The best USB sockets, compared.
Top pick: BG 12 W USB-A square Best value: BG 15 W round, A+A+C – The same 15 W port mix at about £12.99, £3 less than the square plate, with 4.6 from 378 ratings. Updated October 2026.
A USB socket here is a fixed UK 13 A double socket-outlet with charging ports on the same faceplate. It is the wall plate, not a plug-in charger and not an extension lead. You fit one so a phone or tablet can charge at the bedside, on a kitchen worktop, or at a desk without a plug brick covering a BS 1363 outlet. The stated USB watts are usually a shared total. Current phones want USB-C, and only one listing prints BS 1363. The 3120 W figure is 13 A at 240 V, the mains rating, not the charge. The 12 W and 30 W bullets say a 25 mm minimum box, and a box that already holds a ring can still be tight. Scores use stars, USB-C, review volume, and limits from review texts. A related comparison is [wall socket or plug adapter guide](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/blog/usb-wall-socket-or-plug-adapter).
A USB socket here is a fixed UK 13 A double socket-outlet with charging ports on the same faceplate. It is the wall plate, not a plug-in charger and not an extension lead.
15 products checked · 62 hrs invested · +16,800 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Which ports do you need?
The British General 922UAA12-01 is a white Nexus 900 square double switched socket with two USB-A ports and a stated 12 W charge, listed at £8.86. It has 4.7 from 343 amazon.co.uk ratings, and in 50 review texts the plastic and the finished look are the usual praise. Reviewers call the moulding sturdier than brittle no-name plates and say the screw caps leave a tidy face. The repeated limit is the charge: people who left two recent phones on overnight still found them low, and some describe the USB share as about 2.4 A rather than two full ports. There is no USB-C port and no PD or QC line, and this listing does not print BS 1363, though a bullet does say it fits a 25 mm mounting box. The 3120 W attribute is 13 A at 240 V, not the USB output, and the 10-year bullet is not evidence that the USB module lasts ten years. In those 50 texts there was no repeated pattern of heat or a dead port.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A single USB-A phone at a bedside or hallway socket, if one device at a time is enough.
Less suitable: Two recent phones overnight, any USB-C device, or a laptop.
Specifications
Common questions
Does it have a USB-C port?
No. The title and the bullet say two Type A USB ports at 12 W.
What back box does the listing ask for?
A bullet says it fits a 25 mm mounting box. There is no IP rating.
Does the listing name BS 1363?
No. This listing does not print a BS 1363 line.
The British General 922UAAC15-01 is a white Nexus 900 square-edge double switched socket with two USB-A ports, one USB-C port and a stated 15 W charge, at £15.99. It has the largest review line in this set, 4.6 from 777 amazon.co.uk ratings, and in 50 texts the usual story is a straight swap that takes a plug brick off a kitchen or bedroom socket. Several reviewers call phone charging good or fast, and more than one notes that screws and covers were in the pack. A laptop on the USB-C port is a different result: one reviewer said it took an age and would not reach a full charge, which fits a 15 W shared figure with no PD line. One faceplate cracked when it was tightened by hand on plastic dado trunking, and one line mentions early USB failure without a timescale. The listing prints no box depth and no BS 1363 line, the weight attribute says 70 g beside sister plates at 178–200 g, and the plug-type field says a North American 2-pin plug. The page asks about bathrooms and does not answer, and there is no IP rating.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A phone or tablet spot where you want USB-C and the largest review sample in this set.
Less suitable: Laptop charging, a shallow or crowded box, or a bathroom.
Specifications
Common questions
Can it be used in a bathroom?
The page asks. The bullets do not answer, and there is no IP rating.
Will the USB-C port charge a laptop?
The attribute list includes laptops. A reviewer said a laptop on USB-C took an age and would not fully charge. The USB figure is 15 W.
Does the listing name BS 1363?
No. The plug-type attribute says a North American 2-pin plug, which conflicts with the UK wall-socket title.
