Genki Moonbase – The Rapid Review
There aren’t many products that can genuinely excite you about a power strip, but the Genki Moonbase manages to do just that. At first glance, it looks less like something you’d normally find hiding behind a desk and more like equipment from a spaceship. It’s chunky, futuristic and, in the Moonlight version I tested, the combination of white, black, and orange gives it a surprisingly premium look. And yes, I know what you’re thinking. It’s a power strip. How exciting can it really be? Surprisingly exciting, actually.
Futuristic Design
The design is definitely the Moonbase’s biggest selling point.
You get three AC sockets on top, each with its own LED ring, and four USB-C ports along the front. The whole thing feels solid and substantial, not like the usual lightweight plastic extension lead. The USB-C ports are especially handy. There’s a 140W port, a 100W port, and two 30W ports, with up to 240W of USB-C power shared across the unit. So you can charge a laptop, phone, handheld gaming console and other accessories all from one compact device.
The LED lighting is a bit of fun too. You can change the colour around the AC sockets or switch the lights off completely. It doesn’t add anything to the actual charging performance, but it does make the Moonbase feel different from the usual boring black power strip.
One thing I’m less keen on is the touch-sensitive control. It works, but I would much rather have a proper physical button. It’s very easy to accidentally activate it, particularly when you’re reaching around the back of the unit.
Clever Charging
This is where the Moonbase really starts to make sense compared to just buying a fancy-looking extension lead. With four USB-C ports built in, you don’t need a pile of separate charging bricks. The higher-powered ports can handle laptops and gaming handhelds, while the 30W ones are ideal for phones, headphones and smaller accessories. In day-to-day use, it’s incredibly convenient.
It’s worth noting that 240W is the total USB-C output, not what you get from each port at once. If you’re using several ports, the power is shared between them. Independent testing has also shown that output can be throttled if you really push it. For everyday charging, I didn’t find this to be a problem. But if you want to run several high-powered devices at once, it’s good to know how the power is split.
The practical stuff
The three AC sockets are well spaced out, which might sound dull until you’ve tried plugging three chunky chargers into a cheap extension lead. There’s enough room to avoid the usual fight where one oversized power brick blocks another socket. The 1.5-metre braided cable is another nice touch. It feels sturdy and matches the overall look perfectly.
One downside is that the cable is permanently attached. I’d have preferred a replaceable or detachable power cable, so if it ever gets damaged, you could just swap it out. The Moonbase is also pretty heavy for a power strip, but I actually see that as a plus. It feels reassuringly solid and doesn’t slide around the desk every time you unplug something.
Heat
The Moonbase uses GaN charging technology and, as you’d expect, it can get warm. In normal use, this isn’t a worry, but independent testing found the unit can stay slightly warm even when nothing’s plugged in, and it gets hotter when you really push it. It’s something to keep in mind if you plan to tuck it under a pile of equipment with little airflow.
Is it worth the money?
This is probably the most difficult question to answer. The Moonbase isn’t cheap. You’re paying extra for the design, build quality and the mix of AC outlets and high-powered USB-C charging. You can get much cheaper charging stations and power strips that do the basic job. But they won’t look anything like this. And that’s really the point. Genki hasn’t tried to make the cheapest way to plug things in. Instead, it’s made something you’ll actually want to have on your desk. If you’ve got a gaming setup, a home office, or just a ridiculous number of USB-C devices, I can see the appeal straight away.
The Verdict
The Genki Moonbase is one of those rare products that takes something incredibly boring and actually makes it interesting. It’s well built, looks great, and genuinely cuts down on the mess of chargers and extension leads that pile up around a modern desk. The mix of three AC sockets and four USB-C ports is extremely useful, and the high-power USB-C output means it can easily be the centre of a laptop or gaming setup.
It’s not perfect. The price is high, the attached power cable is an odd choice, the touch-sensitive lighting control isn’t my favourite, and you do need to know how the 240W USB-C power is shared when you connect several devices. But after using it, I’d much rather have the Moonbase on my desk than hide a generic extension lead underneath. And perhaps that’s Genki’s biggest achievement here.
They’ve made a power strip that you don’t want to hide.
Rapid Reviews Rating
4.5 out of 5
4.5
Check out the Genki Moonbase on the Genki website.
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