IKEA solves your charging problems with its new, cheap, colorful USB-C accessories
IKEA has become a bigger fan of USB-C accessories since the iPhone 15 finally adopted the standard last year. Now the furniture giant has followed up its recent Sjöss USB-C charger with a new range of similarly affordable charging accessories.
As noted by Notebook controlThe range includes a mix of colourful, braided USB-C cables, plus a multi-socket extension cable. The latter, called Skotat, is currently only available in the EU, but IKEA has confirmed to us that it will be coming to the UK in January. We’ve also asked if there will be a US version and will update this story if we hear back.
Hopefully the Skotat will get a full global launch as it offers three AC ports and two USB-C ports in a handy triangular wedge design with a long 1.8 meter cable and can also be wall mounted. It will cost €24.99 in the EU (about $27) and will cost £22 when it goes on sale in Britain in January.
More widely available is the Rundhult, a braided USB-C to USB-C cable designed to charge your laptop or tablet. It supports 100W power and is 1.5 meters long, making it ideal for remote workers. You can pick one up now in dark gray or black and white for $9.99 / £7 / €7.99. Currently this isn’t on the UK online store, but IKEA tells us it’s in most physical stores and sales will officially start in July.
Finally, if you’re tired of boring USB-C cables, IKEA has also launched some cheerful, colorful versions of the Lillhult cable for charging your mobile devices. These USB-C to USB-C cables have rubber heads for extra flexibility and are available in green and orange-pink versions, in addition to the more standard light gray.
The cables are 1.5m long and promise data transfer speeds of up to 480 Mbps. They cost €5.99 / £4 (for both the USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A versions) and €9.99 / £8 for the USB-C to Lightning model. Official sales in the UK start again in July, although you can find the Lillhult in most physical stores – and we asked if they were coming to the US. We will update this story if we hear back.
Make smart moves
Given the availability of highly affordable USB-C accessories from the likes of Anker, it’s difficult for IKEA to massively undercut the value of its rivals.
But like the cheap Sjöss wall chargers (which come in 30W 1-port and 45W 2-port versions), these IKEA cables and multi-outlet extension cables are certainly competitively priced – and a good impulse-buy option if you find yourself you stroll through the dangerously seductive market halls of the shops.
IKEA is also working on some more advanced smart home technology than USB-C cables. We recently learned that it’s testing a new smart home app in Sweden to help users keep an eye on your energy consumption, although there’s no news on whether this will be rolled out more widely.
A more concrete project is IKEA’s trio of smart home sensors, which are designed to help you detect problems like water leaks or movement in your home. These are all available now and can connect to the company’s own Dirigera smart home hub, which still hasn’t been updated to support the Matter standard.
Still, IKEA has promised that it still adheres to the Matter standard, and apparently has plans to further develop its technology theme and smart home offering – which is fine with us.