These days, most of us are carrying several battery-powered devices at any given time, and that can add up to a lot of cables to keep track of and a lot of inconvenience if you forget to bring along the right power adapter. That's why with four USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, support for a range of fast charging protocols, and an impressive 200 watts of total output, the Ugreen Nexode 200W charger is a fantastic accessory for many creatives. We take a deep look at the device in our review here.
If you are anything like me, you probably carry several battery-powered devices with you that need regular charging. I need to regularly charge my Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, laptop, and headphones, as well as a portable air purifier and fan I use for teaching. And, of course, I also need to charge my numerous camera batteries. If I am traveling, I have a portable white noise machine I use for sleeping. I have video game controllers at home that need to be recharged every week. There are power banks I need to charge. I have a Bluetooth speaker I use for both personal enjoyment and work. I am sure there is something I am forgetting, but I think you get the point: I live in a sea of batteries and cables.
On one hand, I love that we live in an age with long-lasting, easily rechargeable batteries for just about any major device. It means I can pick up and go and have full work and play capabilities wherever I land. On the other hand, keeping track of all the power bricks and cables is a real pain. Thankfully, there is a lot more standardization than a decade ago, with most devices employing a Lightning connector, USB-C, Micro-USB, or Mini-USB, though the latter two are generally being phased out for the former. This means that most of the time, you can just grab a handful of the right cables without having to worry too much about device-specific options.
On the other hand, you do still need to be aware of the power adapters you bring along. Sure, the days of the proprietary connector are mostly over, but it's more complex than just ensuring you have the proper USB slots available. Different devices demand different wattages to ensure the most efficient charging rate, and many manufacturers have implemented different fast-charging protocols that can be really useful when you need to top off in a hurry, but these generally only work with the proper dedicated chargers. If you just bring along that little 5-watt cube that came with your phone, you'll be lucky to charge a tablet to 100% overnight, and don't even dream about charging something like a laptop or trying to keep multiple devices topped up when you are using them simultaneously. It can be tedious and inconvenient to drag along and keep track of all the proper chargers, which is what makes an all-in-one device like the Ugreen Nexode 200W charger so appealing.
Technical Specifications
- Input: 100-240 V, 2.5 A, 50-60 Hz
- Total output: 200 W maximum
- Power cord: 6.5 ft (2 m)
- USB output
- USB-C ports 1 and 2: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/5A, 100 W Max; PPS: 3.3-21V/3A
- USB-C ports 3 and 4: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/3.25A, 65 W Max; PPS：3.3-21V/3A
- USB-A ports 1 and 2: 4.5V/5A, 5V/4.5A, 5V/3A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A, 22.5 W Max
- For an illustration, click the two pictures below:
- Supported charging protocols:
- USB-C: PD3.0, PPS, QC4+(QC4.0/QC3.0), FCP, AFC, 5V/2.4A, BC1.2
- USB-A: SCP, QC3.0, FCP, AFC, 5V/2.4A, BC1.2
- GaN and SiC for improved heat dissipation
- Temperature safety system that checks system temperature every 0.5 seconds to prevent overheating
- 95% energy efficiency
Contents, Design, and Setup
In the box is the Ugreen Nexode 200W, the power cable, and a 3.3 ft (1 m) USB-C charging cable. It's a perfectly attractive device, mixing black and a polished silver look. I particularly appreciated that the company's name is tasteful and not gaudy, blending in nicely among the rest of the styling and fitting in well in just about any space.
On the bottom is a non-slip pad to keep the device in place. At over a pound in weight, the device is quite hefty, but that is a plus in my book. I have too many lightweight, plastic USB hubs that slip and slide around my desk when a cable tugs on them and always look messy. Once you put the Nexode down, it stays there, even with plenty of cables tugging at it, and it looks good as well.
Setup is straightforward: plug it in and start charging. Thankfully, there is no brick at the plug end, just a normal three-prong plug, meaning the device only takes up one outlet space and won't impede others.
Performance and Usage
I feel that the choice of four USB-C ports and two USB-A ports is the proper balance. The tech world is gradually transitioning to USB-C, but, of course, many of us still have a lot of USB-A cables hanging around. I brought the charger along to a wedding in another state and left all my dedicated power bricks at home. This meant that it was charging and/or powering:
- Apple Watch Series 7 (5 watts)
- iPhone Pro Max 11 (22.5 watts)
- 2017 12.9" iPad Pro (18 watts)
- Westinghouse Air Purifier (10 watts)
- Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones (8 watts)
- Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 2nd Generation Speaker (18 watts)
At any given time, I was pulling about 100 watts from the charger, using a variety of different protocols. The charger performed perfectly, not only topping off all my devices, but doing so at the maximum speed their respective protocols allowed. This is particularly important to me, as I often need to deliver a lot of power to my devices in a short amount of time. For example, I need to replenish my iPad on my lunch break before several hours of afternoon classes, or I'll need to top off my watch after I use the GPS for a multi-hour walk without losing too much time, as I use it to track my total steps for my health insurance.
To push it a bit more, I swapped out the headphones for a camera charger that demands 60 watts and put a second iPad pulling 30 watts in place of the air purifier. This put me at 153.5 watts altogether. Once again, the charger provided the needed power at maximum efficiency. It seemed there was no combination of devices I could use to stump it; it tackled everything competently and with far more ease than swapping out a ton of different power bricks across multiple outlets, particularly since I was traveling. For those using a laptop with USB-C charging, those two ports with 100-watt output are particularly useful, able to charge even a 16-inch MacBook Pro in 1.5 hours. Even pulling near-maximum power, the device never got particularly warm. The only thing I would change would be adding labels denoting the maximum power output of each port to make it easier to remember which ports to use for specific devices.
What I Liked
- Solid construction
- Hefty enough to stay in place
- Attractive finish
- Proper balance of USB-C and USB-A ports
- Inclusion of all major charging protocols
- Plenty of power
- Far more convenient and efficient than bringing lots of power bricks
What I Didn't Like
- No power ratings on respective ports
Conclusion and Purchase
Altogether, the Ugreen Nexode 200W is a fantastic charger. It's well built, looks good, and most importantly, it can charge all your devices at their respective maximum speeds, all in a much more convenient package than carrying a bag of power bricks around. You can purchase yours here.
I've been waiting for a compact travel charger with more ports. After reading user reviews on UGREEN's other products, I'm not sure I would trust this brand.
I have the small 2 port plug and use it to charge my M1 MacBook, its super fast at charging and tiny compared to the OEM one. happy with it so far.
The thing about reviews, people only ever log in to talk shit about something, same with hotels, restaurants etc, you only ever see the bad stuff.
Your health insurance requires that you both exercise AND report it to them? Wtf?
Thank fork I live in a place with universal public health care….
I have an HSA account, and I get a certain amount deposited in it every day for exercising. That being said, universal health care would be a dream.
The Ugreen nexnode 200w charger with 6 ports is great and I'm loving it bigtime for all the many things it can do simoutaniously thus saving me time when on the go. Thanks to it's GaN 2 technology all this is possible, however there is one thing that's disappointing, you see Ugreen could have and should have used GaN 3 technology instead since it's already used in their cheaper and lower line charger diginest cube 65w charger.
As a recent buyer of the ugreen nexode 200w charger with 6 ports, I must say it's performance is great in charging all my devices including when I charged 6 devices simultaneously. And the way power is distributed is great as you can charge two 100w devices simultaneously or three 65w devices simultaneously if you desire. However, as great as this charger is, it clearly could have been even better since it uses GaN 2 technology while ugreen's lower line diginest cube 65w charger uses the superior GaN 3 technology.