Introduction

Ugreen was founded in 2012 and has made its mark in the tech community by offering consumer electronic devices and accessories at reasonable prices. We have previously covered a TWS set of wireless earphones that didn't quite hit the mark but then came along the Nexode 140W wall charger that was more along the brand's strength in using GaN technology well. Apparently that was just the start of things with many companies since getting on board the GaN charger train, such as the Chargeasap Zeus that almost doubled the max capacity and even added a handy display on top. I suppose it wasn't a surprise that Ugreen decided to go even further with the new Nexode 300 W.


GaN, or Gallium Nitride, chargers have gained popularity recently owing to more efficient charging in terms of lower heat generation and associated lost power. This in turn allows for these chargers to be smaller in size compared to more standard silicon-based charging devices or even go with higher capacity chargers in the same footprint. In a world where Type-C charging is increasingly becoming common for phones and laptops alike, having the ability to use a single, compact charger is certainly an attractive option. There are two types of such chargers on the market in the form of wall chargers that plug directly into AC mains, as with the Nexode 140W, and desk chargers which connect via a cable and plug. The Nexode 300 W we are looking over today is an example of the latter and thanks again to Ugreen for providing a sample to TechPowerUp!

Packaging and Accessories

I knew going in that the Ugreen Nexode 300W is larger than the Nexode 140W wall charger we saw before, and yet the size of the product box still managed to surprise me. It's thick, large, and has a fancier design than what most customers would bother to appreciate. On the front is the company logo and product name along with a render of the charger and salient marketing features. The product specifications are shown on the back with contact information for the company on the side. There are two seals on the side to help keep the contents in place on their way to you. Opening the box reveals the charger placed inside a wax paper wrap and inside a cardboard layer of its own with the accompanying accessories underneath.


Ugreen has a separate cardboard accessory box to keep things neat and the size of the charger itself helps justify the larger packaging. Inside we get paperwork in the form of a user manual and instructions, both of which help go over how to set up the charger and use the various output ports depending on how many devices you wish to connect. Ugreen also provides an excellent USB Type-C to Type-C cable here that is 2 m to help get you going with one device—you will need you own USB cables for other devices—along with a charging cable itself going from the AC mains (UK plug for me) to a 3-pin prong on the charger itself. The benefit of a desktop charger is you can place it, well, on your desk for closer access to your devices. On the flip side, it's not as portable as wall chargers that have a built-in plug.

Closer Examination and Testing

The Ugreen Nexode 300W desktop charger is the biggest GaN charger I have used to date and yet it pales in comparison to my Dell 300 W laptop charger that is almost as big as some laptops and certainly heavier than most. Instead, this one measures in at 16.5 x 12.5 x 10.7 cm—a significant increase over the Nexode 140 W at 7.6 x 7.6 x 3.5 cm—and weighs slightly over 850 g compared to the ~300 g of the 140 W unit. So this ends up in a weird spot where it is too large to realistically take along for a business trip and yet has features that merit a strong consideration. The chassis is metal to help with heat dissipation and is cool to the touch when not in use. It also gets a gray-blue color with minimal branding on the larger sides where we only see 300 W printed. I also appreciate the rubber base with integrated feet to help position this charger firmly on the desk, with one of the shorter sides having the power distribution specs listed for convenience. This is also where we see the unit's serial number as well as the 3-prong charging port itself. The absence of a wall plug permanently attached to the unit helps keep it less bulky, at least compared to what would have been had this be a wall charger.


The primary side of interest contains the five USB ports here in the form of a USB Type-A port capable of delivering 22.5 W max. Then we get to the four USB Type-C ports—an increase of two compared to the Nexode 140W—that come clearly marked as to which are the more capable ones in terms of power output. The charger as a whole can theoretically put out a whopping 140 W out of one of these, and this is also the max output of that port when multiple other ports are in use too. These USB Type-C ports support PD3.1 (PD3.0/PD2.0), Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ (QC4.0/QC3.0/QC2.0), PPS, AFC, Apple 5V2.4 A and BC1.2 charging protocols whereas the Type-A ports supports SCP, QC3.0, AFC, FCP, Apple 5V2.4 A and BC1.2. The provided cables work quite well and you need both to have both input to the charger and output from one of the Type-C ports. Ideally you would have more of these higher-end Type-C cables on hand depending on what you are charging, although this depends on how many devices you plan on connecting to this desktop charger.


Now we get to the actual application of the Ugreen Nexode 300W. It's meant to be used with multiple devices at the same time, thus saving you the cost and space of several different chargers as well as potentially also a power strip/extender. So when you consider that this GaN charger, albeit still bigger than usual, is smaller than an equivalent wattage classic form factor laptop charger and then add the savings from anything extra on top, suddenly this makes more sense. It's a unit you would have on your desk and have multiple laptops, phones, even other USB accessories all plugged in simultaneously. The five USB ports have a smart power distribution algorithm built-in as seen above, allowing you to go with a max total of 140/240/300/290/290 W output for 1/2/3/4/5 devices connected, respectively.

The issue is I am not sure the world is necessarily wanting this particular power distribution configuration. A lot of laptops that charge over Type-C are restricted to 65-90 W max, and then there are others which are coming out soon and aim to finally take 200+ W over Type-C. The Nexode 300W is overkill for the former set and is underpowered for the latter, albeit I am sure Ugreen will no doubt have something ready for when those laptops come out. What you instead get is a device that is best used without considering the most efficient/powerful combination of ports but rather a convenient charging solution that will run warm. Ugreen boasts heat dissipation protocols in place with temperate sensors inside but this thing can get quite toasty when you are drawing 150+ W to where the added length from the USB cables—2 m here compared to the 1.5 m on the Nexode 140W wall charger—might be a good thing allowing you to place the charger further away from you.

There are also minor heat-related losses here to where I never got the max power output out of the unit as expected, but I was within 5% each time to where it's permissable in my books. The fast charging protocols are also quite handy to have, especially for phones being charged out here faster than they do from stock chargers—provided there even is one in the box anymore. I see the Nexode 300W as one last hurrah of this generation of GaN chargers with the max 140 W charging still retained from previous units and a more brute force approach taken to cram in more ports and power into a larger unit. I want to see 200 W outputs next with even stricter thermal controls and heat dissipation vents at the bottom. But there is no denying that the Nexode 300W still merits a place today, and those interested in this unit will be excited to know it launches September 5 for an introductory price of $199 from the Ugreen Amazon store for 14 days before it goes to the official MSRP of $269. The higher value makes it a tougher value proposition compared to the likes of the Chargeasap Zeus which now sells for $219 and gives you four ports and a screen, but the $199 sale price as well as the included premium USB cable pushes things back in favor of Ugreen.