Memo CX26 Review: Best Memo Phone Cooler Yet

The Memo CX26 is the best phone cooler Memo has ever made. Rated at 30W, it pairs the largest contact plate we've seen on a Memo semiconductor cooler with a genuinely useful display, solid AI regulation, and cooling power that holds its own against pricier rivals.

But there's more to the story. Over roughly an hour of hands-on testing—idle frost checks, edge-zone stress tests, dual-zone torture runs, and real-world AI mode on an iPhone—we found plenty to like and a few things worth knowing before you buy. Here's the full breakdown.

What is the Memo CX26 Magnetic Phone Cooler?

The Memo CX26 is a semiconductor phone cooler designed for mobile gamers who want to keep their devices cool without spending a lot. It is the latest mid-to-high-end phone cooler from the Memo cooler brand, rated at 30W.

Its standout feature: that oversized contact plate. You also get a display, multi-mode control, and AI regulation, which is a fair package for the money at $40.

What's in the Box?

The accessory bundle is complete and practical—nothing is missing, and everything feels high-quality. Inside, you'll find:

• A USB-C to USB-C cable — branded with the Memo logo, with a reasonably sturdy build
• A spring clamp — a push-down mechanism for a secure mechanical grip
• A metal adhesive plate — for attaching the magnetic cooler to phones without built-in magnets
• An instruction manual — fairly thick, with full specs if you want the details

The metal plate is what lets the magnet hold your phone securely, so don't lose it. The manual is more detailed than most, which reflects how many features Memo packed in.

Design and Build Quality

The Memo CX26 looks great in person. It feels well-made rather than cheap. It carries Memo's familiar silver accent color and a round form factor reminiscent of the Memo CX20 and CX08. The top is plastic with the Memo logo at the center and two control buttons on the edge. 

All controls are via two buttons. The left one controls the cooling mode: L2 - L1 - AI - Close. Long-pressing it adjusts to the highest 99 mode. Double-press it to turn off the RGB light.

The right one controls the display showing cooling wattage or temperature. Long-pressing it adjusts it down from 99 mode to 01 mode.

They're easy to reach, and the tactile feel is satisfying. Interestingly, the display sits on the side rather than on top, as with most coolers. It shows temperature, power draw, and the active mode.

And the RGB lighting is a highlight—a smooth rainbow effect. The build feels solid, and the gold-toned metal radiator fins give it a distinct look. We pressed hard on the housing, and nothing flexed or gave way. Fit and finish hold up to close inspection.

Power comes in through a USB-C port with clean finishing. The clamp mount area is generously sized, and the whole unit sits a touch tall.

One design detail matters for comfort. The fins run at a diagonal angle rather than a full circular pattern, which means there are no full wind guards. In practice, a little warm exhaust air vents outward and can brush against your hand during gameplay. It's minor—not a dealbreaker—but noticeable if you're sensitive to it.

Contact Surface: The Standout Feature

This Memo CX26 contact surface material is metal. It can be said that it is the first time on a Memo cooler that the contact plate is full—the entire base cools down, edge to edge.

Most coolers, including older Memo models, use a half-plate design that leaves a portion of the surface uncooled. The CX26 doesn't. The contact plate is a full 6cm in diameter—the largest we've seen on a Memo cooler, and one of the biggest on any phone cooler, period. The whole plate gets cold, which means better contact with your phone's back and more even cooling across a larger area. The plate is metal, so it transfers heat quickly.

Magnetic strength is solid. Paired with a quality metal adhesive ring, the cooler grips firmly.

Controls & Modes

The two buttons handle everything, and the on-device display shows either temperature or wattage. Memo rates the cooler at 30W, and the display confirms it draws close to that on full power.

There are two main approaches to cooling:

• Normal (manual) mode — you control the intensity yourself (L2, L1, up to 99 mode)
  
• AI mode — the cooler automatically adjusts based on your phone's heat
  

In manual mode, you can adjust fan speed across a wide range of levels. Hold one button to ramp the fan all the way up for fast cooling; hold the other to bring it down to the lowest setting. I kept it high most of the time for quicker response.

