I make a living by testing gadgets and spend a large portion of my time moving between charging things and their corresponding chargers. That’s why I find fast charging not only irresistible, but also indispensable for my sanity.
In recent years, I’ve found solace in fast chargers with multiple output ports, especially because they’re easier to travel with. And I’m constantly and eagerly upgrading to faster, more efficient chargers with more ports. In this search, I have now reached the Ugreen Nexode 300-Watt Fast Charger with five USB ports.
This is the fastest charger I have ever used, and has replaced several chargers on my desk. This may be the ultimate charger for most people looking for a permanent fast-charging solution for their desk – but only if they can follow a few caveats.
Why I’m crazy about Ugreen’s 300W charger?
The Ugreen Nexode 300W Charger works on GaN technology, which has been popularized as the next generation charging technology. GaN, short for gallium nitride, is a semiconductor that is preferred over silicon for its superior electrical and thermal properties. GaN allows brands to create chargers that are not only faster and more efficient, but also compact.
While GaN is now widely popular, it is rare to see brands offer 300-watt output, as Ugreen does in this case. With support for up to five devices, this can be the single charging solution that runs your entire suite of devices not just on your desk, but in your room too – and does it all at consistently fast charging speeds.
Most importantly, the Ugreen charger relies on open charging standards, including USB-Power Delivery (USB PD) 3.1, Programmable Power Supply (PPS), and Qualcomm Quick Charge 5.0. These open standards allow you to fast charge practically a myriad of devices at their highest supported charging speeds, including laptops, smartphones, gaming handhelds, smartwatches, headphones, audio accessories, wireless keyboards, power banks, and more.
While Ugreen advertises a 300W power supply, the output is distributed dynamically based on the requirements of the device plugged in. We’ll analyze the brand’s claim later, but first, here’s how the charger feels in terms of durability.
Its solid design keeps you hassle free
This Ugreen 300W tabletop charger shares the same DNA as other Ugreen products we’ve tested in the past in terms of strength. The outer casing of the charger sports the company’s signature gunmetal gray color, with “300W” clearly engraved on the side. Like other Ugreen devices, this shell is made of a very solid and durable form of plastic – so solid that it feels like metal.
The rubber cushions at the bottom ensure that the charger does not slip around due to the cable becoming loose or stretched or when you move around while charging those devices.
There are five USB ports on the front (four USB-C and one USB-A), which is the main feature of this charger. In addition to the ports, there is subtle branding at the top of the panel, as well as numbering of the ports (perhaps to easily tell the speed limit and intended utilities for each of them).
The back has information about the power ratings on each port in a small, non-obtrusive typeface. At the bottom, there’s a three-pin port for connecting a cable that delivers power from the AC outlet to the charging brick.
The compatible, approximately 5-foot-long (1.5 meter long) power cable is included in the box. The cable is thick and seems resistant to rubbing or scratching. At the end that is closer to the charger, the cable also has a ferrite bead to prevent any interference with other electrical devices. Ugreen also includes two ties on the cable to help keep your setup neat and tidy.
Apart from the power cable, you get a USB-C to USB-C cable in the box. It is a braided cable that measures approximately 5 feet and also comes with a tie for better control. It supports charging speeds of up to 240W via the USB PD 3.1 charging protocol, which means it can be used on laptops, smartphones (including your new iPhone 15 Pro Max), handheld gaming devices, cameras, and practically any device. Can be used for faster charging. One USB-C port.
What charging speed do you actually get?
Although the name may mislead you into believing that this charger provides up to 300W of power from a single port, the power is actually distributed across multiple ports. Maximum output is capped at 140W and limited to the topmost USB-C port only. The second and third (from the top) USB-C ports each offer a maximum power of 100W, while the fourth is limited to 45W. Finally, the USB-A port delivers up to 22.5W.
