I finally found a 3-in-1 USB-C charging cable that I can recommend

Over the past couple of years, I’ve tested a handful of multi-connector USB-C charging cables. You’ve probably seen them for sale on big-name e-commerce websites, and maybe on social media platforms. It’s a single cable that terminates in a box, out of which sprouts a few charging cables. The idea is that you can use the one charging port on a wall wart to power up multiple devices.

It’s quite a simple idea really — the box acts as an intelligent splitter, diverting power to where it’s needed.

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Up until now, they’ve all been dreadful in one way or another — fragile cables, the splitter box bursting open, appallingly slow charging rate, or the cable starts off working then just randomly stops working and never comes back to life.

All in all, a pretty poor show.

Hydra triple Type-C cable

Then a few weeks ago, interspersed among the ads served while I was doing a bit of downtime scrolling, I started seeing ads for the Hydra by Futurizta. It looked interesting, so I grabbed one for testing.

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To my surprise, this one didn’t fall apart, the splitter box didn’t burst open, it wasn’t glacially slow, and it just kept on working.

The Hydra is a triple Type-C cable — one USB-C goes into the splitter box, and three USB-C cables come out. The cables support 65W, 30W, and 5W of power transfer (100W max, assuming a powerful enough input charger — I recommend something like this).

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The splitter box — which is in reality a charging hub — is built solid, making use of a metal shell that not only adds robustness, but also helps dissipate excess heat.

It’s for charging rather than data transfer

Remember, this is a charge cable, and data transfer isn’t its strong point, but it can still handle a respectable 480Mbps.

These connectors are clearly marked — the one with the thunderbolt logo can push out 65W, C2 handles the 30W output, and the C3 connector is ideal for low-power 5W devices such as earbuds.

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The cable to the splitter box is 39 inches/1 meter long, while the charging leads coming out of the box are 20 inches/0.5 meters. The cables support all the usual charge protocols — PD 3.0, PPS, Samsung Ultra Fast Charge, Apple Fast Charge, Quick Charge 3.0/4.0, Huawei’s FCP and SCP protocols — and all the outputs can be used simultaneously.

There’s also a little drawstring bag. You’re either someone who’s going to find it cool and keep the cable in it when it’s not in use, or you’re like me and you’ll lose it within a few hours.

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Feel like that 65W maximum power is low and you’d like something beefier? Futurizta also make a version of that triple Type-C cable where two of the USB-C outputs share 95W between them, and these also feature a built-in power meter, so you can see exactly what the cable is doing.

ZDNET’s buying advice

Futurizta positions the Hydra as a charge cable, and this is exactly what it does — it’s one cable that can charge three devices.

And, surprisingly, it works really well, reliably outputting what it promises.

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On top of that, the $39 price tag (the beefier Hydra with the power meter is only $10 more) is more than competitive, making it the perfect cable for those trying to tame cable chaos on their desk or nightstand, or who need a cable to pop in their suitcase for charging multiple devices while on the move.

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