Month: July 2024
Review: Mophie’s Qi2 Chargers Offer MagSafe Speeds at Slightly Lower Prices
Accessory makers have been adopting the new Qi2 standard in recent months because it offers the benefits of MagSafe without the need to license MagSafe technology from Apple. Mophie launched its first Qi2 devices in May, debuting a car charger, a 3-in-1 charger, and a battery pack.
All of Mophie’s new accessories charge an iPhone at up to 15W, the same as MagSafe. The first version of Qi limited wireless charging to 7.5W, but Qi2 supports 15W, and it also includes the same magnetic connection that Apple uses for MagSafe. For context, Apple contributed to Qi2’s development, providing insight into the Magnetic Power Profile that’s included in the Qi2 standard.
iPhones that support MagSafe also work with Qi2, so you can use Mophie’s chargers with the iPhone 12 models, iPhone 13 models, iPhone 14 models, and iPhone 15 models. With the exception of the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini (which are limited to 12W charging), iPhones will charge at up to 15W with Qi2.
Snap+ Powerstation Mini with Stand
Priced at $70, the Snap+ Powerstation Mini is a battery pack that’s designed to charge the iPhone while on the go. It has a 5,000mAh battery inside, and it snaps right on to the back of an iPhone like Apple’s now-discontinued MagSafe Battery Pack.
At about 4 inches long and 2.75 inches wide, the Powerstation Mini fits well on the back of an iPhone 15 Pro Max. With the magnetic ring, it pops on to the iPhone and stays in place. The Powerstation Mini is 0.25 inches thick and it weighs close to half a pound, so I didn’t find this to be the most svelte charging option available. It adds a good amount of bulk to the back of the iPhone, but it’s still small enough to tuck into a bag so you have an extra battery when needed.
At the back of the Powerstation Mini, there’s a fold-out stand that you can use to prop the iPhone upright for FaceTime calls, gaming, watching videos, and more. It works in either landscape or portrait mode, so you can use it with StandBy.
The Powerstation Mini’s body is made from a black plastic, but the stand component is made from aluminum. The front of the device has a soft silicone material that won’t scratch an iPhone when it’s charging, and the overall design is what you might expect from a battery pack. There are four LED lights so you can see the charge level and monitor charging, and a USB-C port that’s used for recharging.
During my testing, I had one of the PowerStation Mini battery packs outright fail after a few days of use. I couldn’t get it to charge no matter what I tried, and I ultimately sent it back to Mophie and they sent me another one for testing. Mophie says that this isn’t a problem that it’s seen before, and the new Powerstation Mini has been working as expected with no failure.
In my testing, the Powerstation Mini was able to charge my iPhone 15 Pro Max to 38 percent in an hour, and that’s about the same charging speed I get from a MagSafe charger. It charged to 59 percent in two hours, but it maxed out at a 61 percent charge, which was starting from a dead iPhone.
That means it adds 61 percent battery life to an iPhone 15 Pro Max, which is what I’d expect from a 5,000mAh battery pack. Depending on which iPhone you have, you could get more out of it, but it’s not a full charge on Apple’s largest iPhone.
When my iPhone’s battery was low, the Powerstation Mini did feel warm to the touch, but it didn’t get hot.
For the price, I don’t think the Powerstation Mini is a good option for the larger iPhone models. It’s not going to provide a full charge, and I’d rather spend that money on a bigger battery pack with charging over USB-C (Mophie has a 10,000mAh battery pack for $60, and there are options from other brands that are even cheaper). You’re definitely paying a premium for the stand, so I’d avoid that unless you need that functionality.
For iPhones that have smaller battery capacities, I think the Powerstation Mini makes more sense because you can get more out of it.
Snap+ Wireless Charging Vent Mount
Mophie’s Snap+ Wireless Charging Vent Mount is available for $70 as well, and it’s a good option for charging in the car. There’s a magnetic charging pad where the iPhone attaches, a rotating pivot point for changing the angle, and a ring that attaches to the vents in a vehicle.
The mount attaches to a vent using adjustable clips, and I had a surprisingly hard time getting the charger situated and adjusted properly. You need to slide the metal hook between the vent blades and then tighten it up. It feels more secure than rubber clips, but setup is a little more involved and if you want to take the charger off of your vents, it’s difficult.
