Unveiled at CES 2020, the Cypress+ EcoSmart Backpack is an eco-friendly laptop bag that can wirelessly charge your smartphone via Qi charging. It costs a “measly” $180 (gulp) and will launch some time between Q2 and Q3. It does have the potential to be one of the best laptop bags of 2020.
Targus Cypress+ EcoSmart Backpack design
From a distance, the Targus Cypress+ EcoSmart Backpack is unassuming and discreet, as it boasts a sleek gray color on its medium-sized stature. Although it doesn’t look like a super premium backpack, it seemed pretty durable when I messed around with it. Most importantly, the Targus Cypress+ EcoSmart Backpack is made from 26 water bottles, which is wild. The bag can fit up to a 15.6-inch laptop in its first sleeve, and the second sleeve small pockets are for notebooks, pencils and pens. There is also a larger open space for a tablet.
Targus Cypress+ EcoSmart Backpack Qi-charging
The Targus Cypress+ EcoSmart Backpack has a pouch on the right-hand side that you can open up and throw your phone into in order to wirelessly charge it, which is convenient for people always on the go. Targus outfitted a Qi 4.0, 10 Watt wireless charging pad into that small pouch backed by a 5,000 mAh battery. According to Targus, it can fully charge your smartphone approximately one to two times. Obviously, we’ll do more in-depth testing once we get this through our lab. The cradle in the pouch has side and front pressure holders to keep your phone stable, and thanks to its soft-touch design, it shouldn’t leave any scratches on your phone. If you are worried about that, however, the pad will also work with most phone cases, so long as the battery is within 5 millimeters of the charger. When your backpack is out of juice, you can simply charge the pad by plugging the USB Type-A port into an outlet or laptop (there’s a microUSB port already connected to the pad).
Bottom line
The Targus Cypress+ EcoSmart Backpack is a pretty badass backpack, although it’s just a little expensive. I’d love nothing more than to toss my phone in my backpack without a second thought. We’re excited to get more hands-on time with the Targus Cypress+ EcoSmart Backpack once we get it to our office, so keep an eye out for our full review later in the year. For news on laptops, tablets and more, check out our CES 2020 hub page.
