I do a lot of traveling in my life. Not just holidays, but also press trips as part of my job, and since 2016, I've also been doing house swaps around the world, from Guatemala to Australia. So I've spent a lot of time messing about with travel adapters and I have to be honest, most of the cheaper ones suck.
They're not compatible with enough countries and regions, they only let you connect one or two devices at once, the plugs tend to stick and need a lot of fiddling to release, or worst of all, they don't stay in the socket long and keep falling on the floor. Which, when you're in an unfamiliar place late at night, jet-lagged to the extreme, it can be extremely frustrating.
So I was keen to try out the Ceptics 70W World International Travel Plug Adapter, which costs a little more but presents itself as a comprehensive solution, catering to the diverse needs of modern nomads like me.
Would this adapter live up to its promises and save me from juggling multiple chargers and adapters while on the road? Over the last few months, I've taken it to three countries around the world, as well as using it at home in the UK (with devices that have American and European plugs), to find out.
Ceptics 70W World Travel Plug Adapter: Specifications
Ceptics 70W World Travel Plug Adapter: Price and availability
Available on Amazon at $39.99, the Ceptics 70W World Travel Adapter isn't the cheapest on the market, but I'd argue it offers excellent value considering its versatility and charging capabilities. It's certainly cheaper than purchasing multiple single-country adapters, after all.
Ceptics 70W World Travel Plug Adapter: Build and handling
The adapter features a sleek, rectangular, black design that's made attractive by its bold blue outlining. It's plastic without feeling "plasticky": instead this looks and feels like a high-quality, well-made product. The design strikes a good balance between being lightweight (just over 6oz) yet durable enough for being thrown in and out of cases during travel.
It's very smooth and easy to use, too. On the left-hand side, there's a sliding mechanism that reveals the desired plug type (EU, UK, or USA/AUS). On the right-hand side, there's a button that you press that allows you to manually extract or retract the plug. The sliding mechanism for changing plug types is smooth and intuitive, making it easy to switch between regions without fiddling with removable parts.
Unless the button is pressed the plug will lock in place, which makes it very stable in use compared to cheaper adapters I've tried, which tend to slip out of a plug socket at the slightest vibration. In contrast, this adapter feels sturdy and secure when plugged in, even with heavier devices such as laptops attached.
I tried plugs from a range of countries and they fitted in the slots without any need for jostling or fiddling. On one side, you'll find two USB-A ports and three USB-C ports, allowing you to charge up to six devices simultaneously. In my tests, everything worked as it should and overall, this adapter looks great and is a joy to use.
Ceptics 70W World Travel Plug Adapter: Performance
It doesn't matter how easy an adapter is to use, of course, if it doesn't deliver reliable and fast charging. After all, when you're traveling you often don't get a lot of time in your hotel room, and the power normally gets turned off when you don't have your door key in the key card slot. So every second counts and you want to be able to power up your devices as quickly as possible.
In my tests, the Ceptics 70W World Travel Adapter delivered reliable and fast charging across various devices. The inclusion of Power Delivery and Quick Charge 3.0 technologies speeded things up further on compatible devices I plugged in, such as my Dell XPS 13 laptop and a Samsung Galaxy S8.
That said, it's not just about charging speeds. The main thing that typically holds you up is having to charge all your devices one at a time. And you certainly wouldn't want to clutter up your suitcase with six individual adapters. Especially as, in my experience, there are rarely more than one or two free sockets in a hotel room anyway, especially if you want to watch TV and make cups of tea.
So the main speed boost most people will get from the Ceptics 70W World Travel Adapter is the ability to charge multiple gadgets concurrently, including laptops, smartphones, tablets, and cameras, without the need for additional adapters.
This, again, worked well in practice for me, and there was plenty of space to connect leads to each of the six slots without anything getting in the way of each other. That meant that even if I just had an hour a day in my room (which on press trips is fairly standard) it was enough to top up everything I needed: phone, tablet, laptop, and power bank specifically.
Ceptics 70W World Travel Plug Adapter: Verdict
I really love this adapter. While plastic, its compact and lightweight design is very travel-friendly, and has a nice-looking color scheme. It's super-flexible for traveling, including multiple plug types, fast charging, and simultaneous device charging. In use, I've found it offers reliable and fast charging across various devices, and – most importantly for my frazzled nerves – never fell out of the socket or otherwise disrupted the flow of charge.
All in all, while not the cheapest, this adapter offers excellent value given its versatility and charging capabilities, making it a worthwhile investment for frequent travelers. It may be overkill, though, if you primarily travel within a single region, or only have one or two devices you usually need to charge.
