The slew of port and plug options is great, and the built-in display is just as useful.

I never realized the importance of having a universal charger until I traveled to Berlin a few months ago. It was a last-minute work trip, so I packed lightly, stashed my go-to portable charger — with its flip-out plug — and flew out not knowing what struggles lay ahead.

I had it all mapped out. I’d top up my phone, laptop, earbuds and cameras at the hotel each night, go out for a döner and be ready to tackle all my work the next day. But my lack of an international plug adapter — specifically, US to EU — meant that I’d have to deal with a series of physical, technical and safety obstacles first.

Had I discovered the Anker Universal Charger sooner, I wouldn’t have gone through the ordeal of finding an electronics store open late on a Sunday. That’s because the latest product from the mobile accessory brand takes a kitchen sink approach to charging — whether you need its more excessive features or not.

I’ve been testing the $80 Anker Universal Charger, both for general use in the States and abroad, and it’s more practical than I thought. Here’s why it’ll stay in my bag going into the holiday travel season.

The Anker Universal Charger is two things: an international plug adapter and a multiport charger. It has slide-out Type A, Type C and Type G prongs that lock each other whenever one is active.

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