Ugreen Nexode 200W Charging Station Review: Eight ports, serious desktop power

Best Prices Today: Ugreen Nexode 200W USB-C 8-Port Desktop Charger

$69.99

Desktop chargers make tiny wall outlets look puny, although there are a few wall charger beasts available, such as the Anker Charger (140W, 4-port) or the Ugreen Nexode 100W USB-C GaN 4-port Charger. Anything bigger would probably fall out of the outlet.

Although wall chargers are more portable, nothing beats a desktop charger that has a long array of charging ports connected to a power outlet with its own cable and plug. Meet the most powerful: the giant Ugreen Nexode 6-port desktop charger with a maximum power of 500W.

Nothing, other than a USB-C power extender that adds new AC outlets to the port mix. Once again, Ugreen has our favorite: the DigiNest Pro 100W power strip which houses four USB ports and three AC outlets.

The company has another multi-device charger to satisfy all of our office power needs, the Nexode 200W GaN USB-C Charging Station which is full of eight incredible ports.

Simon Jarry

Multiple powers: what you can charge

• 3x USB-C (100W PD 3.0)
• 2x USB-C (30W)
• 2x USB-C (15W)
• 2x USB-A (15W)

Eight is a lot of ports, but we’ve seen more on a charger. The Plugable PS-10CC has ten, but with a maximum power of 100 W, compared to 200 W for the Ugreen. This plug-in charger is so-and-so, smart, intelligently prioritizing charging devices in real time in order of need.

With twice the maximum power, the Ugreen desktop charger can distribute its power between ports with perhaps less agility but with more force.

The first three USB-C ports (USB-C-C1, C2, and C3) can each output 100W. USB-C C4 and C5 have a maximum power rating of 30W each, while USB-C C6 and the two USB-A ports A1 and A2 can individually output 15W.

100W (Power Delivery 3.0) is enough to quickly charge all MacBooks except the high-end 16-inch MacBook Pro. This laptop can work well with 100W charging, but cannot reach 100% as quickly as with 140W (Power Delivery 3.1). If you plan to frequently use a desktop charger with the 16-inch MacBook Pro, we suggest looking for one with a 140W port.

30W is easily enough to quickly charge any iPhone or iPad or keep a MacBook Air running while in use. 15W will charge the iPhone or iPad, but at a slower rate than 30W. 15W is more than enough to quickly charge an AirPods case or Apple Watch.

Simon Jarry

All eight ports can be used at the same time, but remember that the total power cannot exceed 200 W. For more, you will need a 300 W or 500 W charger. 200 W seems like a lot until you try to fill all eight ports at the same time. The Ugreen Six-Port 500W Desktop Charger is a bit of a misnomer because the first port hogs 240W of power and few desktop devices can handle that amount of charging. As such, it’s more of a 400W charger in real terms, as 100W of the 240W isn’t actually used or released to the other ports.

With all eight ports used at once, you could achieve 65W in C1 and 45W each in C2 and C3, then C4 and C5 sharing 15W and C6+A1+A2 sharing another 15W. This could be a great combination for a MacBook Pro, two MacBook Airs, an iPad, and an iPhone.

If you just need to power a few MacBooks, use C1 at 100W and C2 at 85W. You can even run four MacBooks with 65W + 45W + 45W + 30W. Ugreen lists all possible configurations in the user manual.

The Ugreen 300W Five-Port Desktop Charger is the perfect place for 16-inch MacBook Pro users. This could power configurations such as 140W+100W+60W or 140W+65W+65W+30W.

But if your needs expand to eight devices, you won’t find more USB ports on a desktop charger.

Simon Jarry

Compact design

The benefit of a mega-powered desktop charger is that you no longer need to use as many power outlets or individual wall chargers at the same time. This reduces desk clutter and eliminates cable snakes twisting across the table to find a power outlet.

The Nexode 200W itself is more compact than you’d expect from an eight-port PSU. It measures 4.3 x 4.2 x 1.5 inches (10.9 x 10.6 x 3.8 cm) and weighs 1.55 lbs (702 g). This compares to the Ugreen Nexode 300W Desktop Charger which has dimensions of 4.6 x 3.75 x 2.1 inches (11.6 x 9.5 x 5.3 cm) and 1.85 lbs (839 g).

Simon Jarry

You can lay it flat or place it vertically on the included stand. The base has non-slip feet for added stability.

The power cord is 2m long.

There’s no smart real-time display that tells you how many watts are being delivered to the devices, but you probably don’t need one. If you want a desktop charger with a digital display showing charging status and speed, we recommend the $169 Anker Prime charger which also has six ports but has a higher maximum output power of 250W.

Price and competition

The Ugreen Nexode 200W GaN USB C Charging Station is competitively priced at $99.99 in the US, £79.99 in the UK, and €79.99 in the EU.

That’s half the price of the Ugreen Nexode 300W 5-Port Desktop Charger ($199/£149) and $150 less than the Nexode 500W Desktop Charger ($249/£219).

If 200W max configurations work for you, that’s a good deal for eight power ports. If you need to charge three MacBook Pros simultaneously or have a 16-inch MacBook Pro, opt for the 300W model.

Rather than three or four MacBooks, a more likely scenario would be a few MacBooks, iPads and iPhones plus an Apple Watch and AirPods. This Ugreen charger can easily cope with this scenario.

The $149.99 Satechi 200W USB-C 6-Port PD GaN Charger is the closest alternative (direct / Amazon). It has 140W PD 3.1 charging, so it will appeal to owners of the 16-inch Pro and has the same 200W maximum and six USB-C ports, but it lacks the Nexode’s two USB-A ports. The Satechi’s dual MacBook configuration (100W + 100W) compares to the Nexode 200W’s 100W + 85W; its three-MacBook configuration (100W + 45W + 45W) compares to the Ugreen’s 65W + 65W + 45W, so the Ugreen works best if you have two MacBook Pros and an Air, but the Satechi works well on a Pro and two Airs.

If you don’t need USB-A ports, the Satechi seems to be the better deal, although it’s still half the price of the Nexode. It’s a lot more to pay to not have two USB-A ports, but it’s certainly worth it if you need the 140W PD 3.1 port.

The $129 PS-10CC Plugable Desktop Charger has ten USB-C ports and smart priority charging, but is limited to just 100W of total simultaneous output.

Check out all of our best USB-C charger recommendations.

Should you buy the Ugreen Nexode 200W GaN USB-C Charging Station?

You won’t find a desktop charger with this number of USB ports and certainly none that we would trust at such a competitive price. The Satechi 200W 6-Port PD Charger is its closest rival, but if you don’t need that charger’s 140W port, the Ugreen Nexode 200W represents a remarkable value.