There are multi-head solutions . But personally I carry the two separate cables myself (I don't carry Apple products with me at the moment). Part of the reason is that you aren't completely screwed if the cable breaks. Also you can charge multiple devices at the same time.

As to why the charging cables charge slowly, it's usually a missing wire in the cable ("charging cables" often don't have all the wires required). It is used by data transfer cables for some reason (I don't remember why) but it also needed to detect if you can fast charge. With USB-C I think it's still there as I have USB-C cables rated for USB 2.0 speeds only (didn't see the spec until after I got it).

As StuckInYYZ mentioned, native USB-C cables have a number of wires within: each USB-C port has 24 pins on it, though the cable may not use all of them - e.g. USB 2.0 + USB-C cables will normally have only ~6 wires inside (the other wires are indeed for USB 3.x+ speeds)

However, older USB ports & cables (USB A, USB micro B, etc) only have 4 wires within them. The additional 2 wires in native USB 2.0+ USB-C cables are used to negotiate the charging voltage. Without negotiation, charging will be stuck at 5V, which is what happens to any cable with an older USB male connector on it plugged into an adapter on either end (e.g an adapter for or for ). The 3-in-1 cables are just that, older cables with 2 female USB mini to USB-C / Lightning adapters permanently attached so they don�t get lost - they can only charge at 5V.

Another reason that charging may be slow is that the cable may not be able to handle 3A charging now the minimum standard for USB-C (but which can go to 5A). If an older USB-C cable, it might only be able to push 1.1A, which means charging is limited to 5.5W (@5V).

Finally, the device itself may not be able to charge faster: older iPhones could only pull 10W, though that is now 18W (9V*3A) for newer phones, same with iPads (and iPad Pros will apparently charge at >30W).

Note, however: as you use a USB-A to Lightning cable, you iPhone is limited to ~12W max charging. A USB-C to lightning cable will move that to 18W max ([EDIT] oops, or 27W for the 13 Pro Max). You can see the practical speed difference in the first image in this article here: https://www.macrumors.com/guide/ipho...eeds-compared/
(To be clear, to preserve battery health, most devices charge at their highest capability when the battery is near empty, but slow as it gets 50%-80% full.)

One other option is to buy a USB-C battery pack. Depending on what you�re looking for, there are some out there - I picked up one of NiteCore�s NB series. You could then drop your USB micro cord. You�re stuck with the Lightning cord for iPhone, however; thank Apple for that.

(And I guess you�re planning on using the Razer for laptop charging as well? Else, it�s massive overkill for your current travel tech: iPad Pro�s max ~36W + the iPhone�s ~12W + battery likely similar.

Also, Thunderbolt charging = USB-PD. TB3/TB4 cables are more likely to support 5A charging, though USB-only cables can offer 5A too. In either case, your iPad Pro will max out its charging speed on a 3A cable.)

I just looked up the Razer 130w referred to above and whilst it�s twice as powerful as my current 65w GaN 4 port charger it�s also 4.5x the price . I�m not averse to frittering money away on tech, but even I draw the line at $180.

Y'all here are pretty tech savvy!

Generally, I'm one of those when it comes to tech & cyber security, paranoid by nature always defaulting to the "out of abundance of caution" stance. Is it just an urban myth that charging my devices through public ports with the old USB has a risk, however minor, of having the data unwittingly transferred? And, assuming one day we'll public Thunderbolt ports, will this risk be eliminated?

Thanks!

Yes, there is a risk, though normally not considered to be significant. (Note: TB doesn�t do anything, may actually make it worse.) This article explains it pretty sufficiently, including the end comment:
https://www.zdnet.com/google-amp/art...ging-stations/

Essentially, 2 main types I am aware of:
1. USB Killer devices can �surge� electricity and short your devices USB port, if not damage your device (laptop, phone, etc). Some devices can build in extra protection, such as fuses.
2. A USB micro-computer / device disguised as a simple USB charger/ charging port./ cable. If an unsuspecting party plugs their device in, it tries to access the device using known vulnerabilities. If data access is obtained to your device, then good luck.

Having said that, risk of actually having this happen is minimal, especially as both Apple & Android phones have �trust this data connection� pop ups now which users have to approve. But then again, computers will just directly access any old USB device when plugged in, no?

Still, it�s seen as low risk because it�s not thought to happen too often.

But for peace of mind, I still don�t plug into public USB ports, just carry my own AC-USB adapter or battery pack.

(AC plugs could theoretically damage the charger and a connected device with a large enough power surge and insufficient protection� but that is more likely to just occur due to the bad power socket / wiring / grid.)

Gotta love "juice jacking". Crackjack has excellently described it and issues. USB killer devices tend to be rare as there is no advantage to burning out most devices in most scenarios. Those would likely be more for intelligence gathering application (eg you've heard stories of the military destroying any information containing devices on a vessel if they're going to lose control of it). Not sure how realistic that is but it's possible.

