Adam Elements CASA USB-C cable and adapters review
Adam Elements CASA USB-C
From £20
Pros
- Well made
- Looks great
- Attention to detail
- Matches Apple's design brief
Cons
- There are cheaper options
Adam Elements CASA is a range of rather nice-looking USB Type-C cables and adapters which were announced at the end of last year. I’m a sucker for braided, quality cables so I asked if I could review them as my Android Nexus 6P is fitted with that latest of USB ports.
The CASA range is a premium range of third-party cables aimed at Apple MacBook owners predominately, but that is not to say that owners of other devices that happen to tout the latest USB-C connectivity can’t take advantage of what it promised to be a high performing cable.
Adam Elements CASA cables design
The Adam Elements CASA range features a HDMI and VGA adapter for display output, USB-A adapters for use with thousands of existing USB peripherals and a USB-C cable for charging phones, tablets and notebook’s internal battery or connecting other USB-C devices.
The charging cable is a rather fetching gold colour and terminates at both ends with a USB-C connector.
The HDMI to USB-C and VGA to USB-C also feature the same thickness of cable but in shorter lengths and coated in a sturdy plastic jacket.
The cable feels sturdy and after living in and out of my work bag for the last few weeks has not discoloured or frayed.
The Adam Elements logo features tastefully across the range of cables and connectors.
Adam Elements CASA cables performance
I realise that cables to many of you are just simply that. Cables. If they work, then all is good. When they break, you can easily replace them with something from the pound shop.
Adam Elements CASA USB-C charging cable
I know that there can be performance differences but as for charging, I didn’t think that there could be a huge discrepancy between the cable that came bundled with my Nexus 6P and the Adam Elements CASA cable.
Charging the phone with the Google-supplied lead was rated at a maximum of 2500 mA and a minimum of 1820 mA.
After using my phone for a day-or-so, it was time to charge again. This time using the Adam Elements CASA cable
This time, according to the app, I was getting 2370 mA to 2670 mA – that’s quite a leap.
Granted, the max USB current is 1800 mA but the increased performance is still there. I haven’t been able to find an app that measures data transfer speeds but I can verify that it works and is at least as fast as the Google-supplied lead.
Naturally, being USB-C means that it doesn’t matter which way round you plug the cable in as they are totally reversible.
Adam Elements CASA USB-C to HDMI / VGA adapters
Moving on the HDMI to USB-C adapter – I was kind of hoping that this would allow me to squirt video from my phone to my telly (yes, I know I can Cast it) but that’s a no for the 6P. It was good to see that the adapter has a full-sized HDMI port instead of the mini or micro varieties.
Plugging in the lead to a USB-C 3.1 enabled MacBook the adapter happily supports Full HD 1080P, 2K and Ultra HD 4k displays.
Adam Elements says that the aluminium casing of the adapter cuts down on electromagnetic interference. I can’t really comment about that but, what I can say is that it does the job without any artifacts appearing on the screen due to signal dropping out.
The same can be said for the VGA version. It performs exactly as expected when plugged in to a monitor, enabling multi-screen joy from your Apple laptop.
Adam Elements CASA review conclusion
The realm of third-party cables can be a dark and foreboding place with a range of prices almost as wide as the list of names providing them.
What you do have to keep in mind when looking for replacement or additional cables and adapters is that you might well be able to find cheaper ones at your pound store, but you might also be putting your kit at risk.
Let’s face it, even some cables and adapters bundled in with your shiny new MacBook could be cause for concern as shown by Apple’s latest recall notice.
The Adam Elements CASA cables and adapters all appear to be well made, sturdy and fit for purpose. Not only that, as one of my colleagues in the web team exclaimed, “they’re so pretty!”.
The HDMI and VGA adapters even come with their own little carry bags.
Obviously, I have only had these for a few weeks and only time will tell just how resilient this range is but, for now, I have no problem in recommending Adam Elements CASA range to anyone looking to add to their range of USB-C fittings.
Adam Elements CASA price and availability
The CASA range is available right now direct from Adam Elements.
- USB-C to VGA adapter (CASA V01, space grey/gold): £32.99
- USB C to HDMI adapter (CASA H01, space grey/gold): £34.99
- USB-C to USB-A adapter (CASA F13, space grey/gold): £14.99
- USB-C to USB-C cable (CASA B200, space grey/gold/red): £18.99
- USB-C to USB-A cable (CASA M100, space grey/gold/red): £17.99
