This retractable charging brick is the only one I’ll ever need

Baseus, a popular Shenzhen, China-based electronics and accessory brand, has just launched a new lineup of charging peripherals within its EnerCore product family. In particular, the company has released the CJ11 67W Fast Charger, the CR11 20,000mAh power bank, and the CG11 6-in-1 travel adapter.

What makes these new chargers interesting is their embrace of retractable cable technology. Across the line, each model stows away a USB-C cable of reasonable length, while also offering additional USB-in ports for some much-appreciated flexibility.

The CJ11 Fast Charger and the CG11 Universal Travel Adapter also make use of gallium nitride (GaN) technology for increased efficiency and overall product compactness. There’s a lot to love about these Baseus charging gadgets, as I’ve come to learn after a couple of weeks of extended real-world use.

As it happens, the $50 EnerCore CG11 Universal Travel Adapter is on sale from August 4 through 17, for a discounted rate of $34.19. Both the $70 CJ11 Fast Charger and the $90 CR11 Power Bank are also currently on sale across both Amazon and Baseus directly, for $50 and $60, respectively. With these temporary discounts in mind, the charging devices offer a pretty solid amount of bang-for-your-buck, at least in my eyes.

Baseus EnerCore CJ11: First impressions

Triple USB-C ports, in addition to a retractable cable

Starting off, we have Baseus’ EnerCore CJ11 Fast Charger. This unit is essentially a souped-up AC brick, and a reasonably powerful one at that with its 67W of power delivery. As mentioned, the CJ11 uses GaN technology for additional compactness, and find the product to be relatively portable overall. The collapsible prongs are a nice addition when traveling or stowing the charger in your bag, and it’s the sort of nicety I wish was universal across every single charging adapter on the market.

The CJ11’s hardware is solid, though the muted black plastic is a bit on the duller side. The glossy plastic on one side adds a subtle touch of design flair, and I’m particularly fond of the yellow accenting found on the USB-C hardware. I love small considerations like this one, as they make the experience more confident and visually pleasing. The glossy side is home to two USB-C-in ports, which can be used with any run-of-the-mill USB-C cables, but the real star of the show is of course the built-in retractable cable.

This retractable USB-C cable measures in at 31.50-inches (80cm), and it features a flat linguini-style design that is supposed to reduce tangling. In the past, I’ve generally avoided adapters with built-in cables, because I’ve feared that they’d break and render the entire peripheral useless. In my previous experience, many of the retractable cables I’d tried out had been of shoddy quality, which likely influenced this perception.

Not so with the CJ11: the cable is sturdy, it hardly ever kinks or knots, and the retraction mechanism is genuinely designed well. I liken it to the feel of a seatbelt within a modern vehicle — the cable glides smoothly, and it can be extended to whichever length is most suitable for the moment. It’s also incredibly easy to grab the cable to start the pulling process, and it snaps back into its resting area satisfyingly with the help of some clever magnets.

Baseus EnerCore CR11: First impressions

20,000mAh paired with a retractable cable, a USB-C port, and a mini status display

Baseus’ EnerCore CR11 is quite the unit, measuring in at 20,000mAh of total battery capacity. Coming from something like the slimline 5,000mAh OnePlus battery bank I’d previously carried around, the CR11 is downright massive. Of course, that’s the trade-off for a much, much larger backup battery, and I’d certainly choose 20,000 over 5,000 if I was away from an outlet for any extended period of time.

The CR11 is as well-built as its CJ11 charging brick sister product, with a matte black plastic exterior that feels solid with no creaks to speak of. On one side is the power button, while the USB-C port and the retractable 27.56-inch (70cm) USB-C cable are housed on the other. The retractable cable is nearly identical to the one found in the CJ11, which is great, and its 67W of output is enough to charge up most portable gadgets, save for some power-hungry laptops.

The front of the unit features a small status display, which lights up to show the current percentage of the battery bank. It’s a handy inclusion, though I find it to be too dim to be visible outdoors. Considering the size of the CR11, I’d have loved to have seen a built-in LED flash module, or perhaps a Qi2 wireless charging pad for some added flexibility. Without these additions, the product is a competent battery bank, but one that lacks some extra oomph.

Baseus EnerCore CG11: First impressions

A travel adapter that’s genuinely universal, with a retractable cable to boot

Lastly, we have Baseus’ EnerCore CG11 Travel Adapter. This might be my favorite of the new lineup, due to its sheer flexibility. It’s capable of 70W of power delivery, which is enough to power most devices save for gaming PCs and the like. Its integrated 26.78-inch (68cm) cable is highly convenient, though I do wish it were just a tad bit longer.

In addition to its built-in USB-C cable, the unit features both male and female EU, USA/AUS/JP, and UK prongs, with a 2,500 max input disclaimer on the input side. A secondary US-style AC prong is housed on the side of the unit. On the bottom are two legacy USB-A ports, as well as a single USB-C port. Most importantly, Baseus has equipped the converter with two 10A dual fuses, to reduce the risk of a short circuit or a power overload.

The CG11 makes use of GaN technology for compactness, and it is indeed a thin-and-light package on the whole. The matte black plastic is sturdy, with yellow accenting on the adapter switches and the USB hardware. The switches scroll smoothly back and forth, and the retractable charging cable is every but as premium here as it is on the other EnerCore models. Interestingly, Baseus has opted for a braided fabric cable on this model, as opposed to the plastic found on the rest of the lineup. I’m a big fan of braided cables, and so I welcome its inclusion here.

These devices were provided to Pocket-lint by Baseus.