At a glance
Expert rating
Benefits
- 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 ensure you never lose your trusty charger again.
Price when reviewed
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Best price today
Best Prices Today: Twelve South PlugBug with Find My
$69.99
We’ve reviewed plenty of USB-C chargers, from small ones you might lose in a pocket to giant desktop chargers with enough ports for every device you own. While we’ll never forget where the big desktop charger is, smaller, 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 from time to time or all too frequently in a large office or household setting.
That minute can stretch to the point where the next time you need to charge your phone or laptop, you suddenly discover that it’s not where it should be. Maybe your coworker or family member didn’t even ask you for it and just took it “for a minute.” “.
Unless you stick an AirTag on your charger, you have no choice but to look for power outlets at the office or at home. Or maybe you left it in a suitcase that went missing.
Prop maker Twelve South has a nifty product that could make that hunt even easier. Its PlugBug With Find My charger includes a locator. The locator is hidden in a rear compartment, so it looks better than a sleek charger with an AirTag attached.
It works like an AirTag, you set it up the same way and check it in the Items section of the Find My app. You can sound an alert and all other features available for items in the Find My app. Like the AirTag, it requires a replaceable battery (one is included) that is easy to replace when it runs out in a few years.
Not just a big AirTag
The PlugBug’s main purpose is to serve 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 PlugBug120 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 at 20W, or one at 50W, two at 20W and one at 25W. Three can be configured at 65/35/20 W and two at 70/30 W.
The charger dynamically senses and 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 and therefore particularly suitable for hotel rooms whose power sockets are placed in hard-to-reach places behind desks or bedside tables.
It features an attractive red section that makes it visually easy to spot, which can come in handy when trying to make it out in a busy coffee shop or airport.
Although the PlugBug is a more than capable home charger, it is especially useful when traveling. The American model has foldable pins for greater finesse when traveling.
The PlugBug 50 measures 3.3 x 1.9 x 0.9 inches (8.3 x 4.9 x 2.2 cm) and weighs 3.9 oz (110 g).
The PlugBug 120 measures 4.1 x 2.4 x 1.2 inches (10.4 x 6 x 3.1 cm) and weighs 8.8 oz (250 g).
Twelve South
The UK and EU versions come with plugs for both regions. The US model only has the North American folding pins. Apple sells an exclusive Twelve South PlugBug Travel Setwhich includes interchangeable international adapters for US, UK, EU, AU, KR and CN and a travel case, for 2 and 4 port models ($79.95 and $129.95).
Price
In the US, the PlugBug 50 costs $69.99 and the PlugBug 120 costs $119.99, direct from Twelve South or through Amazon. Also discover the good value for money Travel Set sold exclusively via the Apple Store.
In Canada, the two models cost CA$99.99 and CA$169.99. In the UK it’s £69.99 and £119.99. And in the EU it is 79.99 and 139.99 dollars.
For more USB-C charging options, check out our recommendations for the best iPhone chargers and the best MacBook chargers.
Verdict
We thought we’d seen it all with 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 ensure you never lose your trusty charger again. That won’t stop you from forgetting about it and leaving it at home only to come back to mind when you get to the airport or hotel, but at least you’ll know exactly where it is.
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