The British General 822UAAC15-01 is a white Nexus 800 round-edge double switched socket with two USB-A ports, one USB-C port and a stated 15 W charge, at £12.99. It has 4.6 from 378 amazon.co.uk ratings. In 50 review texts, fitters describe a straightforward swap, including people who photographed the old connections first, and several call the extra USB outlet useful beside the two 13 A sockets. Phone charging is described as fast enough by reviewers who wanted the plug brick off the wall. One clear report says the plate started to hum after a few months and went quiet only when a USB device was plugged in. The listing states no box depth and no BS 1363 line, one bullet says square corners while the title says round edge, and the plug-type attribute says a North American 2-pin plug, which does not match a UK wall socket. There is no PD or QC line, so read 15 W as a shared total, and no heat or cracked-plate report appeared in the 50 texts read for this ASIN.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A daily phone spot if you want one USB-C port and would rather pay £12.99 than £15.99.
Less suitable: A laptop, a box you have not measured, or a listing that must print BS 1363.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the plate round or square?
The title says round edge, Nexus 800. One bullet says square corners and a later bullet says round edge.
Does the page say it has a child lock?
The page asks the question. The bullets do not answer it.
Does the listing name a minimum box depth?
No depth is stated. There is also no BS 1363 line.
The British General 822UACC30-01 is the only plate in this set with two USB-C ports, one USB-A port, a stated 30 W output and a PD and QC claim, at £20. It is also the only listing that prints Specification Met: BS 1363, and a bullet states a 25 mm minimum box. Stars are 4.5 from 209 amazon.co.uk ratings. In 50 texts, kitchens and bedrooms come up often, and one Motorola owner reported TurboPower-style phone charging. The same sample includes harder failures: one of two plates lost a USB-C port after about six months while the other ran extremely hot and the faceplate cracked, and another buyer said the USB-C ports stopped after about a month. A reviewer found the USB-A port did not move an iPhone in about ten minutes while USB-C did, two USB-C devices at once charged more slowly than one, and a Nikon ZF battery would not charge. The back of the module is described as crowded in dot-and-dab and plaster-filled boxes, and the “50% in 30 minutes” line is BG’s claim rather than a result from this comparison.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A phone-heavy spot if you want two USB-C ports and a BS 1363 line, and you have measured the box.
Less suitable: A laptop charger, a shallow box, or anyone who wants a cleaner failure record in these reviews.
Specifications
Common questions
Can it be used outdoors?
The page asks. The bullets do not answer, and there is no IP rating.
Is 30 W for each USB port?
The listing states 30 W and PD and QC. A reviewer said two USB-C devices at once charge more slowly than one.
What box depth does BG state?
A bullet says a minimum mounting box depth of 25 mm. Reviewers still describe a tight fit in a full box.
For this comparison we scored four amazon.co.uk USB-socket listings on 16 October 2026. Fifty review texts were read for each ASIN. The score starts from the star average times 18, then adds USB-C, review volume, and a combined PD, QC, and BS 1363 credit, then subtracts limits found in those texts. Price is not inside the score. It is used only for the best-value badge. This is not a laboratory test, and no USB watts were measured.
Amazon star rating
70%The base is the nearest integer of the amazon.co.uk star average times 18. A 4.7 becomes 85, a 4.6 becomes 83, and a 4.5 becomes 81.
USB-C port
12%A listing with at least one USB-C port gains 8 points. The 12 W plate, which is USB-A only, scores 0 on this part.
Review volume
8%700 or more ratings add 4 points, 300 to 699 add 2, and fewer than 300 add 0. The count is the amazon.co.uk rating line, not a sampled failure rate.
Named fast charge and BS 1363
5%4 points only when that listing prints both PD and QC and Specification Met: BS 1363. Only the 30 W plate scores this. The line is not copied onto the other three.
Limits in the review texts
5%Deductions come from the 50 texts read for each ASIN. They cover the overnight shortfall, a hum, a laptop that would not finish, a cracked plate, heat, and USB-C ports that stopped within months.
