I used a 200W beast to charge six devices at once, and it didn't break a sweat

The UGREEN Nexode 200W desktop charger reviewed.

Oct. 19, 2022

I used a 200W beast to charge six devices at once, and it didn't break a sweat

Today, mobile productivity means lugging around more than a few essential electronic devices. Depending on how you work, your daily carry may very well include a laptop, a smartphone, a smartwatch, a camera, a webcam, a tablet, a pair of Bluetooth earbuds, a Nintendo Switch… you get the gist, I think.

One of the more annoying issues when it comes to carrying all these gadgets on the go is the number of chargers that you may have to stow away in your backpack, and the limited number of AC outlets that you have to keep them all powered up throughout the day.

One new solution to this is a desk charger by UGREEN — a Chinese electronics brand — that’s able to power up to six electronic devices at one go.

UGREEN has marked the charger — simply and aptly named the 200W Desktop Charger (or Nexode in some regions) — as one that’s capable of concurrently delivering up to 200W of power to your electronics (100W maximum for a single device), with four USB-C Power Delivery ports able to support any tech that requires a bit more wattage to remain functional.

But first, let’s go over the build and make-up of the charger.

Not at all unwieldy.

The charger (which you can currently get for around US$199.99) is well-built, with a plastic outer body that doesn’t feel cheap and an aesthetic that will probably be able to fit into any desk setup. Additionally, it does come with quite a bit of heft, which makes it more suitable as a permanent feature on top of your desk rather than something you’d carry around on the daily (although you can do that if you want, as well).

But considering how much power it can output, you’d probably be quite happy with the dimensions, measuring in at 3.97 x 3.97 x 1.27 inches. This is of course thanks to the inclusion of gallium nitride (GaN) as a semiconductor — something that has allowed most modern-day chargers to shrink in size without compromising on performance.

Finally, the unit also comes with a meter-long braided USB-C cable that supports 100W charging, as well as a standard cord that plugs into a wall socket for power.

Powerful, but more than a little confusing.

When it comes to the main draw of the device, the charger appears more than capable of supplying power for most users’ needs, although actually determining the power output of the six ports (4x USB-C and 2x USB-A) will require you to refer to a confusing chart provided by UGREEN.

Taking a look at the diagrams, you’ll notice that the charger will send through different amounts of wattage depending on how many devices you plug in and which ports you use. For example, using only the first two USB-C ports will provide up to 100W of Power Delivery fast-charging, while adding a third USB-C device to the subsequent third port will limit the maximum charging output to 65W per device for all three ports.

Then there are the different maximum outputs for the individual ports that you’ll need to keep in mind if you absolutely want to know how much power you’re getting for each of your devices. Depending on your priorities, you'll want to dedicate the first two USB-C ports on the charger to the devices that require the most power (or that you urgently need topped up), and moving sideways towards the rest of the ports for the less important devices in your setup.

In a situation where all six ports are used, charge output will be limited to 65W for the first USB-C port, 45W for the second and third USB-C ports, 20W for the fourth USB-C port, and 5V4A (20W) for the final two USB-A ports.

Obviously, trying to remember these specifications was simply not worth the hassle, so I found myself simply referring to the diagrams provided (see below) to keep track of things.

It can charge all the things.

Confusing specs aside, I found the charger to capably power multiple everyday devices without breaking a sweat. In my testing, I hooked up a laptop with a dedicated graphics card, a 2021 Macbook Air, two iPhones, a Microsoft Surface Pro 7, and an Apple Watch and discovered that all of them received sufficient juice to go from varying states of charge to full within acceptable time frames.

To ascertain whether or not the charger could actually output its claimed 200W maximum, I also hooked up my gaming laptop and the Macbook Air to the first two USB-C ports, which UGREEN says can send 100W each (both adding up to a 200W total), and found — through battery reporting software — that this was also pretty much true, with the charge rates hovering around the 100W mark when receiving power around the 20-percent charge mark.

For most users, this amount of power will be more than enough to power a daily array of portable electronics, and makes the 200W charger a very handy tool for replacing the multiple charging bricks and adapters that take up space in a backpack.

In my own instance, instead of a large power brick and a wall adapter, I found myself only having to bring along the charger and corresponding USB cables to keep my gaming laptop, iPhone, Airpods, and smart watch charged for my days at the office.

I must add that impressively, the 100W charging from the first two USB-C ports was more than enough to keep my demanding gaming laptop filled throughout the day while I went through tasks like word processing, watching videos, and browsing the web.

But users buying this charger for their own gaming laptops will want to remember that this isn't enough for actual gaming sessions, which require extra juice to support dedicated graphics cards like an RTX3050 (or anything similar or more demanding). Obviously, you'll want to stick to the supplied power bricks for such scenarios.

Finally, the last thing I found impressive was that the charger — despite charging several devices at once — failed to get hot, or even warm most of the time. Again, this is thanks to the efficiency of gallium nitride as an internal semiconductor.

However, if there was one thing that I wish UGREEN did better with the charger, it's that they could have included some LED indicators to indicate operationality or errors when in use. Right now, the only way you'll know if there's any juice flowing through to your devices would be to check on them individually.

However, this being one of the very first devices of its kind, I can't fault the design of the charger too much, although I do expect future iterations to quickly improve in design and cost.

Speaking of cost, the 200W GaN charger by UGREEN currently retails at a steep US$199.99 on the brand's official website, which makes it a device that many will have to consider thoroughly before making a purchase decision.

Obviously, such a price tag can be expected thanks to the novelty of such a powerful charger, but I expect that its functionality will (for now) appeal only to those who really want something that can effortlessly replace their messy complement of charging bricks and wall chargers.

Final verdict:

The UGREEN 200W GaN USB-C desktop charger is a compact but extremely capable charger that incorporates the use of gallium nitride to supply plenty of watts to keep most of your electronics powered throughout the day. Though there are very little flaws, the large price tag will cause it to remain a situational buy for the time being.

The UGREEN 200W GaN USB-C desktop charger can be purchased through the brand's official website, although deliveries are currently only limited to the U.S. Check back here for an Amazon Singapore link when it goes on sale regionally.