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The 6 Best Travel Adapters (2023): Plug and Universal Adapters

Posted on April 6, 2023

The 6 Best Travel Adapters (2023): Plug and Universal Adapters

  • Photograph: Epicka

    Best Overall

    Epicka Universal Travel Adapter

    With the capability to work in more than 150 countries, this affordable adapter from Epicka will do the job for most people. It has sliders you push to reveal the three most common international plugs—EU, UK, and US—and you can rotate the pins for sockets in Australia or China. This plug can recharge your power-hungry devices, like laptops and camera batteries, but there are four USB-A ports on the bottom and a 15-watt USB-C port on the side for phones, tablets, smartwatches, and Kindles. It’s not as well constructed as our other two universal adapter picks below, but it's much cheaper.

    The main problem is the lack of any grounding, which is meant to reduces the risk of an electrical shock if there's a fault, such as a loose wire inside a device with a metal case. (This video explains grounding really well.) Thankfully, there's overload protection with an 8-amp fuse, and it comes with a spare, but you should not use this adapter with any device that has a third metal ground pin on its plug.

    $24 at Amazon

  • Photograph: OneAdaptr

    Upgrade Pick (and the Safest)

    OneAdaptr OneWorld PD

    The OneWorld PD has sliding toggles on the side that cover the US/Canada, the UK, and Australia/China, and you can pop out a much smaller stand-alone European adapter. It promises to work in more than 150 countries. There are three USB-A ports on the bottom as well as a USB-C port that supports Power Delivery and Quick Charge 3.0 to deliver up to 18 watts. That's enough to fast-charge most phones and tablets, not so much a laptop. You can plug in your laptop's AC charger to speedily juice it back up, but that means carrying the heavy charging brick around.

    What sets the AC plugs apart is that each one is earthed. Most universal travel adapters offer two-pin US plugs and make the third pin on the UK plug plastic, but the OneWorld PD provides fully grounded connections for every plug type to protect you from the risk of shock due to faulty wiring. It can handle up to 10 amps. Over-current protection automatically shuts down the power if there’s abnormal usage, and it resets via a button on the top. The rare British Standard 8546 compliance guarantees that the OneWorld PD has been fully tested and is one of the safest travel adapters you can buy. The downside? It's frequently out of stock. 

    $49 at OneAdaptr

  • Photograph: Zendure

    For Speedy Charging

    Zendure Passport III

    Zendure's all-in-one travel adapter is what I toss in my bag first for every trip. It has a boxy design with sliding toggles to switch between US, European, and British plugs. (It covers more than 200 countries.) There’s an auto-resetting fuse to protect your gadgets from power surges, and the Passport III has a 10 amp limit. The latest version also sports a funky, translucent design with a metallic finish (purple is best). Sadly, there's no grounding here like the Epicka, so you shouldn't use this adapter with any device that has a third metal grounding pin on its plug.

    There are four USB-C ports alongside a single USB-A port and an AC socket, so you can charge six devices simultaneously. Using gallium nitride technology, Zendure was able to increase the power output of the USB-C port to 65 watts, capable of fully charging a 13-inch MacBook Pro in under two hours. That means you can leave your laptop's charging brick behind (if it charges via USB-C). There’s support for the Power Delivery (PD) and Programmable Power Supply (PPS) standards (Samsung uses PPS in its flagship range), so it can fast-charge almost any phone or tablet. It’s expensive, but this travel adapter will satisfy even the most gadget-laden of travelers.

    ★ A Good Alternative: The OneWorld 65 ($69) sports a very similar design, the same 65W charging rate, and support for more than 200 countries. But it has three USB-C and two USB-A ports. It comes in white and has a 10A fuse with a replacement included. WIRED readers can also get a discount with the code OneWorld65_15%Off.

    $76 at Amazon

  • Photograph: Ceptics

    Best Travel Adapter Set

    Ceptics Adapter Plug Set for Worldwide International Travel

    Universal adapters don't always work properly everywhere, and most do not have any grounding. The cheaper and more reliable alternative is to buy individual adapters. This international set from Ceptics is our favorite. It includes five types to cover most of the globe, and they are properly grounded. If you’re visiting only a single destination, just pack the relevant type. None of these adapters have any kind of USB ports, so you will need to bring the respective charging adapter for your gadgets. 

    This set is especially good for Europe, because it includes Type C, E/F, and G adapters (more on this below), so you’re covered for any socket. Ceptics offers an even cheaper and smaller five-piece set, but we don’t recommend it because the adapters are flimsy, there’s no grounding, and the European plug's design doesn’t work well with the recessed sockets you will sometimes encounter. The drawback of plug adapters is that they’re easy to lose, but at least Ceptics includes a small bag for storage.

    $15 at Amazon
    $14 at Ceptics

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