Recently, I’ve had this concept to construct separate ready-to-go tech backpacks that make me really feel ready for any gadgety state of affairs. A type of luggage can be my light-weight pack containing a laptop computer and small Nintendo Swap equipment, minimal cables, a battery financial institution, a mini toolkit, and crucially, one charging brick that may energy any gadget I throw at it.
Ugreen’s 140-watt Nexode charger is a robust candidate to be that one charging brick. It’s a three-port GaN charger with flip-out prongs and as much as 140W charging for a single USB-C gadget. Its potential to cost one gadget at that velocity is due to assist for the comparatively new Energy Supply 3.1 protocol (or PD 3.1).
The Nexode doesn’t assist the tremendous cutting-edge PD 3.2, however Ugreen is sort sufficient to incorporate a 1.5-meter braided USB-C cable that helps future 240W gadgets. However the Nexode does assist nearly each different USB-C protocol you may swing at it, together with the largely Samsung fast-charging-friendly PPS, Qualcomm’s Fast Cost 4.0 Plus (and three.0 / 2.0), and even Huawei’s SuperCharge (SCP and FCP).
That makes it an excellent match for my light-weight backpack as a result of it ought to assist nearly any gadget I’d run into on the workplace or elsewhere and be capable of cost a number of gadgets concurrently. I additionally want it to assist Apple’s latest 16-inch MacBook Professional, which is one in all only a few gadgets in the marketplace that helps 140W charging — although you would wish to make use of Apple’s MagSafe 3 to USB-C cable to get that velocity.
By way of portability, Ugreen says the Nexode is “20 % smaller” than Apple’s 140W charger, and it definitely appears that approach, because the Nexode is nearer to the size of Apple’s 60 / 61 / 67W bricks. The Nexode is about 3 by 3 by 1.4 inches and weighs about 14 ounces, whereas the 140W Apple charger is greater however lighter, at about 3.8 by 3 by 1.1 inches and about 9.8 ounces.
I examined out the Nexode at full velocity with the 16-inch MacBook Professional. Beginning a cost at 33 %, it estimated a full cost in 1 hour and 20 minutes. After 31 minutes, the MacBook Professional elevated to 91 % and up to date its estimate to 29 minutes till a full cost. The Nexode is quick.
However the velocity of the Nexode unlocked one other type of power: warmth. This brick received nearly uncomfortably sizzling. Even our resident laptop computer reviewer Monica Chin was stunned at how heat it felt — and he or she has dealt with a complete lot of charging bricks. I might scent the Nexode — that’s how heat it received.
On a second 140W charging check, I discovered the Nexode to get as heat as 124 levels Fahrenheit utilizing an infrared thermometer — and didn’t scent a lot that point. I took the temperature of Apple’s 140W charger, too, which can be GaN primarily based, and it solely received as heat as 99 levels.
Throughout common multi-port use, although, the Nexode didn’t really feel almost as heat. The total 140W single-device charging is barely attainable when plugging in simply the MacBook Professional (or any PD 3.1 gadget). Roger Wan, Ugreen’s PR supervisor, informed me that the Nexode is designed to cut back energy to keep away from overheating when the temperature reaches 95 levels Celsius (203 levels Fahrenheit) — and can resume charging as soon as it returns to under 75 levels Celsius (167 levels Fahrenheit).
With a MacBook Professional plugged into port C1 (the one one which helps 140W), I plugged in a pair of AirPods Max into the USB-A port. The MacBook Professional then reported it was charging at 100W, down from 140W. I then plugged in a USB-C Apple Watch charger (the newer era) and positioned a Sequence 7 Apple Watch on it — which is when the MacBook Professional reported it was right down to 65W charging. I’ve additionally observed when plugging / unplugging gadgets into the charger, that there’s a delay of about 5 to seven seconds earlier than the Nexode redistributes energy.
The extremely energy person / video editor would most likely have to have a devoted energy brick that doesn’t get interrupted by additional gadgets like their smartphone. For my wants, the Nexode serves me nicely. It could even energy a Nintendo Swap dock for TV mode whereas concurrently charging two professional controllers — although it might make the TV display screen go black for as much as 10 seconds when plugging / unplugging.
At Ugreen’s record worth of $149, the Nexode is on the dear aspect. That sum might get you Satechi’s 200W charger that has twice the quantity of ports in comparison with the Nexode and may assist 140W charging with none energy drop-off, together with a second 20W gadget connected. (Although we have now not examined this but.) Or you can purchase an additional 140W charger from Apple for $99, which leaves you some cash to purchase a pair extra bricks in your different gadgets.
However as is usually the case with these sorts of merchandise, the record worth is never what it’s a must to pay to get one. On the time of writing, Amazon is promoting the Nexode for about $90, a way more interesting worth that’s additionally cheaper than Anker’s single-port 140W charger. And if the purpose is to hold gentle with the massive 16-inch MacBook Professional, Ugreen’s received a reasonably good choice right here with the Nexode.
Pictures by Umar Shakir / The Verge
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