Despite the monolithic presence ofAI , automotive , androbotictechnologies , CES is still , at its core , a widget show . And one of the most interesting gadgets atCES 2025was theOlight Ostation X. The Ostation X is a AA assault and battery charger , but it might be the impertinent and most convenient courser ever created . If you ’ve found yourself hopelessly addicted to disposable alkaline batteries , this gadget could be your path back to the world of recharging .
It ’s not that we do n’t likerechargeable batteries , it ’s just that they ’re kind of a tussle . You know the drill : Your batteries die , you demand to see the charger , then you make certain you enter interchangeable assault and battery types , then you plug it in and await anywhere from one to four hours look on how depleted the cell are and how smart your charger is . In the meantime , that gadget you were trying to utilise is useless . You also know what hail next : You reach for a fresh alkaline battery because who has meter to wait ?
finally , you discover yourself using disposables more often than rechargeables , which be money and needlesslyadds material to our landfills(unless you have aconvenient agency to reuse them ) .
The $ 120 Ostation X , which will be uncommitted in February , tries to eliminate the hassle of recharging by making the entire process automatic . When your rechargeable barrage die , you neglect them into the Ostation X ’s top hopper . That ’s it .
The Ostation X automatically run your AA batteries through a examination and charging bicycle , up to four at a clock time , and degenerate them in its bottom hopper when the cycle is complete . When you need a fresh cellular phone , you press the lever tumbler on the front of the dispenser and out rolls a charged battery . With a 32 - barrage fire entrepot capacity , you may never want to touch for an alkaline cadre ever again .
The construct behind the Ostation X is so childlike — so obvious — you might be wondering why no one has done it before . Turns out , there were a few technical hurdles to overcome .
What if you drop your drained batteries in present the wrong elbow room ? Does n’t weigh . The Ostation X can assure which manner the barrage fire is orient and alter the mutual opposition of its charging link to pit . What if you accidentally drop an alkaline stamp battery into the groundball ? Does n’t matter . The testing cycle can feel the voltage difference between disposable and rechargeable batteries and rejects alkalines into a limited drawer . Same thing for rechargeable battery that can no longer keep an equal horizontal surface of world power .
What if you mix nickel cadmium ( Ni - Cd ) and nickel metallic element hydride ( Ni - MH ) bombardment ? completely fine — the four - cell charging bay laurel treats each battery individually , although Olight recommends the usance of Ni - MH cells because they ’re well for the surroundings .
And it does n’t even matter if batteries have different capacity or take up their recharging cycle at different bang layer — the organization can discover and adjust consequently .
Olight says it also need to do a lot of body of work to ensure that the Ostation X match regulations for electric safety . Overheating , overcharging , over - electric potential , and over - current conditions can all pose danger , as can short - circuiting . The Ostation includes protections against all of them .
There ’s a round LED exhibit on the front that exhibit the saddle position for the four presently charging cell , and there ’s also a associate app that will show you the same information as long as you ’re within Bluetooth chain of mountains of the Ostation X.
Olight also tells me that the Ostation X can be a bit noisy when charging — especially when you habituate its fast charge mode ( as little as 2.5 hour for a full cycle ) — so the app also have you schedule when charge should take place .
The twist runs off a 12 - volt USB - C power supply , which Olight includes in the box . There ’s a lowly USB - C porthole that can be used to daisy - mountain range additional Ostation Xs , or you’re able to use it to charge pretty much any other gadget that uses USB - C. An optional paries mount will be uncommitted for $ 16 .
I have n’t had a chance to try the Ostation X , so I ca n’t annotate on how well it works — though it seems like a very well - thought - out intersection . The one domain that gives me some pause is its national mechanics .
The Ostation X uses a serial of power train and a petite conveyor belted ammunition to move batteries through the testing and send cycle . The conveyor bang sieve bad cells ( or alkalines ) into the reject tray and transfers successfully charge up cells into the bottom groundball .
Olight provides a two - class warrant on the Ostation X , but any meter you have moving parts , you ’re going to have wear and tear and , eventually , break . The party say it ’s built to provide 4,500 commission cycles/second , which is the equivalent of about two years of regular use based on typical charge patterns ( 24 hours / four hour per charge cycles/second ) .
Then there ’s the question of versatility . Olight is already work on a model that charges AAA cells , but at the moment there are no plans for a single Ostation X that can handle both sizes .
