There was a time in my life I would have really appreciated OneAdaptr’s OneWorld PD. Starting in the late 1990s, I took a decade-plus detour in my writing career into new product development in the tech sector. This saw me travel to more than 70 different countries, and at times spend as much time out of the UK as in it.
Keeping all my gadgets powered and charged required quite a few power bricks and travel adapters. These days, things are very much easier – and the OneWorld PD is a big step closer to the perfect travel charger for all my iDevices …
On longer trips, I typically travel with around eight gadgets, depending on how you define the term:
- 15-inch MacBook Pro
- External SSD for backup
- iPad Pro
- Brydge keyboard
- iPhone X
- Apple Watch
- Headphones
- Sony a6300 camera
You can read the rationale for each in my What’s In My Bag piece. If it’s just a weekend away, I might drop the Mac and SSD, depending on how much photography/video shooting I expect to do. Either way, it’s quite a few things to keep charged.
On one trip to Cuba, I did find that the MacBook Pro itself makes an excellent charging station. But that still required me to take the Mac power brick.
OneAdaptr solved that problem with the EVRI, a very neat slimline unit with an 80-watt USB-C PD socket to power the Mac, and four USB-A Quick Charge ports for other devices. However, you still need an overseas adapter for the figure-of-8 cable.
OneAdaptr’s latest product, the OneWorld PD, provides an all-in-one solution. You get a travel adapter, a USB-C PD socket to power a Mac, and three USB-A sockets for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. So just add a cable for each device and you’re all set.
Look & feel
The OneWorld PD doesn’t look very different to the kind of basic universal travel adapter you can pick up in any airport. It’s white plastic with some light blue accents.
On the rear is a two-pin European socket for our EU friends. For those of us in other countries – including the USA – a slim adapter slots into that to allow any other plug to be connected.
On the side are three sliding buttons. Press one in and slide it along to reveal the appropriate prongs for the local sockets. These work in over 150 countries.
Underneath, you have the four USB sockets: one USB-C, three USB-A.
Finally, on the top, there’s a reset button for a built-in over-current protector, which cuts power to all connected devices in the event of an overload.
OneWorld PD specifications
Let’s start with the bad news. The USB-C port only supplies 18W, which is obviously a long way short of the 80-watt supply of the Evri, and the maximum 87 watts the MacBook Pro can draw.
However, in normal use, for about a dozen apps including Photoshop, it fully powers my 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar without any drama. This is something I’ve also found with USB-C power banks: devices that on paper are way too weak actually work fine for me in practice. Your mileage may vary, of course, depending on the apps you run.
Similarly, the USB-A sockets are only 2.4W ones. But again, for me, I’m able to fully recharge my 12.9-inch iPad Pro, iPhone X and Apple Watch Series 4 overnight.
So although the OneWorld PD doesn’t have the kind of output I’d ideally like, it does get the job done. Plus you get a 10A power socket for anything else you need to connect.
There’s one other important spec to mention. The OneWorld PD is the first product in the world to comply with BS8546, a British safety standard devised specifically for travel adapters. This certifies the quality of the materials, manufacturing, compatibility, markings, and performance.
In use
As mentioned above, I’ve had no problems using it in the day to power my maxed-out 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, and to fully recharge my 12.9-inch iPad Pro, iPhone X, and Apple Watch Series 4 overnight.
As an all-in one device, it’s not much bulkier than a traditional universal power adapter, and when you consider this replaces all your iDevice chargers except the Apple Watch puck, it’s a really compact solution.
My only complaint is those USB-A sockets. While some may welcome them, I personally made the switch to all USB-C cables when I got my MacBook Pro. So for me, I’d prefer to simply have four USB-C sockets.
Price and conclusions
The OneWorld PD costs a penny shy of $50. When you consider you’re replacing a standard travel adapter, a Mac power brick, iPad charger, and an iPhone charger, I’d say that’s an excellent deal.
Although it has worked fine for my use, I would prefer the peace of mind of higher power output. Faster charging of the iPad would be nice, and I’d like to know my Mac will be fine no matter what it’s running. And, as mentioned, I’d prefer four USB-C sockets.
But, as I say, it gets the job done, and is a really neat all-in one travel solution. Suffice it to say this now goes with me on every trip.
The OneWorld PD is available from OneAdaptr’s website for $49.99.
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