I don’t think that’s a dealbreaker, but it’s not the one I would get if I wanted to regularly remove the mount from the vent. On the plus side, the hook is adjustable, so it should fit well in just about any vehicle.
There’s an optional extension arm on the charger so you can change the angle to be above or below the vent, or position it to the left or the right. It’s nice to have the add-on arm to get an ideal viewing angle, plus you can further refine with the ball joint that tilts the phone forward or backward a bit.
Mophie includes a 1.5m USB-C cable and a 30W USB-C car adapter, so this is ready to go right out of the box. You just need to pop it out of the box, decide whether you need the adjustable arm, and then attach it to your vent and it’s ready to go. There are even two adhesive cable management clips so you can route the cable neatly from the vent to the car charging port.
The Snap+ Charging Vent Mount charges at up to 15W, and the magnetic attachment is strong enough that the iPhone feels stable and unlikely to come loose while the vehicle is in motion. I had no issues with Mophie’s vent mount, aside from needing to fuss with it a few times to make sure it was staying at the proper angle. It charged and worked as expected, and I think it’s a good option if you’ve had trouble with the fit or functionality of other in-car mounting options.
Snap+ 3-in-1 Wireless Charge Stand
Mophie’s Snap+ 3-in-1 Wireless Charge Stand is priced at $130, and it’s my favorite of Mophie’s new Qi2 products. It’s made from a sturdy white plastic, and it’s compact in size thanks to the design.
There’s a magnetic iPhone charging pad at the front, an Apple Watch charger behind that, and a small AirPods charging surface at the bottom. It’s one of the more streamlined 3-in-1 charging designs that I’ve seen, and I appreciate how little space it takes up on my desk.
The charger measures in at about four inches wide and six inches tall, and with the angled design of the arm that holds the iPhone charger, the Apple Watch charger is about flush with the back. The Apple Watch charger is upright rather than sideways so you can’t charge an Apple Watch in Nightstand mode, but the iPhone can be charged in either portrait or landscape orientation, so it does support StandBy.
You can change the tilt of the iPhone charger, angling it up or downward to get it at an ideal viewing angle, but the arm itself does not fold so this isn’t a charger that’s great for travel. At the bottom, there’s a built-in Qi charger with a shallow depression for the AirPods. You can get a second iPhone to charge there, but the fit is not ideal because of the indentation and the charging is slow.
The Qi2 iPhone charging pad charges an iPhone at up to 15W, while the Apple Watch charger charges at 7.5W, so you’re getting the fastest wireless charging speeds for the iPhone and Apple Watch (that is fast charging for fast charge-compatible Apple Watch models). The AirPods charge at 5W. A power adapter and charging cable are included.
In my testing, the Snap+ 3-in-1 charged my iPhone from 1 percent to 39 percent in an hour period. The second time around, it charged from 1 percent to 34 percent in an hour, which is a bit of an outlier. The third test was closer to the first test at 38 percent. These are the same charging speeds that I get with MagSafe.
Bottom Line
One of the assumptions about Qi2 was that it would make wireless chargers more affordable because there would be no need to pay Apple to license MagSafe technology, but so far that hasn’t been reflected in the pricing of Qi2 accessories.
Maybe Qi2 prices will go down in the future as the standard is more widely adopted, but there isn’t much in the way of savings compared to MagSafe, which is disappointing. Mophie’s Qi2 devices are solid and Mophie is a trustworthy brand, but I wish these products were more affordable. On the plus side, there is a back to school sale right now, with a 25 percent discount available site wide.
How to Buy
The Snap+ PowerStation Mini with Stand, Snap+ Charging Vent Mount, and Snap+ 3-in-1 Wireless Charge Stand can be purchased from the Mophie website.
Note: Mophie provided MacRumors with a its Qi2 chargers for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
Tag: MophieThis article, “Review: Mophie’s Qi2 Chargers Offer MagSafe Speeds at Slightly Lower Prices” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
Accessory makers have been adopting the new Qi2 standard in recent months because it offers the benefits of MagSafe without the need to license MagSafe technology from Apple. Mophie launched its first Qi2 devices in May, debuting a car charger, a 3-in-1 charger, and a battery pack.
