Ever lost your USB-C charger Twelve South has the solution.
With more of us having a range of devices, we use every day and the fact more devices now have USB-C charger ports having a USB-C charging device is vital. If you work in an office or even on a train or in an airport lounge you will have heard the saying “ Can I borrow your charger for a minute” It’s never just one minute and them more portable chargers that have the habit of disappearing. When it’s your turn to charge a device how annoying is it to go on a hunt for that charger?
In this review, we look at the Twelve South PlugBug, which comes with Find My Charger built into it. So, it would look a lot better than just attaching an AirTag to the charger’s bag. The Twelve South PlugBug works the same as an AirTag and is set up the same in the Find My App items section. If you have misplaced the charger you can make it sound an alert. The principal purpose of the PlugBug is to be a USB-C wall charger and comes in two options:
PlugBug 50 – This option has just two USB-C ports rated at 50W each. Use both at the same time and one port will charge at 30W and the other at 20W.
PlugBug 120– This option has four USB-C ports each rated at 120W use all 4 ports at the same time. One will charge at 50W, two at 25W and the fourth at 25W (Depending on the devices. If you charge three devices you will get one at 65W, One at 35W and one at 20W. Finally, if you only charge two devices at once you get a 70/30W split.
This charger detects dynamically and delivers the right amount of fast charging power to each device being charged so you dont have to worry about which port to connect each device to. Now the PlugBug 50 is available for £69.99 whereas the PlugBug 120 is available for £119.99
In this review, we have been testing the PlugBug 120 and I recently took this on a trip to Paris to fully test if this is worth the investment.
Design
The PlugBug 120 is a long but thin device handy for hotel rooms with power sockets tucked into hard-to-reach places such as behind a nightstand. The PlugBug 120 comes with a white front and red rear making it easy to spot in a busy airport lounge. Size wise its 10.4 x 6 x 3.2cm (HxLxW) and is fairly lightweight at only 253g
Unboxing the PlugBug 120 is a simple affair offering the main charging unit and an EU & UK plug adapter with the Find My Setup guide and owners guide.
If you purchase the PlugBug via the Apple website you also receive a travel set which includes a travel case and interchangeable international adapters for: USA, UK, EU, AU, KR, and CN.
The PlugBug features a more vertical and slender design allowing the charger to sit snugly against the power supply either a wall or flat. The design is easier to use for vertical wall outlets as it makes it easier to tuck behind furniture. The design also works well on a tabletop power supply like what is found at an airport though it requires a bit more space than your average small block charger.
At the rear of the PlugBug, you will find a small compartment door that houses the unit’s battery this is where the small replaceable battery resides and according to the Twelve South powers the AirTag lasts for just over a year and this is how the Find My action works. The benefit of this device is the PlugBug does not need to be plugged in for the tracking to work because that would be annoying.
In regards to charging this USB-C wall charger with Find My functionality comes with a 4-port model delivering a combined 120W of power whereas the 2-port version comes with 50W. The models sport a GaN-powered, ultra-slim design. The PlugBug is a USB-C-only charger with no USB-A or Micro USB slots. This charger also boasts power delivery technology, capable of detecting connected devices and dynamically providing the appropriate amount of power:
Find My Integration
I used this on a recent trip to Paris for the Oppo EU launch of the FInd X8 Pro and I took the PlugBug as not only did it help me charge the phone it also allowed me to charge my personal iPhone 14, and iPad and Moto Buds + earbuds.
Setting up the Find My integration worked immediately. Simply hold the button on the back of the device for 3 seconds with the Find My app open and it instantly connects. You then name the PlugBug, select an icon and you are ready.
If you need to find your PlugBug the app can make the charger emit a chim for easy locating and set up usual notifications like “notify me when left behind” at selected locations and it works flawlessly. I was on a riverboat and I knew the PlugBug was at my hotel but decided to test its location the below image shows where I was and where the charger is.
The Blue Dot is our location and the finger image is the PlugBug
Twelve South say this charger is the first of its kind to implement Find My technology in a charger. Price wise it’s one of the most expensive chargers I have had in my person but when you realise you have left your charger behind due to the notification it will prove its worth in gold.
In testing when I used a non-Apple device like the Oppo Find X8 Pro the device presented the superfast charging message and the PlugBug coped with that just fine. When I then plugged in my Moto Buds + earbuds and iPhone 14 the charger still managed to spread the charging across all 3 devices and worked well. You will also find it helpful that you do not need to worry about which port to use with the PlugBug 120 as it does this automatically.
Verdict
I have tested several USB-C chargers like the Gravastar Alpha 65W and a range of Voltme chargers and thought we had seen everything with a range of wattage and multiple ports.
However, Twelve South has not only given you an excellent charger for multiple devices as long as they use USB-C. The PlugBug comes with Find Me technology allowing this charger to be an excellent travel charger with a built-in locator to give you peace of mind that you should never lose your charger again. If you do misplace it the Find Me technology lets you know exactly where it is.
Product Rating
Overall ranking: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars – 5 stars
The PlugPug 120 Travel Charger costs £119.99 via Amazon
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