AI mode is different. Once you switch to it, the manual fan-speed control is disabled—the AI takes over and manages cooling based on your phone's temperature.

It's handy for hands-off use, but for intense gaming, I preferred manual mode. AI mode tends to ease off after a while, rather than blasting cold continuously.

You can also turn the RGB lighting off with a double-tap of the light button. It is useful if you'd rather not have late-night sessions.

Weight

Because of its metal fins, the Memo CX26 weighs 90.2g, 99.3g with the clamps. It is not the lightest, but far from heavy.

But if you're sensitive to added weight during long gaming sessions, it's worth factoring in. The larger plate and beefier radiator are part of the reason, so in a sense, you're trading some lightness for cooling capacity. For most users, it's manageable, but it's not a featherweight.

Power and Features

The CX26 is rated at 30W but draws over 30W in real use; sometimes it can be 34W, settling around 30-31W once stable. Two buttons handle all the controls, which is more comfortable than single-button coolers.

Charger Recommendations

We tested with a compact 65W Xiaomi Laptop charger. It delivered enough power. That said, for a 30W-class cooler, we lean toward the 65W charger for extended sessions. Smaller chargers can heat up under sustained load and can't support the cooler's max output. If you game for hours at a stretch, a charger with more headroom and better thermal handling is the safer bet.

Cooling Modes

There are three modes, controlled by the left (power) button:

Mode	Behavior
L2	Maximum cooling output
L1	Reduced cooling
AI	Automatic temperature regulation

Cooling Performance: How We Tested

We ran the CX26 through several tests using a thermal simulation device that mimics how a phone generates heat, which lets us produce repeatable, zone-specific results. Room temperature during testing hovered near 26°C.

Idle Frost Test

Running at L2 with no heat load, at 30-31W, the center of the plate dropped to between -13°C and -14°C, with the coldest point at the center. A thin layer of frost formed within a few minutes. The large plate chills evenly across its full surface.

Running at L1 with no heat load, at 17- 18 W, the center of the plate dropped to between -11°C and -12°C, with the coldest point at the center. A thin layer of frost formed within a few minutes. The large plate chills evenly across its full surface.

Running at AI with no heat load, at 2-4 W, the center of the plate dropped to between 11- 12°C, with the coldest point at the center. 

Edge-Zone Test

Edge cooling is the hard test, since heat near the camera module sits away from the plate and must spread across the phone body. Using a metal heat-spreader ring to bridge the gap, the CX26 pulled a simulated edge zone from around 60°C down to roughly 37°C. That's a strong result and shows how much the big plate helps when paired with a spreader.

Center-Zone Test

With heat concentrated at the center—the most common hot spot and the easiest to reach—the cooler brought a simulated surface from about 58°C down to roughly 26°C, and it kept dropping toward the high teens with more time. Without a spreader ring stealing some cooling capacity, the center chills even deeper. For any phone with a central hot zone, this cooler crushes thermal throttling.

There's a trade-off worth understanding. Add the metal spreader ring and edge cooling improves, but center cooling gives up a little because some capacity goes into spreading heat. Skip the ring, and the center gets colder while the edge runs warmer. It's simple physics—choose based on where your phone actually runs hot.

AI Mode

AI mode is built for hands-off use—charging overnight, or long sessions where you're not watching temperatures. It regulates power automatically to hold a target temperature rather than blasting at full tilt.

In testing, AI mode held around 11–12°C on the display, drawing about 8W. On the phone surface, that translated to roughly 12–16°C. Notably, the display reading tracked closely with our thermal gun measurement—12°C on the display, 12°C measured, which is more accurate than most coolers we've tested.

