Right, let’s get into it. You’re at the airport, you’ve realized you’ve forgotten your noise-cancelling headphones, and more importantly, you’ve realized that the tiny, two-pronged wall socket in your hotel room in Madrid is going to look at your chunky UK three-pin plug like it’s an alien artifact.
Welcome to the glamorous world of travel adapters.
We’ve all been there—standing in a Duty-Free shop, staring at a wall of plastic cubes that all promise to “save your holiday,” while a frantic businessman behind you tries to buy the last neck pillow. Today, we’re looking at the TESSAN Universal Travel Adapter. Specifically, the one with the 65W GaN (Gallium Nitride, for those who like to sound smart at parties) internals. Is it the Swiss Army Knife of chargers, or is it just another bit of plastic destined for the “drawer of forgotten cables”?
The “Oh No, It’s a Cube” Aesthetic
First off, let’s talk about the design. It’s a cube. A grey and white, slightly chunky, but surprisingly light cube. If you’re used to those old-school adapters that look like they were designed in the 80s and weigh as much as a small brick, this is a breath of fresh air.
At “Coolsmartphone Towers,” we’ve seen some monstrosities in our time, but TESSAN has actually done a decent job here. It’s got that sliding-switch system on the side that feels like you’re arming a small explosive device—one slide for the US/Australia, one for the UK, and one for the EU. It’s satisfying in a “I’m a global jet-setter” kind of way, even if you’re actually just going to a rainy B&B in Belgium.
The Good Stuff (The “Proper-Like” Bits)
The headline feature here is the 65W GaN charging. If you haven’t been keeping up with your tech buzzwords, GaN is basically magic. It allows chargers to be smaller and run cooler while pumping out way more power.
I plugged my MacBook Air, an iPhone 15 Pro, and a pair of grubby earbuds into this thing simultaneously. Usually, this is where a cheap adapter starts to smell like burning toast, but the TESSAN just hummed along. It’s got two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, plus the main AC socket on the front.
The Wins:
- One Plug to Rule Them All: You can actually leave your laptop brick at home. That alone is worth the price of admission.
- The “Spare Fuse” Life-Saver: TESSAN has tucked a spare 10A fuse inside the unit. If you’re in a hotel with dodgy wiring and you blow a fuse at 2 AM, you aren’t stranded. It’s a small detail, but it’s the difference between a working phone and a very expensive paperweight.
- Global Reach: It covers 224 countries. Unless you’re planning a holiday to a very specific part of rural India or South Africa (where it doesn’t quite fit), you’re golden.
The Bad Stuff (The “Grubby Mitts” Reality)
It’s not all sunshine and sangria, though. There are a few niggles that might make you pull a face.
- The “Voltage Trap”: This is a big one. This is not a voltage converter. If you plug your hair dryer (which is built for 240V) into a 110V socket in New York using this adapter, you’re going to have a very bad time. TESSAN puts this in the manual, but let’s be honest, who reads those?
- The “Chunky Boy” Problem: Because it’s a universal design, it sticks out of the wall quite a bit. If your hotel has sockets tucked behind a desk or a bedframe, you’re going to be playing a very frustrating game of Tetris to get it to stay in.
- Sliding Tension: After a week of heavy use, the UK pins felt a little less “snappy” than they did on day one. It didn’t break, but I do wonder how those plastic sliders will hold up after three years of being tossed into a backpack.
Value for Money
At around £35-£40 (though you can often find it on Amazon for less if you’re savvy), it’s not the cheapest adapter on the market. You can buy a “dumb” adapter for a fiver at the airport.
But—and it’s a big but—if you consider that this replaces a 65W laptop charger, two phone bricks, and a multi-plug, it’s actually a bargain. It’s about the price of a decent steak dinner, and it’ll last significantly longer (hopefully).
Build Quality
It feels solid. It doesn’t have that “hollow plastic” rattle that makes you worry about house fires. The flame-retardant material gives you a bit of peace of mind when you’re leaving your gear to charge overnight in a hotel room that looks like it hasn’t been decorated since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The Verdict
Is the TESSAN Universal Travel Adapter perfect? No. It’s a bit bulky, and you still have to be careful with high-power appliances.
However, for the modern geek—the person carrying a laptop, a tablet, a phone, and some wireless buds—it is a godsend. It’s honest, it’s functional, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s the kind of tech that gets out of the way and lets you enjoy your holiday, available from Amazon
Score: 4/5 – Highly Recommended for anyone who doesn’t want to carry a suitcase full of cables.