These new products from Ugreen are the new face of safe and efficient charging (pun intended). Let’s see whether this new line of chargers has more to offer than just a unique design.
GaN chargers have been getting more and more popular in the past couple of years. Gallium nitride, or GaN, is a relatively new material used in semiconductors for chargers that make them significantly faster and more powerful while ensuring they remain relatively portable, efficient, and safe. We’ve seen many chargers from various manufacturers in the past year, but the Uno series from Ugreen comes with a unique feature.
The Ugreen Uno RG
Leading the line of new chargers is the Uno RG, which is a 4-port, 100 W Robot GaN fast charger. While 100 watts of output isn’t entirely new to GaN chargers, the Uno RG comes in a considerably small size. At just 2.05 x 1.92 x 3.23 inches (52.16 x 48.9 x 81.94 mm), basically the size of a (double) shot glass, it can charge up to four devices simultaneously. More importantly, it can charge a laptop at 100 W when plugged in on its own.
The power distribution depends entirely on how many ports and which ones are being used. When charging with just a single device, the first two ports can be used for up to 100 W charging. The third USB-C port can provide up to 30 W, and the USB-A port can give a maximum of 22.5 W when used on its own. More efficiently, two devices can be charged at the same time, receiving 65 W and 35 W, respectively, using the first and either of the two other USB-C ports. The Uno RG is also equipped with the Ugreen ThermalGuard smart temperature control, which powers itself off in case of overheating as an added safety measure.
Such a number of charging ports and the high capacity offer a lot of convenience to users who bring many different devices to charge. Even more so because three of the four ports are USB-C. One could charge a laptop at 100 W without needing to bring a large power brick, charge a laptop at 65 W while also charging a smartphone or tablet at up to 30 W, or charge portable devices while replenishing camera batteries using a multi-slot charger (some brands offer up to four at a time). This potentially eliminates the need to bring different chargers for each device. However, the applicability of that would mainly depend on the largest device being used since some laptops require 140 W or even 200 W for heavy graphics processing.
Of course, another unique feature of this charger is the TFT screen that displays an emoji animation indicating the status of power delivery/charging. There are five different emoji indicators that signify between three charging statuses. They indicate whether there is no device connected, whether it's on fast charging, or when the device is fully charged.
Screen not visible on this outlet
While the charger is remarkably small for what it offers, and while the display is interesting to look at, one can’t help but wish that the screen could also function as a way to monitor the actual output of each port, possibly the battery percentage of each device, and even a temperature indicator. Yes, this might mean a slightly more advanced screen would be required, but given the capabilities of the small charger, it would be even more helpful if you could switch from the cute and quirky emoji indicators to actual numbers that would show the flow of electricity and charging information. Another thing to note is that depending on the wall socket and the standard plug type where it is being used, there is a possibility that the display will be facing the side and won’t be ergonomically visible.
The Ugreen Uno 2-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charging Station
Another charger that’s getting a “face lift” is Ugreen’s wireless charger stand. This 3.07 x 2.36 x 2.36-inch device comes with a Qi2-certified fast wireless MagSafe-compatible charger on the top panel that tilts up to 70 degrees for a better viewing angle. The wireless charger platform can provide up to 20 W of output, while a secondary USB-C port on the side can give an additional 5 W for charging small accessories (wireless earbuds, mouse, remotes) simultaneously. On the back of the charger is a USB-C input port for connecting a properly paired charger and cable. The charging station does not include its own wall charger and cable, so it must be paired with ones that can provide the required power.
Just like the others in this product line, the magnetic wireless charging station also features a screen on the front panel that displays two emoji charging indicators that differentiate between whether it's on standby or the device is charging. It is quite questionable why the emoji for charging and fully charged are the same, considering the other Uno products have separate icons for them.
As mentioned with the Uno RG GaN charger, while the quirky emoji indicators are appreciated, it seems like a missed opportunity to provide more valuable information through the screen. At the same time, since the wall charger and cable are not built into the device, it might have been more impressive if it were capable of charging larger devices with more output power through the secondary USB-C charging port on the side. If it could power a camera battery multi-charger or even a laptop, it would be an efficient desktop charging hub, reducing the number of chargers being used and helping to keep the user’s desk neat and tidy. These functions might make it a completely different desk charger (most likely more expensive and larger), but definitely a more useful and efficient one as well.
Other products in the Ugreen Uno line that were not included in this review are a 15 W max output 10,000 mAh magnetic wireless powerbank, another one with up to 30 W max output, as well as a Ugreen Uno 6-in-1 USB-C Hub that also has the indicator screen on the top panel.
What I Liked:
- Small but efficient 100 W charger with four charging ports
- Unique design with a screen
What I Didn’t Like:
- The screen could have been used to provide actual output rates and levels
- The wall charger faces the side on some standard wall sockets, rendering the screen useless
I wish they would make a modern charger with a physical mode switch for USB PD and QC mode. While PD offers a wider range of features, due to the initialization process, they run into issues when it comes to more passive loads, such as devices where the data pins are left floating. In cases like that USB PD will stop outputting power, while QC will default to a 5V output at 2.1 to 3 amps without the need of any feedback.
Aside from that, the LCD is a huge waste on that charger if they are not going to give it a built in USB power meter similarly to devices like the UM25C.