If you travel regularly to different countries, then you know that an assortment of power adapters for each country you’ll be visiting is a necessary investment. Here to make worldwide charging of your MacBook and phone (or tablet) more simple is the Innergie PowerJoy 30C USB-C Wall Charger.
I was sent a pre-release Innergie PowerJoy 30C; it has both a USB-C and a USB-A port built in, and there are three interchangeable plugs included in the package which makes this kit work in over 150 different countries. The PowerJoy 30C features “instant detection of the type of devices attached and intelligent adjustment of power output to the optimal voltage/current levels.”
So let’s take a look. Inside the package are three plugs. The first is a triangular Type G plug that will work in the UK, Singapore, and Malaysia. Next is a Type C EU plug that will work in Europe, South America, Israel, and parts of Asia. The last is a Type A US plug that will work in America, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Thailand, and Taiwan.
I should mention that the Type A US plug does not allow you to rotate the prongs into a Type I (non-grounded) configuration so you can’t modify the plug to work in Australia or New Zealand, as you can with some other travel plugs. You can check and see if the country you’re planning on traveling to is compatible with this set by checking here.
The Innergie PowerJoy 30C measures a compact ~2.2″ tall and wide by ~1″ deep (not counting the plug). It is composed of shiny white plastic, and it feels pretty solid and durable. When you remove the rubber protector plug, you can see the pin and lock system used to attach to the included plugs.
On the front side, there are two slots; at the top is a Type-C USB port and under that is a Type-A port. While the charger has a max output of 30W, the Type-C port can give 3A at 5V, 9V, 12V, and 15V, and 1.5A at 20V DC. The Type-A port is rated at 5/V 2.4A. What does that mean? Innergie says that the Type-C port can charge your MacBook from 0 – 100% in 1.8 hours and your iPhone 7 Plus from 0-100% in 2.1 hours.
Attaching a plug to the charger is easy; you fit the desired plug on the chargers pin and lock system and then turn it 90º to lock it on.
This kit is pretty handy and complete, but I have to admit I was surprised that a little storage pouch wasn’t included to hold the spare plugs.
When in use, a blue LED will glow on the PowerJoy 30C charger.
If you are using a power strip and you need to take up less room, you can change the direction of the charger by rotating the interchangeable plug to save space.
I have a 13″ MacBook which happened to have a depleted battery, so I decided to put the Type-C charger to the test. I started charging at 3:57 …
At 5:27 pm (an hour and a half later), the laptop was at 75%, and the laptop was fully charged at 6:04 pm (two hours and 7 minutes). It’s possible that the charger might have been a little faster if I hadn’t kept awakening my laptop to check the current charge. 😛
If you have a newer MacBook Pro that uses Type C, then this charger will work with it, but it will also take (much) longer than it would with the Pro’s regular charger. Bear in mind that the 13″ Pro uses a 61W charger and the 15″ Pro uses an 87W charger; if you have the 29W MacBook, however, it’s great!
Another thing to consider is that if you are charging two devices at once, like the MacBook and an iPad Pro, it will likely slow down the MacBook’s charging; if you’re charging both devices overnight, it should work just fine, though.
There are built-in safety features:
• All of your devices are protected from over-current, over-voltage, over-temperature, over-power and short-circuiting, giving you stable power and peace of mind.
• An advanced chip enables automatic detection of connected devices, providing the maximum power output for the fastest possible charging.
I like that the Type-A port is 2.4A, so it can handle charging larger tablets like the iPad Pro with no problem and it will charge larger phones like the iPhone 7 Plus more quickly than with the stock charger.
I’ll be traveling to Israel and then Berlin in a couple of weeks, and this is the portable charger I’ll be bringing for my iPhone and MacBook. If you are looking for a travel charger that will work almost everywhere in the world, this could be the one for you!
The Innergie PowerJoy 30C USB-C Wall Charger with Travel Plugs will be available in mid-September for $44.99; you can sign up for updates from the manufacturer.
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample
What I Like: Compact design with three plugs that will work in over 150 countries; Type C charger that is powerful enough to charge a MacBook from 0 – 100% in two hours and seven minutes; 2.4A Type-A USB plug; Great for travel; Charger can be rotated to take up less room on plugs and power strips
What Needs Improvement: No storage pouch included for the extra plugs