All of Mophie’s new accessories charge an iPhone at up to 15W, the same as MagSafe. The first version of Qi limited wireless charging to 7.5W, but Qi2 supports 15W, and it also includes the same magnetic connection that Apple uses for MagSafe. For context, Apple contributed to Qi2’s development, providing insight into the Magnetic Power Profile that’s included in the Qi2 standard.
iPhones that support MagSafe also work with Qi2, so you can use Mophie’s chargers with the iPhone 12 models, iPhone 13 models, iPhone 14 models, and iPhone 15 models. With the exception of the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini (which are limited to 12W charging), iPhones will charge at up to 15W with Qi2.
Snap+ Powerstation Mini with Stand
Priced at $70, the Snap+ Powerstation Mini is a battery pack that’s designed to charge the iPhone while on the go. It has a 5,000mAh battery inside, and it snaps right on to the back of an iPhone like Apple’s now-discontinued MagSafe Battery Pack.
At about 4 inches long and 2.75 inches wide, the Powerstation Mini fits well on the back of an iPhone 15 Pro Max. With the magnetic ring, it pops on to the iPhone and stays in place. The Powerstation Mini is 0.25 inches thick and it weighs close to half a pound, so I didn’t find this to be the most svelte charging option available. It adds a good amount of bulk to the back of the iPhone, but it’s still small enough to tuck into a bag so you have an extra battery when needed.
At the back of the Powerstation Mini, there’s a fold-out stand that you can use to prop the iPhone upright for FaceTime calls, gaming, watching videos, and more. It works in either landscape or portrait mode, so you can use it with StandBy.
The Powerstation Mini’s body is made from a black plastic, but the stand component is made from aluminum. The front of the device has a soft silicone material that won’t scratch an iPhone when it’s charging, and the overall design is what you might expect from a battery pack. There are four LED lights so you can see the charge level and monitor charging, and a USB-C port that’s used for recharging.
During my testing, I had one of the PowerStation Mini battery packs outright fail after a few days of use. I couldn’t get it to charge no matter what I tried, and I ultimately sent it back to Mophie and they sent me another one for testing. Mophie says that this isn’t a problem that it’s seen before, and the new Powerstation Mini has been working as expected with no failure.
In my testing, the Powerstation Mini was able to charge my iPhone 15 Pro Max to 38 percent in an hour, and that’s about the same charging speed I get from a MagSafe charger. It charged to 59 percent in two hours, but it maxed out at a 61 percent charge, which was starting from a dead iPhone.
That means it adds 61 percent battery life to an iPhone 15 Pro Max, which is what I’d expect from a 5,000mAh battery pack. Depending on which iPhone you have, you could get more out of it, but it’s not a full charge on Apple’s largest iPhone.
When my iPhone’s battery was low, the Powerstation Mini did feel warm to the touch, but it didn’t get hot.
For the price, I don’t think the Powerstation Mini is a good option for the larger iPhone models. It’s not going to provide a full charge, and I’d rather spend that money on a bigger battery pack with charging over USB-C (Mophie has a 10,000mAh battery pack for $60, and there are options from other brands that are even cheaper). You’re definitely paying a premium for the stand, so I’d avoid that unless you need that functionality.
For iPhones that have smaller battery capacities, I think the Powerstation Mini makes more sense because you can get more out of it.
Snap+ Wireless Charging Vent Mount
Mophie’s Snap+ Wireless Charging Vent Mount is available for $70 as well, and it’s a good option for charging in the car. There’s a magnetic charging pad where the iPhone attaches, a rotating pivot point for changing the angle, and a ring that attaches to the vents in a vehicle.
The mount attaches to a vent using adjustable clips, and I had a surprisingly hard time getting the charger situated and adjusted properly. You need to slide the metal hook between the vent blades and then tighten it up. It feels more secure than rubber clips, but setup is a little more involved and if you want to take the charger off of your vents, it’s difficult.
I don’t think that’s a dealbreaker, but it’s not the one I would get if I wanted to regularly remove the mount from the vent. On the plus side, the hook is adjustable, so it should fit well in just about any vehicle.