No matter how many devices you plug in, the top port will continue to charge at 140W, making it ideal for charging powerful machines like the 2021 or 2022 models of the 16-inch MacBook Pro. However, as you plug in more devices, other ports will cut down on charging speeds. Since the ports can be fitted in many permutations, Ugreen shares the following chart to illustrate the charging speeds on each port:
The above chart makes it clear that despite 300 watts being shared across ports, there is more than enough available on each. The top three USB-C ports provide enough power to charge three laptops even when used simultaneously. If you add a fourth load, you can still fast charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro, two 13-inch MacBook Pro units, and a mobile device.
I’m running out of devices to plug in
With five USB-C ports, the Ugreen 300W Charger is an obvious candidate to replace many charging bricks. While you’d normally imagine it replacing charging bricks with a single port, it replaced two multi-port GaN chargers I’d been using for the last year.
Ugreen also offers this charger as a shared charging solution in office spaces as it can fast charge three laptops along with at least one phone and one other device. The 300W charger is the perfect solution for personal meetings or shared workspaces.
Even if you prefer to work alone (like I do), this charger can power multiple powerful machines at once. I juggle between multiple devices, especially when I’m testing new laptops, and this is where I like the usefulness of this charger.
Throughout my testing, I used the UGreen charger to power a 13-inch MacBook Pro with a power input of 61W and a Lenovo Legion gaming laptop, which supports up to 140W of power input via USB-C . With these laptops, one of the USB-C ports charged my iPad Pro, the other port charged the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, and the USB-A port charged the Samsung wireless charger, which I use to charge earphones like To enhance wireless accessories.
Since these devices are plugged into ports that provide more power than they practically allow, they all charge at the highest supported speed. More importantly, since GaN has better thermal stability – meaning its performance does not degrade with increasing temperatures – you can expect more consistent and uninterrupted charging speeds.
This charger meets all my requirements from a desktop charger while eliminating separate chargers for different devices. For me, the dedicated 140W delivery on one port has been a boon, keeping a power-hungry gaming laptop powered.
Since most of the above devices don’t need to be constantly plugged in, I’ve developed a (possibly unhealthy, yet enjoyable) obsession with looking for devices that charge over USB-C around my house (because I I work from home) and keep them charged. Even with plenty of power, I often find myself in a ridiculous situation where I have nothing to charge.
Great for travel, but not for daily commute
If you travel for work and carry multiple devices with you then this charger could prove to be a life-changer. When I travel, my minimum tech luggage includes my MacBook Pro, at least two phones, an iPad Pro, a smartwatch, a power bank, and sometimes a camera.
To keep them all charged and ready, I have to have at least two charging bricks with multiple ports. By combining five ports into one, Ugreen’s 300W charger solves a major problem – finding enough power outlets to charge everything at once, especially while on the go.
However, I face a dilemma about carrying a 300W brick while traveling locally or going on short trips. The primary (and probably the only) issue I encountered with this charger is its size. According to Ugreen, the charger alone weighs 1.85 pounds, and you can add an extra hundred grams or so for the cable that comes with it.
Carrying a kilo of extra weight, especially in a backpack, can force you to struggle between the fastest charging speed and being generous with your shoulders. Of course, if I have to spend more than 12 hours outside my home (the typical time after which the Galaxy S23 Ultra starts giving me battery worries), the smoothness of the device takes priority, but for small efforts outside the home For that, the Ugreen 300 charger stays chummy with other articles on my work desk.
Concerns and warnings
My other complaint with this superfast charger is that there is no indicator or light to indicate that it is on. It’s a small inconvenience compared to the weight, but if you have a jungle of cables behind your desk and something goes wrong a simple light can make a difference. Although this is a rare scenario, I’ve encountered it already in my month of using the 300W charger, and I wish it had lights.
Ultimately, one of the deciding factors as to whether someone will buy this charger or not is related to its price. Ugreen lists the charger for $270 On Amazon and its official website, but you can get an introductory discount of $70, bringing the price down to $200. However, this offer is only for a limited indefinite period.
Even at $200, the Ugreen Charger may leave potential buyers feeling uneasy. But if you have multiple power-hungry devices in your home or on your desk that require constant care, this is the best charger to buy.
As for me, I’m really enjoying the fact that it declutters my cluttered work setup (ever so slightly), and I’ll never go back to a less powerful or less versatile charger. .