pretty much it.

Wanna take it to go?Just lift it off of the base and toss it into your satchel, or bring it into another room, or whatever. You’re good to go.

Fully featured

The M100 is actually the low end of a full line of portable hubs that Duracell has on offer, but even so, it’s pretty well outfitted. The unit has multiple connection ports, and has an impressive set of wireless charging features, for phones and headphones that support it. It’s also wickedly cool how that’s achieved, since the top of the device actually has a hinge on it that flips forward.

This allows users some options. For one, you can add any phone that supports wireless charging and has a magnetic ring, and actually get a customizable viewing angle set up. It’s great for keeping the power flowing during video calls, and also for watching a video or two while you’re having a bite.

The only caveat is that your case might prevent both a secure grip and the actual charging. The one I use does exactly that, and I have to pop my phone out to actually make use of the M100. It’s not a big hassle, but honestly, I should probably just get a better case.

Once you have that phone pad flipped up too, the M100 reveals its headphone charging pad. That’s exactly what it sounds like, and allows users to place their compatible headphones (in their charging case of course) on top. Unfortunately I couldn’t test this feature since my earbuds are older, and don’t support wireless charging. Pretty nice to have though if yours do.

That’s also just the wireless stuff, and there are wired ports as well. The face of the M100 has a pair of ports, with standard USB and USB-C included. Naturally all you have to do to take advantage of those is to plug your device in.

Other than all of that, the front of the unit houses a power button. You have to hit that to turn the M100 on or off. It actually does have an auto-off as well, which ceases operations after a period of four hours, so as not to waste stored-power if the M100 is idle.

Speaking of, the M100 has some solid life to it too. The little hub can charge a phone, tablet, and even a drone multiple times. When you’re talking about smaller stuff like a smartwatch or earbuds too, it can do way better than that. Something like a laptop isn’t going to get a full recharge out it, but you might get pretty close.

Sharp, nostalgic looks

As hinted at above, the M100 has a cleaner appearance than pretty much any other hub I’ve used. Unlike with traditional models, and especially those that double as power banks (which again, the M100 also does), it’s not flat with a gaggle of wires running out of it that’ll make a mess of your space. The device has that verticality that I really liked and also sports a rounded shape, which adds a bit more visual flair in that it actually looks a lot like a double-A battery.

And while the one side has the hub housed in it, the opposite one doesn’t and is pretty clean. Instead it’s got the “Duracell” name engraved on it, and has an actual metal copper top to it. That’s not just for show though, and doubles as a band that hides the M100‘s cooling vents.

The bottom of the unit has a recessed contact plate for charging, as well as some nice pads to make sure your furniture doesn’t get scratched. The M100 has three of those, and while they’re not overly grippy, they should also make sure your hub doesn’t slide around too much when it’s not on its base.

Now, I will add here that I wasn’t so thrilled by the weight of the hub. These kinds of things aren’t terribly light to begin with, but the M100 borders on hefty. While it’s certainly not uncomfortable to carry by hand, it might add some a tad too much weight to a bag or backpack.

On the flip side though, the weight comes in very handy indeed when you’re using it to charge and display your phone. So it’s a bit of a tradeoff.

Overall

If you’re looking for a multifunctional hub that can serve as both a portable and also a desktop solution for charging your gadgets, Duracell’s M100 is a great choice. It’s got some great functionality, one of the best phone options that I’ve seen in one of these devices, and an ease of use that’s second to none.

A Duracell M100 Portable Charging Hub was provided by Duracell for this review

Duracell M100 Portable Charging Hub
Manufacturer: Duracell
MSRP: $129.99 USD