UGREEN Nexode 500W 6-Port GaN Desktop Quick Charger evaluation: A beast

I’ve examined numerous USB-C chargers this 12 months, and whereas there are many nice choices, some nonetheless have a compromise or two. With a tangled mess of protocols and energy ranges, discovering a charger that powers every little thing optimally continues to be more durable than it needs to be. Making an attempt to match my Pixel 9 Professional XL’s finicky 37W PPS necessities, or my laptop-grade plug dropping energy the second I wish to recharge my mouse, are simply two of my newest gripes.

In my lengthy search to bypass these fixed pet peeves, I’ve come throughout one other positive entry to think about on your desk — UGREEN’s mammoth new Nexode 6-port 500W. You learn that proper, this factor packs as a lot energy as a washer, certainly excess of nearly anybody realistically wants for on a regular basis charging?

Whereas 500W of energy sounds vastly spectacular, can UGREEN’s princely $249 brick again up its energy claims by charging completely every little thing I can throw at it? I grabbed my trusty USB charger testing gear and a bunch of devices to seek out out.

Properly, the specs on the again of this breeze block look good to start out with. You’ll discover USB Energy Supply help at 240W (48V/5A) on the highest USB-C port and 100W (20V/5A) on the opposite 4 USB-C ports — there aren’t any weak ports right here. Your complete setup will cap at 500W most, although, so you’ll be able to’t run every little thing at max abruptly. Nonetheless, that’s a lot to cost just a few laptops without delay, although I don’t personal sufficient of them to check that.

Extra importantly, different key charging protocols are supported regardless of not being listed on the again. USB PD PPS is the massive one right here, with voltage scaling as much as 20V, which is sufficient to please outlier handsets just like the Google Pixel 9 Professional XL. It’ll fortunately cost no matter iPhone or Galaxy cellphone you throw at it with most energy as nicely. In brief: each port right here is beefy, with no low-power throwaways.

UGREEN’s 500W behemoth doesn’t cease there. It helps China’s Common Quick Charging Specification (UFCS) specification at as much as 63W, together with all variations of Qualcomm’s Fast Cost, that means that it might probably quick cost a a lot wider vary of smartphones and tablets as nicely. I hit 45W on the OnePlus 13 — not fairly SuperVOOC territory, however far faster than the 27W or 18W caps on my different plugs. China’s proprietary requirements aren’t supported right here, however UFCS is rapidly making them out of date and bringing Chinese language manufacturers nearer to Western mainstays.

You’ll additionally discover Fast Cost, Samsung, Huawei, and Apple quick charging protocols supported on the USB-A port at as much as 20W, making certain that legacy devices high up moderately rapidly too.

With six ports in complete, sizzling swapping is a typical Achilles heel, however once more, UGREEN handles this nicely. After some investigation, it seems that the highest 240W USB-C and USB-A ports are on their very own energy rings, with the 4 100W USB-C ports sharing their very own circuitry. As such, you’ll be able to plug and unplug from the highest, backside, or one of many 100W USB-C ports with out inflicting different connections to drop energy — a small however necessary win. If in case you have a number of gadgets linked to the 100W USB-C ports, they are going to cease and begin when gadgets are linked to different 100W ports, however that is fairly regular habits, and the handshake instances are fairly fast. No points right here both, then, and the implementation is healthier than some others. It’s a small engineering element, however not having my laptop computer’s energy disrupted simply because I unplugged my cellphone is a large quality-of-life win.

I don’t have sufficient laptops mendacity round to push the Nexode 6-port to hit its 500W restrict. I’d in all probability should borrow half the workplace’s laptops to hit that ceiling. Nonetheless, I’ve no points quick charging a 100W laptop computer, a 40W pill, and 4 flagship smartphones without delay — a outstanding, if not altogether overkill feat. Whereas there are too many ports to hotswap each potential mixture, I didn’t see any energy drops when connecting a number of USB Energy Supply gadgets without delay — every little thing appears to cost as rapidly as it might probably.

UGREEN’s Nexode 6-port 500W energy brick is the true deal, then, however there are some caveats to think about. It’s huge, for one, measuring roughly 150 x 119 x 61mm. It’s heavy too. Whereas this isn’t an issue for a piece desk, it’s actually not a conveyable journey companion and would possibly even be too cumbersome for a lounge setup. You don’t wish to put this ingot wherever youngsters or pets would possibly knock it over, though it claims to have a tip-over detection mechanism to maintain energy and temperatures working safely in such an occasion.

Aside from the sheer dimension and heft, it’s an impressively feature-complete charging setup. No brilliant LED lights (although possibly an on mild or grasp swap can be good), pleasantly grippy rubber ft, and the removable wall plug are all good touches. Maybe its largest disadvantage is that eye-watering $250 price ticket. That is actually costly for a charger, even for desktop-bound ones. The Satechi 165W ($119.99 at Amazon), our present finest choose on your desk, prices half as a lot, however you’re additionally getting lower than half the ability and fewer ports. Fortunately, UGREEN has been operating some reductions, so for those who bide your time you’ll be able to choose one up for ~$220 (which is what it’s on the time of me scripting this).

For those who’re on the lookout for one thing extra compact or cheaper, UGREEN’s newest fashions have all carried out exceptionally nicely in our testing, too. Starting from the cheap Nexode RG 30W ($18.19 at Amazon) proper as much as the Nexode Professional 160W ($119.99 at Amazon), there’s an more and more good vary of choices on the market to assist energy all of your devices with out resorting to this absolute Goliath.

I believe UGREEN’s newest desk buddy shall be overkill for nearly everybody, together with me. Even with my laptop computer digicam, pill, and a few telephones on the go day-after-day, I nonetheless haven’t discovered myself needing so many ports and fairly a lot energy abruptly. Nonetheless, it’s arguably the top of what USB-C energy might be and solves loads of my recurring ache factors with the one-size-fits-all connector. Even for a gadget junkie like me, the Nexode 6-port 500W is extra energy than I’ll ever want — but it surely’s additionally the final word reply to my long-running USB-C complications, and whereas $250 is loads of change, it may be the final desktop charger you’ll want to purchase for a lot of, a few years to come back.