LAS VEGAS - At last year's CES, tech accessory company Targus introduced its Mobile VIP+ backpack with a compartment for wireless charging of smartphones on the go. This year, the company improved on that design and introduced the Targus Cypress+ EcoSmart backpack ($180) with Qi wireless charging capabilities. This expensive backpack boasts an improved design and stands still so that smartphones can be charged even when shaken. In addition, the accessory is composed mostly of recycled materials.

I had the opportunity to try the Cypress+ EcoSmart at CES 2020. It is not a cheap backpack. However, it seems durable and the Qi charging solves the very real problem of cell phone cables disconnecting when trying to charge with a cell phone charger or a backpack with wires. The backpacks are expected to be available around the middle of this year.

The Cypress+ EcoSmart is not the first Targus backpack with Qi charging, but it is still probably the best feature of this product. Speaking from personal experience, plugging a cell phone into a backpack charger is a total guessing game. Sometimes the phone charges as intended, and more often than not, simple gravity causes the cable to fall out of the port and you have to spend a few more hours with an unplugged phone.

For this reason, the Cypress+ EcoSmart has a small pouch on the side that is just large enough to hold a smartphone. (This pouch can also hold a much larger phone, such as the iPhone 11 Pro Max.) Simply place the Qi charging-enabled phone in the pouch, zipper it up, and wait.

Charging times vary from phone to phone, but the Cypress+ EcoSmart has a capacity of 5,000 mAh. This is enough capacity to charge many phones twice, most phones about 1.5 times, and almost all phones once. The charging pad uses the Qi 4.0 protocol and can send up to 10W of power. The backpack itself charges via a standard USB-A connection.

Otherwise, the Cypress+ EcoSmart appears to be a medium-sized, durable backpack. Aside from the charging pouch, it has three main compartments: a thin compartment for laptop storage, a large compartment for everyday sundries, and a smaller compartment for pens and notebooks. The backpack itself is about 1.5 feet tall, making it a good companion for everyday storage, although too large for certain performance venues.

Targus also claims that 26 recycled water bottles were used in the construction of each Cypress + Eco Smart Backpack. Tom's Guide does not have the resources to independently verify this claim, but it seems like a much better use of old water bottles than clogging up a landfill somewhere.

As for whether the backpack is worth the asking price, it depends on how much Qi charging means to you. That is, of course, if you have a Qi-enabled cell phone. Of course, if you have a Qi-enabled phone. However, this backpack costs about $100 more than a comparable non-electric model. For that amount of money, you could buy a very high-end portable charger and the cramped cable that goes with it.

At the very least, you are making an environmentally friendly purchase.

Be sure to check out our CES 2020 hub for the latest news and hands-on impressions from Las Vegas.