There’s an optional extension arm on the charger so you can change the angle to be above or below the vent, or position it to the left or the right. It’s nice to have the add-on arm to get an ideal viewing angle, plus you can further refine with the ball joint that tilts the phone forward or backward a bit.
Mophie includes a 1.5m USB-C cable and a 30W USB-C car adapter, so this is ready to go right out of the box. You just need to pop it out of the box, decide whether you need the adjustable arm, and then attach it to your vent and it’s ready to go. There are even two adhesive cable management clips so you can route the cable neatly from the vent to the car charging port.
The Snap+ Charging Vent Mount charges at up to 15W, and the magnetic attachment is strong enough that the iPhone feels stable and unlikely to come loose while the vehicle is in motion. I had no issues with Mophie’s vent mount, aside from needing to fuss with it a few times to make sure it was staying at the proper angle. It charged and worked as expected, and I think it’s a good option if you’ve had trouble with the fit or functionality of other in-car mounting options.
Snap+ 3-in-1 Wireless Charge Stand
Mophie’s Snap+ 3-in-1 Wireless Charge Stand is priced at $130, and it’s my favorite of Mophie’s new Qi2 products. It’s made from a sturdy white plastic, and it’s compact in size thanks to the design.
There’s a magnetic iPhone charging pad at the front, an Apple Watch charger behind that, and a small AirPods charging surface at the bottom. It’s one of the more streamlined 3-in-1 charging designs that I’ve seen, and I appreciate how little space it takes up on my desk.
The charger measures in at about four inches wide and six inches tall, and with the angled design of the arm that holds the iPhone charger, the Apple Watch charger is about flush with the back. The Apple Watch charger is upright rather than sideways so you can’t charge an Apple Watch in Nightstand mode, but the iPhone can be charged in either portrait or landscape orientation, so it does support StandBy.
You can change the tilt of the iPhone charger, angling it up or downward to get it at an ideal viewing angle, but the arm itself does not fold so this isn’t a charger that’s great for travel. At the bottom, there’s a built-in Qi charger with a shallow depression for the AirPods. You can get a second iPhone to charge there, but the fit is not ideal because of the indentation and the charging is slow.
The Qi2 iPhone charging pad charges an iPhone at up to 15W, while the Apple Watch charger charges at 7.5W, so you’re getting the fastest wireless charging speeds for the iPhone and Apple Watch (that is fast charging for fast charge-compatible Apple Watch models). The AirPods charge at 5W. A power adapter and charging cable are included.
In my testing, the Snap+ 3-in-1 charged my iPhone from 1 percent to 39 percent in an hour period. The second time around, it charged from 1 percent to 34 percent in an hour, which is a bit of an outlier. The third test was closer to the first test at 38 percent. These are the same charging speeds that I get with MagSafe.
Bottom Line
One of the assumptions about Qi2 was that it would make wireless chargers more affordable because there would be no need to pay Apple to license MagSafe technology, but so far that hasn’t been reflected in the pricing of Qi2 accessories.
Maybe Qi2 prices will go down in the future as the standard is more widely adopted, but there isn’t much in the way of savings compared to MagSafe, which is disappointing. Mophie’s Qi2 devices are solid and Mophie is a trustworthy brand, but I wish these products were more affordable. On the plus side, there is a back to school sale right now, with a 25 percent discount available site wide.
How to Buy
The Snap+ PowerStation Mini with Stand, Snap+ Charging Vent Mount, and Snap+ 3-in-1 Wireless Charge Stand can be purchased from the Mophie website.
Note: Mophie provided MacRumors with a its Qi2 chargers for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
This article, “Review: Mophie’s Qi2 Chargers Offer MagSafe Speeds at Slightly Lower Prices” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
Snag This Lenovo Webcam for Half Off at Amazon
This Lenovo webcam is perfect for your streaming, gaming and remote work needs. It’s only $20 right now, so act fast.
This Lenovo webcam is perfect for your streaming, gaming and remote work needs. It’s only $20 right now, so act fast.
