• 2 min read
One charger handled 7 weeks across Europe
A seven-week Europe trip turned into a case for USB-C everywhere: one power brick, one cable standard, and fewer proprietary chargers.
Image: Hacker News
A seven-week trip around Europe convinced one traveler that USB-C is still the closest thing consumer tech has to a universal charging standard. Writing on his blog, the author said he and his wife tried to travel relatively light despite carrying large backpacks, and he managed with a single universal power brick for all of his rechargeable gear.
The charger included a USB-C PD (Power Delivery) port for quickly charging his phone and laptop, plus two more USB-C ports for other devices. It also had two USB-A ports, though he said those were effectively redundant. A passthrough outlet helped when hotel sockets were already occupied by a TV, lamp, or coffee maker.
His argument is simple: USB-C chargers and cables are easy to replace almost anywhere, while proprietary chargers are not. As examples, he points to the difficulty of finding a replacement charger for a GameBoy Colour, a charging puck for last year’s Pixel watch, or a barrel jack for an HP laptop.
The gear he brought that needed charging was almost entirely USB-C-based:
- Pixel 8 Pro running GrapheneOS, which can also recharge other devices
- Chuwi MiniBook laptop
- A no-name eReader
- A cheap smartwatch with direct cable charging instead of a magnetic dongle
- An unbranded electric toothbrush with a protected USB port in the base
- PebbleBee “Find My” tracker
- A battery pack that both accepts and outputs PD charging
- Ear-cuff headphones, with USB-C on the case
- A bug bite zapper powered from the phone’s USB port
He says he probably could have managed with a single-port charger, since only the phone needed charging every night and most of the other devices could last days or weeks between top-ups. Some gadgets stayed home: a Nintendo Switch, USB-C-powered walkie-talkies, a USB-C to HDMI adapter, and a USB-C neck cooler. Instead, he bought a cheap USB-C rechargeable fan on the trip and skipped bringing a beard trimmer by visiting local barbers.
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The author acknowledges that USB-C still has problems, but says the tradeoff is worth it. With a USB-C cable tester, he can verify that his cables deliver enough power for his devices. His bottom line is blunt: there is “simply no point” in buying electrical gadgets that still rely on proprietary charging ports.
Computing Editor
Tomas lives in the terminal. He covers chips, laptops, and operating systems with a focus on performance and efficiency. He reads kernel changelogs the way other people read fiction, and he's always on the hunt for the perfect mechanical keyboard switch. If it processes data, Tomas has an opinion on it.
via Hacker News
