Morning chaos turns hot drinks tepid. Cables vanish. Phones die. Parents juggle mugs, chargers and tantrums, losing precious sips.
A £35 smart mug-and-charger from The Range aims to steady that routine, keeping brews warm while topping up your handset.
What the £35 smart mug actually does
The idea is simple. You place your tea or coffee on a heated base that holds it at about 55°C. The temperature stays steady while the mug sits there. No racing the clock. No sad, lukewarm mouthfuls after a nappy change or a sprint to find a missing shoe.
The base also serves as a wireless charging pad. Drop a compatible phone on the same unit, and the battery climbs while your brew stays drinkable. One plug, two daily nuisances handled. Fewer cables strewn across the table. Less faff when you finally sit down.
It keeps your drink warm at roughly 55°C while wirelessly charging your phone from the very same base.
You get a 350 ml mug, which suits a decent morning tea without adding heft. The base uses USB‑C power, so it sits neatly on a desk, bedside table or kitchen counter. The white finish keeps things low-key, which helps it blend in rather than shout for space.
Price: £35 at The Range. Capacity: 350 ml. Power: USB‑C. Finish: white.
Who it helps, and where
This gadget lives in those in-between minutes that steal heat from your cup and charge from your phone. It fits many routines.
- Parents who lose a brew to tantrums, nappies or the doorbell.
- Home workers hopping between calls and Slack pings.
- Students cramming with a cup that never seems to stay warm.
- Night-owls streaming shows while their handset limps at 9%.
Real-world use at home
Park the base near the kettle so your first pour lands straight on it. Keep your phone on the pad whenever you sit down. You start the day with warmth and end it with a charged handset. The small routine pays back quickly, especially if you usually reheat drinks two or three times.
Warm mug, charged phone, one tidy square on the counter—less clutter, less wasted tea.
How it compares to reheating and pricier options
There are three common paths when a drink goes cold: microwave it, switch to an insulated cup, or spend big on a smart mug that controls heat inside the cup. Here’s how this £35 option stacks up.
| Option | Typical upfront cost | Keeps drink at a steady temp | Extra features | Hassle factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reheat in the microwave | £0 (you already own it) | No, heat drops again quickly | None | High: trips to kitchen, hot spots, taste changes |
| Thermal travel mug | £10–£30 | Slows cooling, doesn’t regulate | Spill-resistant lid | Medium: drink through lid, bulky at desk |
| Premium app-connected mug | £100+ | Yes, precise control | App controls, batteries | Medium: charging docks, higher cost |
| The Range smart mug + charger | £35 | Yes, around 55°C on base | Wireless phone charging | Low: one base, one cable |
The Range setup hits a middle ground. It regulates warmth while sidestepping the cost and complexity of battery-heated mugs. It also replaces a separate wireless charging pad, which trims clutter on a busy worktop.
Costs and energy: a quick reality check
Running costs matter when energy prices bite. A rough guide helps. If a typical mug-warming plate draws around 10 watts while maintaining heat, three hours of use consumes about 0.03 kWh.
At a typical UK unit price of 28p per kWh, that works out at roughly 0.8p for three hours, or a few pence a week for daily use. That is an estimate, not a promise. Actual draw varies by device, cup material and room temperature, so treat it as a ballpark figure.
Estimate: three hours of warming may cost under 1p at 28p/kWh, assuming a ~10 W draw. Your usage will differ.
Small details that make it easier to live with
Good design turns up in tiny choices. A USB‑C lead means easy replacement if you lose it. A 350 ml mug suits tea lovers who dislike oversized cups. The white finish melts into most rooms, from spare-room desks to kitchen breakfast bars. The base acts as a coaster and charger, so you reclaim a bit of space as well.
Tips to get the most from it
- Use a ceramic mug for even heating. Thin metal can shed heat fast once lifted.
- Preheat the mug with a splash of hot water before you brew for faster stabilisation.
- Keep the base on a firm, dry surface with airflow under it. Avoid tea splashes pooling around the pad.
- Check your phone supports wireless charging before relying on it for bedtime top-ups.
- Wipe the base with a dry or slightly damp cloth. Hand-wash the mug unless the manual states dishwasher-safe.
- Place cords where little hands can’t tug them. Treat the warmed plate with care around children.
Why parents keep talking about it
Interruptions drain heat from a cup faster than you think. Crying baby? That’s a five‑minute drop. A missing trainer? Ten minutes gone. A teacher message that needs a quick reply? Another few degrees lost. This base pauses the decline. When you return, the taste stays closer to the first sip, not the third microwave blast.
The wireless pad matters more than it first appears. Families argue about cables. Someone moved the charger. Someone borrowed the one by the sofa. A pad where you rest your phone becomes the default spot. You get charge without the hunt and the tangle.
Warm tea, topped‑up phone, fewer interruptions that punish you twice—once with cold coffee, again with a flat battery.
If you already own a coaster or a charger
You can make a small, tidy swap. Retire a coaster and a separate wireless pad, and use one base. That saves a socket and a cable. It also reduces the odds of knocking a drink while fishing for a lead. Little gains add up across a kitchen or a home office.
Think about where it earns its keep. Set one by the living-room armchair where you open the laptop. Or keep it on the breakfast bar so the morning rush does not write off the first cup. Bedside tables also work if you read at night and want a gentle sip without walking to the microwave.
The bigger picture: warmth, focus and small wins
Warm drinks stabilise pace. You sit longer. You finish an email, a chapter, or a school form in one go. Your handset charges quietly instead of nagging at 5%. These tiny shifts make a messy day feel less brittle. You spend less time reheating, less time searching for cables, and more time doing the next thing.
If you want a precise temperature profile and app controls, premium mugs exist. If you want a simple, tidy fix under £40 that tackles two everyday gripes at once, this The Range smart mug-and-charger hits a practical sweet spot without asking you to change your habits.