Qualcomm promises Snapdragon X PCs will cost as little as $700 next year
The 2024 Microsoft Surface Laptop is currently the least expensive available with a Qualcomm X chip. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
Currently, the $999 Microsoft Surface Laptop is the cheapest way to get a Windows machine that runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus chip, with all the battery life benefits (and caveats) that might entail. But in 2025, they’ll be cheaper — Qualcomm now says they’ll hit the $700 mark next year.
“As we look forward to 2025, in addition to new design wins, our X series product roadmap will expand to address PCs with retail prices as low as $700 without compromising NPU performance,” Qualcomm CEO and president Cristiano Amon just said on the company’s Q3 2024 earnings call.
Amon did not necessarily say the cheaper machines would be laptops — the company’s chips can also power small desktops like its eight-inch Dev Kit. He only spoke to price.
Qualcomm isn’t breaking out any sales or financial numbers for its first wave of Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus laptops in earnings just yet, saying it’s “too early” to tell, but confirmed that “we’re already working with OEMs on the next wave of Copilot Plus PCs.” Currently, the company only breaks out Handsets, Automotive, and Internet of Things as its product businesses.
Amon says that more PC product announcements are coming at IFA, which begins the first weekend of September, and that he believes Qualcomm will be “one of the top silicon suppliers” for AI PCs going forward.
“We expect PC to be the next biggest driver of diversification for the company,” he said, though he expects the business will be “slow and steady as the market transitions.” He says some Snapdragon X PCs have already sold out.
Image: Qualcomm
Qualcomm’s current Snapdragon laptop lineup and its various partners.
In addition to its chip business, Qualcomm also makes serious money licensing technology to other companies; the company mentioned on the earnings call that two unnamed major Chinese OEMs have now signed long-term agreements, similar to the licensing arrangement with Apple that now runs through 2027.
Amon also said the company has its own custom CPU that will be revealed at its Snapdragon Summit (which runs late October) and will launch it in phones either toward the end of this year or in early 2025 — it’ll be part of the company’s next flagship Snapdragon 8 phone chip.
The 2024 Microsoft Surface Laptop is currently the least expensive available with a Qualcomm X chip. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
Currently, the $999 Microsoft Surface Laptop is the cheapest way to get a Windows machine that runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus chip, with all the battery life benefits (and caveats) that might entail. But in 2025, they’ll be cheaper — Qualcomm now says they’ll hit the $700 mark next year.
“As we look forward to 2025, in addition to new design wins, our X series product roadmap will expand to address PCs with retail prices as low as $700 without compromising NPU performance,” Qualcomm CEO and president Cristiano Amon just said on the company’s Q3 2024 earnings call.
Amon did not necessarily say the cheaper machines would be laptops — the company’s chips can also power small desktops like its eight-inch Dev Kit. He only spoke to price.
Qualcomm isn’t breaking out any sales or financial numbers for its first wave of Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus laptops in earnings just yet, saying it’s “too early” to tell, but confirmed that “we’re already working with OEMs on the next wave of Copilot Plus PCs.” Currently, the company only breaks out Handsets, Automotive, and Internet of Things as its product businesses.
Amon says that more PC product announcements are coming at IFA, which begins the first weekend of September, and that he believes Qualcomm will be “one of the top silicon suppliers” for AI PCs going forward.
“We expect PC to be the next biggest driver of diversification for the company,” he said, though he expects the business will be “slow and steady as the market transitions.” He says some Snapdragon X PCs have already sold out.
Image: Qualcomm
Qualcomm’s current Snapdragon laptop lineup and its various partners.
In addition to its chip business, Qualcomm also makes serious money licensing technology to other companies; the company mentioned on the earnings call that two unnamed major Chinese OEMs have now signed long-term agreements, similar to the licensing arrangement with Apple that now runs through 2027.
Amon also said the company has its own custom CPU that will be revealed at its Snapdragon Summit (which runs late October) and will launch it in phones either toward the end of this year or in early 2025 — it’ll be part of the company’s next flagship Snapdragon 8 phone chip.
Get Ready for Lego Star Wars and More With PlayStation Plus’s August Games
Subscribers can download and play these games soon.
Subscribers can download and play these games soon.
Reddit CEO wants Microsoft to pay for its content
Reddit’s chief executive officer Steve Huffman didn’t pull any punches with Microsoft in an interview with The Verge. He called out Microsoft and other AI search engines like Anthropic and Perplexity for not paying for the information they take from Reddit, some of which have already been blocked from Huffman’s website.
