Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
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I'm currently in the final stages of putting my kit together for a 100km walk across northwestern Spain, and one thing that I'm definitely going to need is a universal charger (I live in the UK, so the sockets are different in Europe). I'll need something that'll handle charging my phone, power bank, headlamp, iPad, satellite messenger, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and other bits and pieces.
Also: I replaced my MacBook charger with this compact wall unit - and wish I'd done it sooner
It needs to be lightweight yet reliable, as I'll be carrying it with me to the albergue, café, train station, bus station, and airport.
Over the past few months, I've been testing (then subsequently using) the Baseus EnerCore CG11 6-in-1 universal travel adapter, and it's turned out to be the best-engineered travel adapter in the medium-sized category I've used so far.
On first blush -- and this is what fooled me initially -- the EnerCore CG11 looks like any other travel adapter I've used. It's a palm-sized cube measuring 3.3 x 2.2 x 2 inches and weighing around half a pound, with a few levers on the side and a variety of ports. It is compatible with pretty much every power outlet worldwide and every voltage and frequency you'll encounter. Whether you're in the US, Europe, Asia, or Australia, this unit has you covered.
The rating, 70W, is emblazoned on the front. That doesn't sound like a lot in the face of chargers that go to 140W and beyond, but it's fine for the majority of devices and will charge big devices like MacBook Pros that are normally connected to beefy chargers, albeit at a slower rate.
If you're lugging this around in a suitcase or backpack, ounces matter. They might not when you're sitting at home or in a coffee shop, but take it on the road and you'll quickly understand.
Given that the EnerCore CG11 uses the latest GaN transistors, which are more compact and power-efficient than older silicon semiconductors, you might wonder why the unit only produces 70W. Well, that's because the engineers left room for a USB-C cable.
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