The opportunity to review the NoviConnected smart luggage from Incase first came up just before Christmas; I thought the smart case would make the perfect companion on the way to CES, the annual technology show in Las Vegas. I was keen to try it, having heard constant podcast ads for a similar smart suitcase that doesn’t ship to Australia. But just before I was going to collect the bag, airlines around the world banned smart luggage.

Now technically the ban only covered bags with non-removable batteries, and technically the ban was only for checked luggage, but the thought of arguing technicalities at 6am in LAX, after fourteen hours in the air, didn’t sound like a fun. A few months later, I assumed it would be a little safer to try the bag in the air.

There are just a handful of features that elevate the $480 NoviConnected into a smart device. First, there’s the in-built battery, which at 10050mAh is large enough to top up a smart phone a few times over, and thanks to USB-C can be recharged extra fast with a compatible charger. In theory, it can also charge a USB-C powered laptop — like the latest MacBooks or Dell XPS — but realistically you’ll drain the laptop faster than the suitcase will charge it.

There’s a handy little charging station built into the top of the case, with two regular USB A ports and one USB C port, for easy top up while waiting at a gate. But there is no quick access pocket to stash the cables needed to use these ports, a massive oversight that renders the ports just a little bit pointless unless you want your pockets full of cables.

The bag also has a built-in tracker, and accompanying smart phone app. Unfortunately the tracker is based on bluetooth technology, so the bag can only really alert you when you’ve moved more than a few metres away from it. This means the tracker is utterly useless if the bag goes missing in transit, but it will alert you every time you wander over to the airport bar.