Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- PCWorld highlights essential travel tech deals during Amazon Prime Day, featuring gadgets that enhance productivity and security for business travelers.
- Key recommendations include the Ugreen Nexode Pro charger at $59.98, MNN 15.6-inch portable monitor for $50, and Plugable power-only USB-C cable for secure public charging.
- These lightweight, versatile devices address common travel challenges like limited outlets, small laptop screens, and data security concerns at airports.
Productivity doesn’t just happen at home, but also on the road. Amazon Prime Day is a great opportunity to check off the tech equipment you need for your next vacation or work trip.
When you’re on the road, you don’t want to burden yourself with unnecessary, heavy gear. But tucking a few handy gadgets in your bag or suitcase can make the difference between delivering last-minute changes to a crucial presentation and being forced to wing it.
You might not need all of these…but Prime Day allows you to stock up if you want to.
Anker USB-C Hub with Ethernet: $34.18, 32% off
Anker
Why you should buy this deal: Anker offers a number of USB-C hubs, but I prefer this one because of its ability to feed a 4K, 60Hz monitor via its integrated HDMI port. Anker’s USB-C 555 hub also includes a 10Gbps USB-C port as well as a pair of USB-A ports for legacy devices. There’s also a microSD and SD card slot if you need it.
There’s a reason that this is my preferred USB-C hub. I’d say that it’s normally always in my bag, but I loaned it out and it hasn’t been returned. Maybe it’s time for a replacement…
MNN Portable 15.6-inch 1080p USB-C display: $49.99
MNN
Why you should buy this deal: A portable travel display is a bit of a luxury. However, I like to carry some form of additional display as an extra screen for my laptop. They’re so dang useful, either as a spot to “store” my email or calendar application, or as a reference screen to refer to as I’m writing a story.
What makes this deal so attractive is that there are literally hundreds of portable displays from which to choose. That puts pricing pressure on the vendors themselves, and gives you more flexibility in what you choose and the deals you turn to. I’d normally prefer a 4K or 1440p display, but $50 makes this MNN 1080p portable monitor a no-brainer. Our best Prime Day deals on monitors (including travel monitors) gives you even more options from which to choose.
Apple AirPods Pro 3: $179.00, 28% off
Eugen Wegmann
Why you should buy this deal: Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 are just above their all-time low price on Amazon, currently at $179.00. Obviously, active noise cancellation, as well as Apple’s other bonus features (heart rate monitoring, hearing health, translation) certainly help you to focus and get things done.
However, if you want something far cheaper (and based upon customer comments and a pair I’ve worn, quite good) consider the Anker Noise Cancelling Earbuds, 41% off for Prime Day and an absolute steal at just $23.69. I’m buying another pair of these.
Ugreen Finder Duo, 4 Pack: $28.49, 43% off
Ugreen / Amazon
Why you should buy this deal: My kids suffered through the green-bubble, blue-bubble nonsense during the pandemic, so I was forced to watch them suffer through the emotional isolation of being cut out of group chats during an especially vulnerable time. Eventually, I bought them used iPhones. I’m sticking with Android.
That means we’re a mixed ecosystem house, however, which is what these $28.49 uGreen wireless tracker tags support: this 4-pack of wireless tags can be programmed for either the Apple “Find My” or the Android location services. These luggage/wallet/phone trackers work wirelessly as well as with an audible alarm. A charge lasts all year.
Ugreen Nexode Pro Charger (160W): $49.99, 44% off
Ugreen
Why you should buy this deal: GaN chargers are small, compact little charging plugs that can power a variety of devices simultaneously, but many of them still lean hard into legacy USB-A devices. Here, three out of the four ports are USB-C, with the now-expected LCD screen detailing how much power is going where. There’s enough to power a single 100W laptop, but also (depending on the number of the devices and their power draw) enough juice to charge a phone and possibly a tablet, too.
The screen turns off after about five minutes, which makes it good for travel use. The ports are all on the bottom, which might mean that it will take a bit of doing to fit them in and remove the right ones. That’s an acceptable tradeoff for a compact little power adapter. Ugreen’s Nexode Pro charger manages to hit an all-time low for Prime Day, though it’s been priced at $68 for much of June.
Ugreen 25,000mAh 145W Portable Charger: $59.98, 45% off
Why you should buy this deal: USB-C power banks are a dime a dozen. A power bank with enough wattage to power your laptop is rarer. Ugreen’s 25,000mAh battery doesn’t quite reach the 100Wh limit that the FAA allows on aircraft, but it can discharge at up to 140W from one of its three ports (two USB-C, one USB-A) which is way more than enough to charge a laptop. Granted, it weighs just under a pound, which isn’t light. However, I like the relatively flat shape of this $59.98 Ugreen 145W charger, which fits more easily inside a bag.
Ugreen says that 25,000maH is enough to charge a MacBook Air 13-inch (or a similar laptop) from 0 to full about 1.3 times, or an iPhone 16 Pro 4.7 times. It also includes passthrough charging, so as you’re recharging the battery pack, any additional power will be used to charge a connected device.
GL.iNet GL-MT3000 Wi-Fi 6 Travel Router: $79.19, 20% off
Why you should buy this deal: This one’s a little iffy. A travel router makes sense if there’s a convenient Ethernet option available in your hotel room, and you (and your family) need to share it or a Wi-Fi connection. This tiny little router easily fits in a bag, along with international plugs. OpenVPN and WireGuard come preinstalled, making it simpler to tie into a VPN.
This can be handy in the case that your Internet access is limited, though a travel SIM or eSIM can solve this problem, too. If you do buy GL.iNet’s $79.19 travel router, though, I think it makes sense to buy this rather than the more expensive WiFi 7 version, though you might prefer the dedicated 6GHz channel for $103.99, or 20% off. The all-time low price for this router was about $70 in December.
Orico Travel Power Strip: $15.65, 29% off
Why you should buy this deal: One of the handiest gadgets in my suitcase is a travel power strip. This one manages to squeeze two three-pronged outlets and two two-pronged outlets, two USB-A ports, and a USB-C charging port inside Orico’s tiny little $15.65 power strip whose 4-foot cord wraps up tightly.
Can I say that I deliberately picked the lilac one? One of the problems that we deal with in tech is that everything is black. That’s a real pain to try and dig through in dim lighting. Anything with a little color gets a bump in my book — not for aesthetics, but for functionality.
CableMatters USB-C Monitor Cable, 6ft: $13.59, 20% off
Why you should buy this deal: Many “USB-C” cables can not be used for video, just “data” and charging. This $13.59 CableMatters cable supports up to 4K, 120Hz connections, more than you’ll need, as well as 240W charging. It should just work with anything you throw at it: charging, video to an external display, et cetera.
Honestly, it’s a few bucks more than competing cables, though the price difference shouldn’t be anything to worry about. This cable is at its low price for the year, though the retail price is just a few bucks more, at $16.99.
Plugable USB-C “Data Blocker” Cable, 6 feet: $14.95
Plugable / Amazon
Why you should buy this deal: I can’t recall anyone being “hacked” by a generic USB-C cable inside an airport, but there is a school of thought that connecting your phone to a random, third-party charger opens it up to being exploited. It’s all about peace of mind, especially in a random airport or Internet cafe. There’s literally no ability for this cable to transfer data at all, just power.
Plugable’s $15.95 cable isn’t on sale, but they’re a nice little addition to your bag. Just loop it up and stick it in a pocket for emergencies.