These four plates are switched white 13 A doubles with USB on the face. The split is ports, shared watts, whether that listing prints BS 1363, and whether the box will close. Price decides the best-value badge. It does not decide the score.
A USB socket here is a fixed UK double 13 A socket-outlet with USB charging ports on the same white faceplate. You buy it so a phone or tablet can charge at the bedside, on a kitchen worktop, or at a desk without a plug brick sitting over a mains outlet. It is not a plug-in charger, not a 12 V campervan panel, and not an extension lead. All four plates in this set are switched 2-gang white plastic, 14.6 cm by 8.6 cm, made in China, with a socket as the stated box contents.
3120 W on these listings is 13 A at 240 V, the mains attribute. The charging figures are 12 W, 15 W, or 30 W. A 10-year bullet is not the life of the USB module.
12 W, 15 W, and 30 W are shared totals unless the maker says otherwise. Two phones overnight on the 12 W plate are the repeated shortfall. Two USB-C devices on the 30 W plate charge more slowly than one.
A tight box can crack a faceplate. One square 15 W plate cracked when it was overtightened on plastic dado trunking. Bathroom and outdoor questions on these pages are asked and not answered, and none of the four states an IP rating.
Port mix is the first cut. Current phones use USB-C. The £8.86 plate, 922UAA12-01, has two USB-A ports and a stated 12 W share, and it has no C port. The two 15 W plates, one round Nexus 800 at about £12.99 and one square Nexus 900 at about £15.99, each have two USB-A ports and one USB-C. The £20 plate, 822UACC30-01, has one USB-A and two USB-C. Treat 12 W, 15 W, and 30 W as a shared total unless the listing says per port. 12 W and 15 W are phone and light-tablet territory.
A standard line belongs to that listing only. Only the 30 W plate prints Specification Met: BS 1363. The other three do not, and a Nexus Metal brochure line must not be borrowed onto them. BSI’s 2023 note says the socket standard now covers incorporated USB charging circuits. That is context for the standard, not a certificate for the plates that omit the line. Box depth is the other hard limit. The 12 W and 30 W bullets say a minimum of 25 mm. The two 15 W listings state no depth.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want one USB-C port beside two 13 A sockets, and you want the largest review sample in this set. The square 15 W plate has 4.6 from 777 ratings and a stated 15 W share. A laptop on USB-C did not finish in a review, so keep a laptop charger in a mains socket.
You want two USB-A ports and one USB-C, and you would rather pay about £12.99 than £15.99. The round 15 W plate has 4.6 from 378 ratings. One report describes a hum, the listing states no box depth, and a square-corners bullet conflicts with the round-edge title.
You want two USB-C ports, a PD and QC claim, and a listing that prints Specification Met: BS 1363. That is the 30 W plate at £20. Heat, a cracked face, and USB-C ports that stopped within months appear in the review sample, and the back is described as crowded. Measure the box first.
The top pick is the British General square 15 W plate, 922UAAC15-01, at about £15.99: 4.6 from 777 ratings, two USB-A ports and one USB-C, with 15 W stated. It has no PD line and no BS 1363 line. A laptop on USB-C did not finish in a review, and one plate cracked when it was overtightened. The best value is the round 15 W plate, 822UAAC15-01, at about £12.99, the same port mix for £3 less, with 4.6 from 378 ratings. The £8.86 plate is cheaper, but it has no USB-C, and an overnight shortfall is the repeated complaint.
BG 15 W round, A+A+C
The same 15 W port mix at about £12.99, £3 less than the square plate, with 4.6 from 378 ratings.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources on BS 1363, Part P, bathrooms, and back-box depth. amazon.co.uk listings for B0D2F4MZXK, B0D2DVZY8H, B0D2DX8RN9, and B0DN255MB4 checked 16 October 2026. Prices move.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Scores compare published listings and review texts. They are not a laboratory test.
