At a glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- 2 or 4 USB-C ports
- Built-in Find My locator
- Slim charger
- International Travel Set available
Our Verdict
Twelve South PlugBug With Find Me is a great travel charger with a built-in locator to give you peace of mind that you should never lose your trusty charger again.
Price When Reviewed
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We have reviewed a lot of USB-C chargers, from tiny ones you could lose in a pocket to giant desktop chargers with enough ports for every device you own. While we’d never forget where the big desktop charger is situated, the smaller and more portable chargers have a frustrating habit of disappearing…
“Can I borrow your charger for a minute?” is the plaintive plea that most charger owners will hear every now and again or far too frequently in a large office or family.
That minute can stretch far enough to the point where when you next need to charge your phone or laptop you suddenly find it’s not where it should be—maybe your colleague or family member didn’t even ask you and just took it “for a minute”.
Short of taping an AirTag onto your charger you have little option but to go hunt the office or house power sockets for it. Or maybe you left it in a suitcase that has gone missing.
Accessory maker Twelve South has a cunning product that could make that hunt all the easier. Its PlugBug With Find My charger has a locator built into it. The locator is hidden away in a back compartment, so looks better than a sleek charger with an AirTag strapped on.
It works just like an AirTag, and you set it up the same way and check for it in the Find My app’s Items section. You can make it sound an alert and all the other features available to Find My app items. Like the AirTag it requires a replaceable battery—one is included—that is easy to swap out when it runs out in a couple of years.
Not just a big AirTag
The principal purpose of the PlugBug is as a USB-C wall charger, and it comes in two models.
Twelve South
The PlugBug 50 has two USB-C ports, each rated at 50W. Use both at the same time and one will charge at 30W and the other at 20W. 50W is powerful enough to charge a MacBook Air. MacBook Pro owners would be better served with the more powerful 120 model.
The PlugBug 120 has four USB-C ports, each rated at 120W. Use all four at the same time and they will charge at 1x 50W, two at 25W and the last one at 20W, or one 50W, two 20W and one 25W. Three might configure as 65/35/20W, and two at 70/30W.
The charger detects dynamically delivers the right amount of fast charging power to each device being charged so you don’t have to worry about which port to connect each device to.
Twelve South
Design
The PlugBug With Find My is long but thin so is especially suitable in those hotel rooms with power sockets tucked into hard-to-reach places behind desks or nightstands.
It features a fetching red section that makes it visually easy to spot, too—which could come in handy when you try to distinguish it in a busy café or airport environment.
While the PlugBug is a more than capable home charger, it is especially useful on your travels. The U.S. model has folding prongs for extra travel slimness.
The PlugBug 50 measures 3.3 x 1.9 x 0.9 inches (8,3 x 4.9 x 2.2cm), and weighs 3.9oz (110g).
The PlugBug 120 measures 4.1 x 2.4 x 1.2 inches (10.4 x 6 x 3.1cm), and weighs 8.8oz (250g).
Twelve South
The U.K. and E.U. versions ship with plugs attachments for both regions. The U.S. model features just the foldable North American prongs. Apple sells an exclusive Twelve South PlugBug Travel Set, which includes interchangeable international adapters for U.S., U.K., E.U., AU, KR and CN and a travel case, for both the 2-port and 4-port models ($79.95 and $129.95).
Price
In the U.S. the PlugBug 50 costs $69.99 and the PlugBug 120 is priced at $119.99, direct from Twelve South or via Amazon. See also the value-for-money Travel Set sold exclusively through the Apple Store.
In Canada the two models are priced C$99.99 and C$169.99. In the U.K. its £69.99 and £119.99. And in the E.U. it’s 79,99 and 139,99 Euros.
For more USB-C charging options check out our recommendations for the best iPhone chargers and best MacBook chargers.
Verdict
We thought we’d seen it all from the wide range of USB-C chargers but the powerful Twelve South PlugBug With Find Me is a great travel charger with a built-in locator to give you peace of mind that you should never lose your trusty charger again. It won’t stop you forgetting it and leaving it at home only to slam into your thoughts as your reach the airport or hotel, but at least you’ll know exactly where it is.
