Targus has been making tech accessories for 40 years. It’s primarily known for protective products like phone and tablet cases and laptop bags. But, a few years ago it acquired Sanho Corp with its Hyper-branded range and expanded its accessory portfolio with gadgets like USB batteries for laptops, desktop chargers plus hubs and docking stations. Now, the new HyperJuice laptop battery and docking station and HyperDrive laptop hub ranges are landing in Australia and Targus commissioned High Performance Laptops to tell you all about them.
HyperJuice: Targus’ new laptop battery and desktop charger range
Laptop battery life is a funny thing. We’ve seen massive gaming laptops with massive batteries struggle to run an office test for five hours, while seemingly similarly specified adversaries can last more than 11. Meanwhile, lightweight portable laptops can last for almost two days or less-than one, on tiny batteries.
While it’s difficult to predict the longevity of a laptop battery, there are some universal truths: they will run out at the worst possible time; there’s never a conveniently located plug socket nearby for charging; and you will leave your power supply at home or the office when you really need it.
The good news is that Targus’ new HyperJuice laptop battery is here to help.
Targus HyperJuice 245W USB-C 100Wh Battery Pack
Anyone who’s taken a laptop to a conference, or traveled for work, will have struggled with a laptop battery and its this market of traveling professionals, students and road warriors that the HyperJuice 245W USB-C 100Wh Battery Pack is seeking to support.
It’s a 100Wh, USB-C laptop battery which is the maximum size allowed on flights. It’s the same size as the batteries in many of the big, flagship gaming laptops we’ve reviewed and double the size of many ultraportables, so the benefits of having a big spare are self-evident.
Unlike USB batteries for phones and tablets – which are not powerful enough to charge laptops – the HyperJuice 245W USB-C 100Wh Battery Pack can deliver 245-Watts of power across its four USB-C ports: two at 100W and two at 65W. So, if you also need simultaneously charge your phone, drone, camera or console, HyperJuice has you covered.
Other features include an OLED indicator screen, which displays the remaining capacity, voltage use per port and its charging status. There’s also Targus’ Smart Power protection to prevent over-current, over-voltage and over-temperature issues and short circuits.
The HyperJuice 245W USB-C 100Wh Battery Pack also supports PD 3.0, QC 4.0+ and PPS for iPhone, iPad, Android, PC, Chromebook and Samsung fast charging. You can even charge Targus’s laptop battery while it’s charging four other devices.
It weighs just 0.76 KG and has diminutive dimensions of 191 x 81 x 280mm meaning this robust, multi-faceted, laptop battery is positively portable and weighs less than some laptop-power-supply-cable combos. You’ll be able to get it here for $390.
Targus HyperJuice 245W GaN Desktop Charger
GaN chargers are smaller, faster and more efficient than traditional, Silicon-based laptop (and mobile device) chargers and Targus’s HyperJuice 245W GaN Desktop Charger is one of the smallest on the market. If you’re sick of having multiple power supplies strewn around your desk, this is what you need. It’s simply a small box with four, 100-Watt, USB-C ports that can fast-charge four mid-size laptop batteries simultaneously, “Including the 13-inch MacBook Air, or two 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops, an iPad Pro, and an iPhone 14 all at once.”
The HyperJuice 245W GaN Desktop Charger even comes with an extension AC cord so you can travel with it and charge multiple devices while waiting around in places like airports, hotels, other offices, schools, cafes and conference rooms.
As with Targus’ laptop battery, it too has Smart Power protection against current, voltage and temperature spikes plus short-circuit protection. It’s also compatible with Power Delivery (PD) 3.0, QC 4.0+ plus PPS for iPhone, iPad, Android, PC, Chromebook and Samsung fast charging. You’ll be able to buy it here for $240.
HyperDrive: Targus’ new USB Hub range
In addition to devices that charge your laptop battery, Targus is offering new USB hubs for your laptops, desktops and other mobile devices.
HyperDrive 6-in-1 USB-C Media Hub
Targus’s HyperDrive 6-in-1 USB-C Media Hub is specifically designed to magnetically nuzzle against an iPad Pro, iPad Air or iPad mini but its universal compatibility (and an included USB-C extension cable) means it can work with any USB device.
The hub plugs into the iPad’s USB-C port and provides six additional ports and three media keys. The latter let you play, pause or rewind your media without interrupting your workflow by switching between Windows, or whatever Apple calls them.
Ports include HDMI 2.0 out (4K @ 60Hz) to make attaching to external displays easy; UHS-1 MicroSD and SD card slots (104MB/s); a USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gb/s) port; a 3.5mm audio jack for headphones; and a USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 port with 60-Watt power delivery for charging small mobile device batteries.
So, at last you can transform your tablet with laptop-grade connectivity. In fact, come to think of it, you can also use Targus’ HyperDrive 6-in-1 USB-C Media Hub to upgrade some fancy, port-lite, minimalist laptops’ with proper laptop connectivity… yes we’re looking at you Dell XPS 13 and Microsoft Surface Pro 9. You’ll be able to get it for $170.
Targus HyperDrive USB4 Mobile Dock
Targus’ tiny HyperDrive USB 4 Mobile Dock is just 8.5cm square and 19mm thick and only weighs 110g. But the ports are packed in.
The key connector is the USB-4 port which facilitates a core connection speed of up to 40Gb/s and supports 100-Watt power delivery when used with an optional power supply. It’s compatible with USB-C 4 devices, Mac OS, Thunderbolt 4 and 3 Windows PCs and laptops and Thunderbolt docking stations.
There are full-sized HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 ports for facilitating a fast connection to a high-framerate, UHD external display or dual, extended-display support for additional MST devices (check here for more-detailed compatibility info).
There’s an 85-Watt, PD-pass-through-supported, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port which can charge your laptop battery and power other external devices (when used with the optional power adapter). There are also two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports (10Gb/s) with 4.5-Watt PD for small, mobile device battery charging.
On top of all that, there’s a Gigabit Ethernet port for wired networking and a 3.5mm audio jack for headphones. You’ll be able to buy it here, for $250.
HyperDrive 5-in-1 USB-C Hub for iMac 24″
Last and perhaps a little-bit least on our PC-preferenced site (Apple doesn’t recognise our existence but we’re well aware that that’s not the consumers’ fault) is Targus’ HyperDrive 5-in-1 USB-C Hub for iMac 24″ (2021 models onwards).
We’re guessing that if you have one of those, its connectivity options ain’t great and, looking at the pictures, we can see they’re all at the back of which a common irritant for monitors, but must be especially irritating for all-in-one users. Anyhow, Targus has put in some effort to add a bit more function to Apple’s focus on form, by designing a complementary front-facing, five port hub that discreetly and toollessly clamps on to the bottom-right corner.
A short USB cable connects to one of the rear port and adds two USB-C Gen 3.2 Gen 1 ports plus three, USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports (one of which supports 7.5W charging for small, mobile devices including iPhone, iPad and AirPods).
It also comes with seven colour-matched faceplates to look like an extension of your Mac.
So, if you have one of these things or are forced to use one at work, despair no longer as Targus is here to help. You can get it here for just $89.95.
Last Updated on 28 September 2023 by Nick Ross
