Tested: Twelve South’s new PlugBug charger – everything should have Apple Find My like this

Last week Twelve South unleashed what it called the “world’s firs power supply with Apple Find My” with the latest iteration of its PlugBug wall charger. I was already a fan of the now discontinued original PlugBug with its slender, hug-the-wall form-factor, so I was immediately knocking on Twelve South’s (virtual) door to get my hands-on the new Find My model, because Find My is cool and I wish everything I owned had it to be honest. Head below for our hands-in impressions of the new Twelve South PlugBug with Find My in the latest edition of Tested with 9to5Toys. 

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Hands-on impressions of the new Twelve South PlugBug charger with Find My

The new Twelve South PlugBug with Find My comes in two flavors, a 2-port 50W variant and the 120W model with 4 ports. Outside of that and the actual size, they are otherwise the same, but just so we are on the same page, I have only had a chance to test out the 50W model. 

• 2-port 50W PlugBug USB-C Wall Charger with Find My $69.99
• 4-port 120W PlugBug USB-C Wall Charger with Find My $119.99

It features dynamic wattage allocation via the multi-port setup – it will intelligently optimize power to any of the output ports depending now what you have plugged in – and you can get a more detailed breakdown of how that works (with pictures) on a technical level right here. 

Features at a glance

• 2-Port 50W or4-Port 120W Compact USB-C Charger
• Built-in Apple Find My technology to locate the charger if lost
• GaN-powered, ultra slim design for travel
• Smart power delivery fast charges multiple devices at once

9to5Toys’ Take

In many ways, if it wasn’t already obvious, the new PlugBug is just another charger. It’s a good one, but just another charger. It does, however, have some keys things going for it, not the least of which is the integration of onboard Apple Find My tracking. But first let’s talk about the physical design and the actual charging action. 

The design largely follows through with what we saw in the previous-generation PlugBug with the more vertically-oriented and slender design that allows the charger to sit right up against the outlet, be it one on the wall or something laying down flat. I certainly appreciate this form-factor when it comes to vertical wall outlets, they are much easier to tuck behind furniture and things of that nature.

This shape works just fine for outlets laying flat on a tabletop, like those you see in airports and the like, but they do a require a little bit more real estate than your average tiny block charger – you need to use the bottom outlet in a standard dual-outlet wall receptacle so as to not block and render the bottom one useless, and you’ll need enough clearance on flat outlet setups to accomodate the bottom half of the PlugBug. 

I haven’t personally run into any issues with the shape yet, but it is something to keep in mind. 

The stark white paint job and subtle Twelve South logo on the front is nice, I like this. The prongs on the back fold down for easy storage. I like this as well. There’s a giant strap of red paint adorning the back and sides of the charger. This I don’t like so much. I mean it’s just fine, and Twelve South says it did this so you can locate it easier in a sea of all-white chargers, which I get, but let’s just say it’s not for me. 

I showed the charger to a few friends and family members and more than a couple of them said things like, “is it red on the back?” and “I wish it wasn’t red.” But hey, some folks are going to appreciate the legibility so to speak and might even just like the way it looks. 

Around the back of the device, you’ll find a small compartment door to house the unit’s battery. This isn’t some kind of wall charger-meets-power bank though, this is where the small replaceable battery resides – it is, according to Twelve South, the same kind of thing that powers an AirTag and lasts for about a year. This battery is solely just for the Find My action to work, as the PlugBug does not need to be plugged into outlet for the item tracking to work because that would be terrible.

You need to replace this battery, and it might be nice if the charger featured wireless charging for the internal battery instead, but it’s not an entirely inelegant solution if you ask me. 

As far as the actual Find My integration goes, everything worked quite smoothly and immediately.

You simply hold the discreet button on the back of the unit for a few seconds while the Find My app on your phone is open, and it connects right up in seconds. Name the PlugBug, choose an icon, and you’re set. You can use the app to have the charger emit a chime for audible locating action and setup the usual notifications we see on just about every other third-party Find My gadget – notify me when left behind except at your selected locations. It all works flawlessly in my testing. 

In the end, it is just a charger and it’s going to cost you more than some other chargers do with these sorts of output options, features, and wattage. But it’s also a pretty cool one, the first one ever, according to Twelve South, to implement the Find My action, and one you’ll be happy you invested in when you realize you left your charger in the hotel room before even leaving the building (or when you’re rushing out of door frantically trying to find it).

Buy the Twelve South PlugBug with Find My

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