Updated

Updated · Forbes · Aug 9

Epicka Ships $129.99 140W Travel Adapter With Touchscreen and Dual AC Pass-Through

Updated

Updated · Forbes · Aug 9

Epicka Ships $129.99 140W Travel Adapter With Touchscreen and Dual AC Pass-Through

Q: Could a travel adapter's flashy new touchscreen actually drain the very power it's supposed to supply to your laptop?

Yes, but only marginally. A small color touchscreen does consume some power, yet in a 140W GaN travel adapter that draw is likely tiny compared with what a laptop needs. In practical terms, a display like this probably uses well under a few watts, while a 16-inch laptop can demand 60W, 100W or, in some cases, the full 140W supported by USB Power Delivery 3.1. That means the screen is unlikely to be the reason a properly matched laptop charges slowly or loses battery. The larger issue is the overall power budget: if several devices are plugged in at once, the adapter’s 140W total has to be shared across ports. That is the same reason laptops can drain on underpowered USB-C monitors or docks. If the charger, cable or device negotiation tops out below the laptop’s real demand under load, the battery may still drop even though it is “charging.” The touchscreen’s own consumption would be a rounding error compared with that kind of shortfall. There is also some efficiency loss inside any charger, touchscreen or not. GaN designs are generally more efficient and smaller than older silicon chargers, but no charger delivers 100% of wall power to devices. So the flashy screen does take a little energy, but not enough to meaningfully “steal” power from a laptop in normal use. If users see battery drain, the more likely causes are multi-device sharing, cable limits, or a laptop whose peak demand exceeds the negotiated output on its port.

2 articles · Updated · Forbes · Aug 9

Amazon now lists Epicka’s Pulse Duo 140W touchscreen travel adapter at $129.99, marking the commercial rollout of a model first previewed at CES earlier this year.
140W of GaN charging is shared across 3 USB-C and 1 USB-A ports, while a color display shows real-time wattage by port so users can monitor loads such as a 100W MacBook Pro plus a fast-charging iPhone.
A side Type-A AC outlet joins the front universal AC socket, giving the adapter two pass-through power options alongside retractable prongs for US, UK, EU and Australasian outlets covering 200-plus countries.
The unit is a travel adapter, not a voltage transformer, so it passes through local mains power and is not meant for high-current heating devices like hair dryers.
Epicka also bundles a desktop stand and US-style extension cable, positioning the adapter as both a travel essential and a desk charging hub.