Today we’re reviewing a gizmo designed to help frequently-flying adventurers: The Mu International Charger. Designed for travellers, the Mu International is a lightweight and portable plug adapter that’s ideal for backpacking across the world. But before we get into the review, let’s take a look at the specs.
Overview / Specs
If you’re backpacking across a continent, chances are you will have a lot of juice-hungry devices with you, which all require bulky chargers and adapters. Wouldn’t it be a lot simpler to have one gizmo that could power everything? That question is exactly what led us to the Mu International.
We went looking for a truly portable, multi-function, international device charger, and we found it. We wanted it to be able to charge phones, tablets, cameras etc. We also wanted (nay, demanded) that it be lightweight, and ideally foldable or collapsible. And while we started our search with UK plugs in mind (anyone who has ever dealt with one knows they are impossible to pack neatly), we also wanted whatever we bought to have international adaptability. The Mu International Charger delivers all this and does not disappoint.
Size and Weight
The Mu International is a laughably small 14 x 7.7 x 5.5cm when folded up with its UK adapter head. This is the largest configuration for the charger, which can be separated into pieces (more on that below). The phrase ‘small enough to fit in your pocket’ is bandied around all too often these days, but this thing really is.
It’s difficult to get an exact weight figure for the Mu – since there are 4 parts to it, it depends on what you include. The easiest headline figure to give is the full boxed product weight, which comes in at a mere 141 grams. Obviously if you leave an adapter head at home, or swap their included cable for a lighter one then it will come in at even less.
Design
The genius of the Mu Charger is in its design. They started out with a concept of making sticky-outy chargers foldable, so they would comprise a flat package. Next, they added swappable international heads to make it truly travel-friendly. Finally, they added smart-charging technology so that the Mu always knows exactly how much juice to give your device (up to 2.4A). Phones, for example, tend to need a lower charge amperage than larger devices such as tablets. Some electronics manufacturers even expressly warn about charging devices on the wrong amperage – but Mu have you covered.
Mu International Charger Review
We recently bought the US version of the Mu International in order to give it a spin. Knowing that we had a trip to the States coming up, but also wanting to have a pocket-friendly charger for domestic UK travel, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to put it through its paces. So after several weeks of using this thing, what’s the verdict? One word: Incredible. We love this thing.
I know it doesn’t sound like a big deal, but the sheer novelty of being able to neatly pack a UK plug for the first time ever was amazing. Gone was the perpetual ‘that will have to do’ mentality of seeing three visible prongs poking, almost ripping, out of an otherwise tidy laptop bag. Suddenly everything was neat, and flat.
The next thing we noticed? Just how easy it really is to take the Mu anywhere, even in your pocket. This has the strange knock-on effect that you actually use the damn thing, much more than you would a bigger and heftier charger. I have spent several weeks using it to charge both my phone and my laptop (or should I say MS Surface-wannabe tablet) and I can honestly say the convenience of it is a real breath of fresh air. It’s so easy to retrieve and set up that you actually want to keep your devices juiced, rather than grumpily digging through your bag because you’re on 3% battery and can’t put it off any longer.
Finally, a quick word on the Mu’s travel-friendliness. After using the Mu on a recent trip to the US, we can say with confidence that it works just as well with either adapter head, and changing them over is a breeze. You simply slide the first adapter head off (there is a diagram on the unit so you know which way to do it) and slide the other one on. All done.
Verdict
We usually like to try and keep things balanced in our reviews by offering up a few cons along with the pros. But with the Mu International Charger, that’s genuinely hard to do. Try as we might, we just couldn’t fault this thing. If you wanted to be super picky, you could say that maybe its plastic casing isn’t as strong as it could be. But its’s certainly not flimsy or poor quality.
Mu have done something that should have been done a long time ago – redesigned the humble plug, from the ground up, so that it’s fit for the 21st century. It’s small, portable, multi-function, and built with travel in mind. In short – go buy this thing. You won’t regret it.
Well, that’s all folks! Hope you enjoyed this Mu International Charger review. Stay tuned to our blog for more tips, tricks and gear reviews from the trail.
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*Disclaimer: Affiliate links are used in this review.