The Ember additionally got here with a proprietary charging base that labored with its mugs solely, whereas the Ohom has a wi-fi charging pad. The Ui3 mug has steel infused within the base that’s heated by Ohom’s twin wi-fi charger. It works like an induction hob to warmth the mug at 22 watts however may cost telephones, AirPods, and different small devices that assist Qi wi-fi charging at as much as 15 watts. This twin use helps scale back muddle on my desk, and I usually use the pad to cost one thing else as soon as my drink is completed.
As the temperature exterior has began to drop, having a continually heat mug of espresso at hand has been beautiful. Crucially, not like the Ember, the Ohom Ui3 is just about indistinguishable from regular mugs. It’s the sort of Goldilocks mug I might pick of a cabinet as a result of it appears to be like good and durable, holds the correct amount, and is nice to sip from.
The Ohom Ui3 comes with a USB-C cable that’s simply shy of 5 toes lengthy and an influence adapter. The LED on the entrance pulses purple when it’s heating your drink and blue when it’s charging a gadget. Although the charging base can act as a daily Qi wi-fi charging pad, you’ll be able to’t use different Qi pads with the mug. The pad heats slightly to the contact when in use however not dangerously so, and it cools rapidly.
Off the Boil
As a lot as I just like the Ohom Ui3, there’s room for enchancment. The charging pad is ugly, with a security warning on the highest that tells you to not place every other steel objects on it and, weirdly, to not attempt wirelessly charging your cellphone face down. While the previous is an comprehensible security concern, I can’t assist questioning who wants the second warning. It’s a disgrace, with such a beautiful and unobtrusive mug, that the pad couldn’t emulate a daily coaster (many wireless charging pads do).
Photograph: Simon Hill