Condensation

Condensation is the thing people worry about with cold coolers, so we tested it on a real phone through a case. After 5 minutes, we saw essentially no moisture buildup. Over longer periods—an hour or two—light condensation becomes more likely, and room humidity plays a big role.

For the safest hands-off use, we'd want the surface to sit closer to 20°C. At 12–16°C, the CX26 runs a little colder than ideal for condensation-free overnight charging, though it stayed dry in our shorter real-world test.

Real-World Gaming Test

The real test was BGMI with my iPhone 17 Pro. I attached the cooler—using the magnetic plate rather than the clamp, since the iPhone has MagSafe and the clamp is a bit fiddly to get on and off. We jumped into some 1v1 matches to see how the phone held up under sustained load.

The results were reassuring. Over roughly 30 minutes of gameplay:

• No lag or hangs — the phone stayed responsive throughout
  
• No overheating — the device never got uncomfortably warm
  
• Noticeably cooler — the bottom half of the phone was fully cool to the touch

Overall, though, the CX26 kept the phone cool and stable throughout the session. For everyday gaming, that's exactly what you want.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Full 6cm metal contact plate—Memo's largest ever, and a real cooling advantage
• Strong center-zone cooling; solid edge cooling with a spreader ring
• On-device display shows both temperature and wattage
• Accurate temperature readout that matches real measurements
• The two-button control feels comfortable and intuitive
• LED can be toggled off for discreet nighttime use
• 2-in-1 magnetic and clamp design
• Complete accessory bundle

Cons

• Heavier than average at ~99g with the clamp
• Partial wind deflection lets some warm air reach your hand
• Bare metal plate—no silicone layer for grip or scratch protection
• Wattage display runs ~4–5W off from actual draw
• AI mode runs a touch cold for fully condensation-free overnight use

Final Verdict

The Memo CX26 is a genuine step up for the brand. The oversized 6cm contact plate is the star of the show, delivering strong cooling coverage that pays off across center and edge zones alike. Add a useful and accurate display, comfortable two-button controls, well-judged AI regulation, and a complete accessory bundle, and you have a cooler that competes well above its price.

It isn't flawless. It's on the heavier side; the partial wind deflection can send a little warm air toward your hand, and a silicone-topped plate would have made it near-perfect. None of these are serious problems—they're the small compromises you weigh against a genuinely capable cooler.

If you want strong cooling, a big contact plate, and a smart feature set at a mid-range price, the Memo CX26 is an easy recommendation. Check current pricing and full specs on the product page and decide if it fits how you game and charge.

Frequently Asked Questions

What charger do I need for the Memo CX26?

The cooler draws up to 30W in real use. We recommend a 65W charger or a charger over 30W. Higher-capacity chargers handle heat better and won't throttle output under sustained load.

Does the Memo CX26 work with iPhone and Android?

Yes. The magnetic mount works natively with MagSafe-compatible iPhones. For Android phones or non-magnetic cases, the included metal adhesive ring provides a secure connection point, and the spring clamp works as a mechanical alternative for any device.

Will AI mode cause condensation on my phone?

In our 5-minute real-world test through a phone case, condensation was minimal. Over longer periods—an hour or more—light condensation is possible, especially in humid rooms. AI mode holds the surface around 12–16°C, which is slightly colder than the ideal 20°C for fully condensation-free overnight use.

Can I turn off the LED on the Memo CX26?

Yes. Double-tapping the left button turns the LED off, which is useful for gaming at night without a bright light. You can also switch the display between temperature and wattage readouts.

Does it work well for BGMI and PUBG Mobile?

Yes. During roughly 30 minutes of BGMI on iPhone 17 Pro, the phone stayed cool, responsive, and lag-free with no overheating. It's well-suited to sustained mobile gaming.

Does the Memo CX26 cool the whole phone?

It cools a large area thanks to its full-plate design, and it kept the bottom half of the test phone completely cool. Heat near the camera can linger depending on your phone's layout, so position the cooler with that in mind.