The Forbes Innovation channel is all about new technology, like AI breakthroughs and life-saving medical advances, but it also covers the little things; the incremental innovations that make our lives easier and even more pleasurable.
A case in point is the new Epicka 140W Touchscreen Smart Universal Travel Adapter. There are lots of these devices on the market and they appear quite similar. Most feature the familiar retractable power prongs for plugging into power outlets when traveling around the world, alongside USB DC power outputs with enough wattage to power and charge most laptops.
A travel adapter like this can replace a whole drawer full of individual power bricks for your phone, tablet, laptop, and earbuds. However, this version from Epicka has something unique: a vibrant color touchscreen display showing real-time power output from each charging port.
Color Touchscreen
While color touchscreens on power supplies aren’t entirely new, when the Epicka Pulse Duo 140W was previewed earlier this year at CES, it was the first universal travel adapter to incorporate such a feature. It’s now shipping in quantity.
Part of Epicka’s Pulse Duo series of GaN travel adapters, the 140W model features two major upgrades over the brand’s previous Pulse series. Most notably, the adapter now includes a dedicated Type-A power outlet for U.S. plugs on the side, allowing you to power other devices directly using simple pass-through power alongside the front universal AC outlet.
It’s important to note that the Pulse Duo 140W is not a voltage transformer; it passes through the power directly from the mains socket and won’t step it down to 110V if you’re in a country with a 220V power supply. As with most travel adapters, it isn’t designed for high-current heating appliances like curling irons or hair dryers.
Fast Charging For Phones
The DC side handles heavy-duty charging with its 140W total output, which is dynamically shared across the four USB ports. For example, you can comfortably run a 100W MacBook Pro while still leaving plenty of overhead to fast-charge an iPhone. The precise wattage draw for each port is displayed right on the color screen, which you can cycle through using a small tactile button situated just below the display.
At the rear, the extending and locking prongs cover US, UK, EU, and Australasian sockets. Epicka has also included a desktop stand and a US-style extension cable in the box. This lets you convert the adapter into a desktop charging hub when you aren’t flying, keeping the display visible right on your desk.
The Epicka 140W Touchscreen Smart Universal Travel Adapter takes an everyday travel necessity and upgrades it into a sophisticated power hub. Between its 140W GaN output, dual AC pass-through options, and the ability of seeing the exact power draws in real time, it eliminates guesswork on the road.
Pricing and Availability:
The Epicka Pulse Duo 140W Touchscreen Smart Universal Travel Adapter is available now from Amazon priced at $129.99.
Tech Specs:
- Max Power Output: 140W (Power Delivery 3.1).
- Port configuration 6-in-1: 3 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A, Universal AC Outlet, Side Type-A AC outlet.
- Retractable power prongs for 200+ countries (US, UK, EU, AU).
- Safety features: Dual 10A fuses (1 active, 1 spare), GaN technology, LED power indicator.
- Laptop support: Full ultra-fast charging for 16″ MacBook Pro (via MagSafe 3).
- Included accessories: Desktop stand and US-style extension cable.