Reddit has deals in places with companies like Google and OpenAI to receive compensation for using its posts and information. Huffman says Microsoft, however, hasn’t even stepped up to the table to discuss its use of Reddit’s content in its AI searches.
“Without these agreements, we don’t have any say or knowledge of how our data is displayed and what it’s used for, which has put us in a position now of blocking folks who haven’t been willing to come to terms with how we’d like our data to be used or not used,” Huffman told The Verge’s deputy editor Alex Heath.
Huffman says if Microsoft and other AI search sites continue to use Reddit’s information without proper compensation, they’ll have to be blocked. He doesn’t want to do that because it’s “a real pain in the ass to block these companies.”
Reddit has started cracking down on search engines that expunge information from its various forms and communities. The website vowed to block unauthorized data scraping in June by updating its Robots Exclusion Protocol (robots.txt) and it’s already prevented Bing from accessing data from Reddit, a fact confirmed by Microsoft’s head of search Jordi Ribas on X.
Earlier this month, a source confirmed to Engadget’s Will Shanklin that Microsoft’s refusal to work with Reddit’s terms of service led to the blocking of Bing. A spokesperson from Reddit also said, “Anyone accessing Reddit content must abide by our policies, including those in place to protect redditors. We are selective about who we work with and trust with large-scale access to Reddit content.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/reddit-ceo-wants-microsoft-to-pay-for-its-content-212320245.html?src=rss
Reddit’s chief executive officer Steve Huffman didn’t pull any punches with Microsoft in an interview with The Verge. He called out Microsoft and other AI search engines like Anthropic and Perplexity for not paying for the information they take from Reddit, some of which have already been blocked from Huffman’s website.
Reddit has deals in places with companies like Google and OpenAI to receive compensation for using its posts and information. Huffman says Microsoft, however, hasn’t even stepped up to the table to discuss its use of Reddit’s content in its AI searches.
“Without these agreements, we don’t have any say or knowledge of how our data is displayed and what it’s used for, which has put us in a position now of blocking folks who haven’t been willing to come to terms with how we’d like our data to be used or not used,” Huffman told The Verge’s deputy editor Alex Heath.
Huffman says if Microsoft and other AI search sites continue to use Reddit’s information without proper compensation, they’ll have to be blocked. He doesn’t want to do that because it’s “a real pain in the ass to block these companies.”
Reddit has started cracking down on search engines that expunge information from its various forms and communities. The website vowed to block unauthorized data scraping in June by updating its Robots Exclusion Protocol (robots.txt) and it’s already prevented Bing from accessing data from Reddit, a fact confirmed by Microsoft’s head of search Jordi Ribas on X.
Earlier this month, a source confirmed to Engadget’s Will Shanklin that Microsoft’s refusal to work with Reddit’s terms of service led to the blocking of Bing. A spokesperson from Reddit also said, “Anyone accessing Reddit content must abide by our policies, including those in place to protect redditors. We are selective about who we work with and trust with large-scale access to Reddit content.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/reddit-ceo-wants-microsoft-to-pay-for-its-content-212320245.html?src=rss
Blocking AI bots from Microsoft, others has been “pain in the a**”: Reddit CEO
Steve Huffman says companies must pay to scrape Reddit data.
Enlarge (credit: Tim Goode/PA Images via Getty Images)
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman is standing by Reddit’s decision to block companies from scraping the site without an AI agreement.
Last week, 404 Media noticed that search engines that weren’t Google were no longer listing recent Reddit posts in results. This was because Reddit updated its Robots Exclusion Protocol (txt file) to block bots from scraping the site. The file reads: “Reddit believes in an open Internet, but not the misuse of public content.” Since the news broke, OpenAI announced SearchGPT, which can show recent Reddit results.
The change came a year after Reddit began its efforts to stop free scraping, which Huffman initially framed as an attempt to stop AI companies from making money off of Reddit content for free. This endeavor also led Reddit to begin charging for API access (the high pricing led to many third-party Reddit apps closing).