Now hijacking a device is much more likely. In most cases, saying no to any requests to connect will suffice, but as we've seen with the Pegasus malware, it isn't always the case. As Crackjack has mentioned, best to carry your own AC charger or power bank (or both). If you're going to insist on connecting to unknown connections, use a (aka USB condom). That said, if you're really paranoid about this, there are always things you can do like shutting off wifi when you leave your home/office or only using your own gear to power up your device.

Thanks guys! I'm just going to continue my practice of carrying a portable battery/charger. I'm always on the lookout for newer higher voltage ones that are also very thin & light.

I actually do this, and rely on my cell's LTE/5G whenever possible. Of course, during the times when I must resort to public wifi--hotel or otherwise--I always use a VPN. Since I'm at, another question, if may? With wifi off and using only my cell's LTE/5G, is enabling VPN helpful or redundant?

Higher voltage as in you mean charge faster or higher capacity? Higher capacity and "thin and light" are *usually* two opposing concepts. That said, higher capacity isn't always better. As I've mentioned before, when I travel, I usually have two ~10k mah power banks rather than one 20k. The reason being, the 20k can take an incredible amount of time to charge (this may have changed in the last few years, but these are the banks I'm currently using). It's easier to have one bank charging and one in use as the charging one has more time to top up. If I were to use a 20k, it would never be full (assuming I drained it enough) for most of the day.

I do have a 20k which I keep at home, mainly for extended power failures and to power "other" devices.

At home, I leave my phone on wifi while I sleep as some of my apps back themselves up and it lessens the data usage. But when I wake up, I usually go onto LTE to cut power usage. I've heard 5G consumes more power (heard, haven't read studies on this topic yet)... but if 5G is just as hungry as wifi, then I'll likely stay on wifi when at home.

In general, it depends on what you are using your VPN for. It doesn't hurt (although the power hit might not be worth it), but realistically it is just a shift of who knows what about you (and if the VPN really doesn't log your information). Whether it is the VPN or your cell phone provider, someone knows at least something about you. I don't do anything really important on my phone to have it engaged (no banking apps or any sensitive information on my phone in general). About the only reason I would have it on (day to day) would be to prevent IP based tracking apps (as compared to "location-based tracking") from knowing where I am.

Keep in mind, in general, you're also taking a performance hit when on VPN...

Higher voltage, and I think anything in the ballpark of ~10k mah will more than suffice. What I've noticed is that with the new laptops being able to charge via Thunderbolt, I find the concept of ditching spare batteries very appealing; so, mostly looking for a charger that can power up my laptops.

Got it. This is very helpful. Sometimes, I have sensitive financial portals, apps and websites that I must access for long periods of time when away from home and office. While I couldn't care less who knew I'm on those sites, my concern is if any of the information or access becomes compromised, I'd have a problem on my hands. Oh, and, many years ago our IT person observed that I seemed to be on espn.com more than any other website, which caused a chuckle with those in the room. So, all things being equal, while I never go anywhere exotic, I'm one of those stubborn Americans who are zealous about his privacy,

So then it will depend on your laptop. Not all laptops support it (they need a USB-C connector and likely support Power Delivery (PD) and if you're looking to reduce the weight, then look for the GAN models. Most laptops that support power delivery would be either PD60/65 or PD90/100. Gaming laptops (those that have GTX/RTX/Radeon discrete video cards) will not be supported as they consume a lot more power. But if you're using an M1 MacBook (for example) or a Windows/Linux Ultrabook, you might be in luck.

For lightweight batteries, look at the NiteCore NB10000 (150g) or NB20000 (325g).

• The NB10000 is the lightest 10000mAh pack you will likely find (but will not charge those laptop needing 20V USB PD charging).
• The NB20000 is not the ultimate lightweight battery, but makes up for it with 20V output, which would allow charging all* laptops with USB PD capabilities.

* Note: The updated USB PD 3.1 standard allows for 28V, 36V and 48V charging as well now. Hopefully laptops supporting this new PD revision will continue to accept 20V in addition to one or more of the higher voltages.

For travel (airplane) chargers for my laptop, I like to get the Apple ones because they have a replaceable 2-prong plug that lets me plug in a longer three-prong cord that sits in the aircraft power outlets a lot better since they're worn (and because most USB-C laptop chargers are heavier than your typical phone brick). The one that my laptop uses is 96W and that trips the breaker every time. I got a 67W charger for about $50, and will use that on aircraft. It will still charge my laptop, just at a slower rate. I can charge my phone off my laptop, or off the charger itself since everything in my bag is USB-C PD capable at this point.

Oh?! Had no idea, and I've got to look into this asap.

Most Apple laptop chargers are heavier than your typical phone brick because they are still using technology that is 10 years old, and charging you more for it.

There's another thread for this issue... Lots of solutions. But basically if you have a UK (or was it european.... the three-prong rectangular plug) it should work.