Cuktech's new charging cable has a built-in display and talks to your phone
A charging cable that connects to your smartphone app sounds like overkill, but that's exactly what Cuktech is building. The brand — formed from the core team of Xiaomi accessory-maker ZMI after a 2022 merger — has announced via Weibo a braided USB-C cable with a built-in power display and Mi Home integration. No price or release date has been confirmed for the US or UK market.
The cable
The hardware itself is straightforward: a braided cable, a small inline display showing real-time wattage, and connectors that can charge two devices simultaneously. The display is the practical pitch — you can glance at it to confirm your charger is actually delivering the watts it claims, or check how far along a battery is without unlocking your phone.
The Mi Home angle is less obvious. That app is better known for controlling air purifiers and robot vacuums. Extending it to a cable means you can monitor charging status from your phone — useful if the cable is tucked behind a desk, less useful if it's sitting in plain sight.
Cuktech's upcoming smart cable features a braided design, inline power display, and Mi Home connectivity.
The competition
Smart USB-C cables with LED power displays are already a thing in Western markets. The Sabrent USB-C smart cable and similar options from Baseus and LITO handle 100–240W and cost around $12–20, with no proprietary app required. That no-strings simplicity is a real advantage: buyers get the wattage readout without handing data to a Chinese-operated platform.
Cuktech's Mi Home dependency is the sticking point for a wider audience. The app has region restrictions in some product manuals, and US and UK regulators have been paying closer attention to smart-home data practices from imported devices. Whether the cable's app features will work fully outside China remains unclear.
Cuktech does sell power banks on Amazon US and UK, so a retail path exists — but the smart cable isn't listed anywhere yet. Until pricing and availability land, the Cuktech official site is the only place to watch for updates. For anyone already inside the Xiaomi ecosystem, the Mi Home hook could be genuinely handy. For everyone else, the display alone doesn't do enough to justify the wait over cables already on shelves.