Honda’s 1984 HP-X concept was the carbon fiber future we expected
The perfect shape for a car — and a mouse. | Image: Honda
Take a look at this HP-X concept from 1984 that has been restored, seemingly so Honda can show the world how cool futuristic cars used to look.
As a car born in the Knight Rider era, the HP-X placed advanced tech within the driver’s reach, including a CD player, GPS, real-time telemetry, and “special sonar” technology that warns you about road conditions. At the time, Honda called this tech suite its “electronic driver support system.”
Image: Honda
The 1984 HP-X has screens with GPS, at least conceptually.
The HP-X was designed to run on a Honda F2 racing-based engine: a 2.0-liter DOHC 24-valve V6. And since there are no doors, the clear Perspex canopy comes off, so you can jump in like a fighter jet pilot. The canopy also helps with looks, aerodynamics, and functions as an air brake. The design likely inspired future two-seater vehicles such as the Honda and Acura NSX.
To make it lightweight, the mid-engine wedge-shaped wonder was built with uncommon-at-the-time car materials like carbon fiber, Kevlar, and honeycomb paneling. According to Honda, “the first-generation NSX embodied many of the ideas and innovations first explored in the HP-X” when it debuted a couple of years later.
On Wednesday, Honda also highlighted a 2024 Red Dot Design Award for its similarly smooth Saloon concept EV. Part of the Honda Zero series presented earlier this year as an antidote to the trend of “thick” EVs, seeing it next to the HP-X shows how much the idea of a “thin” and “light” vehicle has changed in the last 40 years.
Image: Honda
Honda Saloon EV concept
Image: Honda
You have to take the canopy off to get in because there are no doors.
The HP-X originally debuted at the 1984 Turin Auto Show, and after being restored by Italian design firm Pininfarina, it’s now entering the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance (or competition of elegance). Considering the show is in California, it would have been nice if they plopped a few battery packs in and made it into the coolest EV yet.
The perfect shape for a car — and a mouse. | Image: Honda
Take a look at this HP-X concept from 1984 that has been restored, seemingly so Honda can show the world how cool futuristic cars used to look.
As a car born in the Knight Rider era, the HP-X placed advanced tech within the driver’s reach, including a CD player, GPS, real-time telemetry, and “special sonar” technology that warns you about road conditions. At the time, Honda called this tech suite its “electronic driver support system.”
Image: Honda
The 1984 HP-X has screens with GPS, at least conceptually.
The HP-X was designed to run on a Honda F2 racing-based engine: a 2.0-liter DOHC 24-valve V6. And since there are no doors, the clear Perspex canopy comes off, so you can jump in like a fighter jet pilot. The canopy also helps with looks, aerodynamics, and functions as an air brake. The design likely inspired future two-seater vehicles such as the Honda and Acura NSX.
To make it lightweight, the mid-engine wedge-shaped wonder was built with uncommon-at-the-time car materials like carbon fiber, Kevlar, and honeycomb paneling. According to Honda, “the first-generation NSX embodied many of the ideas and innovations first explored in the HP-X” when it debuted a couple of years later.
On Wednesday, Honda also highlighted a 2024 Red Dot Design Award for its similarly smooth Saloon concept EV. Part of the Honda Zero series presented earlier this year as an antidote to the trend of “thick” EVs, seeing it next to the HP-X shows how much the idea of a “thin” and “light” vehicle has changed in the last 40 years.
Image: Honda
Honda Saloon EV concept
Image: Honda
You have to take the canopy off to get in because there are no doors.
The HP-X originally debuted at the 1984 Turin Auto Show, and after being restored by Italian design firm Pininfarina, it’s now entering the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance (or competition of elegance). Considering the show is in California, it would have been nice if they plopped a few battery packs in and made it into the coolest EV yet.
Grab This Curved Gaming Monitor for Just $300 at Woot Right Now
This 34-inch Cooler Master curved monitor covers every angle and is $170 off at Woot — a steal.
This 34-inch Cooler Master curved monitor covers every angle and is $170 off at Woot — a steal.
‘Batman: Caped Crusader’: Release Date and How to Watch the New Series
The family-friendly show will take viewers into the criminal underworld with Gotham’s finest — and worst.
The family-friendly show will take viewers into the criminal underworld with Gotham’s finest — and worst.