Review: UGREEN 500W 6-Port GaN Fast Desktop Charger is a real beast
Fed up of juggling charging cables? UGREEN has the answer
UGREEN 500W 6-Port GaN Fast Desktop Charger
The more devices you have in your home, the more chargers you have hanging around. If you're like me you are drowning in cables and plugs - and there's never any around when you need it the most. Or if you do, the sockets are all full! UGREEN has come up with a solution that will charge a bunch of devices at the same time, crucially at high power.
The UGREEN 500W 6-Port GaN Fast Desktop Charger (try saying that three times quickly) is targeted at pros, gamers and tech enthusiasts, but I'll tell you if you've got a family this is going to solve a few arguments!
I'll admit that UGREEN is fast becoming one of my favourite tech brands. Everything I've tested so far feels really rock solid and the desktop charger is no different.
This compact yet hefty (in a good, reassuring way) device comes in a familiar shade of dark grey and allows you to charge six devices at the same time from a single wall socket. It can deliver some 500 watts - to give you an idea what that means, this is enough to support high-performance gaming laptops and even electric bikes. It can charge a 16ins Macbook Pro from 0 to 70% in just one hour.
Essentially this could be a great solution for your home office or gaming room, but it wouldn't look too out of place in your living room either. One end of 'the brick' plugs into the wall and then on the other end you have five USB-C and one USB-A ports to play with.
Not all those USB-C ports are created equal, however, with one having the ability to pump out 240W on its own so you can power something far beyond your average mobile phone. The remaining USB-C ports offer up to 100W each, while the USB-A port delivers up to 22.5W, all while allowing simultaneous charging of multiple devices at full speed.
I'm always a little bit suspicious of the typical multi-socket extension cords that, admittedly, I have scattered around my home. Every so often I spy one and immediately think to myself 'I really hope that is safe'.
In this regard, UGREEN has gone all out. The charger monitors the temperature 100 times per second, making real-time adjustments to maintain optimal operating conditions. While an orientation sensor adds another layer of safety, reducing power output if the charger is tipped over to prevent overheating and protect connected devices.
UGREEN says the charger has 11 protection protocols, including safeguards against over-current, overload, and over-temperature, all housed within a V-0 rated flame-retardant casing.
That's pretty cool. I also found the charger to be cool itself, no matter how many things I had plugged in. This gave me much peace of mind and is probably down to the six embedded GaN chips that deliver an energy conversion rate of up to 95%.
While it's not light, the charger is small enough that you can probably take it away on a family trip. I'd imagine it would be a godsend in a hotel.
Now all this technology doesn't come cheap. It's a high-end charger and is priced accordingly at £219.99. However, at the time of writing you can pick it up on Amazon for £175.99. Still pricey but if you have the need and the money, you can't do much better at the moment.
What users say
"Wowsers this thing is an absolute MONSTER of a charger Let's not mess around, this is a seriously powerful charger with a price tag attached for a reason. If you need to charge multiple power-hungry devices simultaneously then look no further."
"If I had to make any criticisms or suggestions, it would be useful to have LED charging indicators next to the sockets, just a basic LED that lights up when power is bing passed. This would be a useful and quick way to see if your device had finished charging. As it is, the whole body is lacking any kind of illumination, which is kind of odd in a modern device."
Alternatives
Article continues below
Glitfix 600W USB C Charger Station- 8 Port GaN III Safe USB Multi Charger
FINIBO 570W USB C Charging Station
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
15 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Technology: Ugreen Nexode Power Bank
Good points? The 20,000 mAh battery packs enough juice to top up a gaming laptop about 1.3 times or give nearly four full charges to an iPhone 16 Pro making it ideal for long days away from wall outlets. With an output of 165w the device enables simultaneous fast charging of a laptop, tablet, and phone. There's also a trickle charge mode for smaller devices like earbuds and smartwatches. The retractable 65cm USB-C cable offers adjustable lengths to avoid cable mess and a magnetic tip keeps the cable secure when stowed. Both the built-in cable and USB-C port support 100w bidirectional charging which means you can recharge the Nexode just as fast as you can charge your gadgets. Its TFT display offers real-time data on power output, battery level and voltage giving more insight than most power banks. The charger utilises a 13-layer safety system which includes a feature that constantly checks the device temperature for overheating. This sets the Nexode apart from other power banks and gives greater peace of mind. Bad points? At around 530g it's heavier than average phone-focused power banks and its bulk (146 x 54 x 50mm) make it not exactly pocket friendly. Best for ... Those mule-like professionals, travellers, and tech enthusiasts who rely on and cart around laptops, tablets, and phones on the go. Avoid if ... You only need to charge a phone occasionally or are looking for something lightweight and budget friendly. It's likely overkill for users who don't travel often or don't use power-hungry devices regularly. Score: 9/10 Ugreen Nexode Power Bank, £59.99 (
Scotsman
a day ago
- Scotsman
EcoFlow Rapid Pro review – ultra-fast charging, monster capacity, smart features
The EcoFlow Rapid Pro is one of the most powerful power banks on the market - but is it worth its price tag? | EcoFlow This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. Big, powerful and brilliantly clever, the EcoFlow Rapid Pro is pricey but packed with features – and seriously fast. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... If you're going to spend more than £100 on a power bank, you'd be expecting some pretty serious features. You'd want at least 20,000mAh, for example. A digital display would be a must, it would need a hefty power output and fast recharging time, and a retractable cable is all the rage nowadays - so it'd at least be a nice touch. They're all present and correct in EcoFlow's latest product, the Rapid Pro. It's part of a series of genuinely portable "Rapid" products from the brand that's made a name for itself with beefy portable power stations and solar solutions. And it's seriously impressive. It costs £139.99, and that's only if you can catch a launch deal knocking £30 off the usual price. And then we should dispense of some headline figures, because they're really quite exciting. Is battery capacity is 27,650mAh. It has a total output of up to 300 watts across its three ports, it has a retractable USB-C cable that can put out 140 watts, and it can recharge at up to 300 watts thanks to a complex input system I'll come back to. It's a beefy device, so not something you'd slip in a pocket, but it'd fit fine in a bag It has a colour display that gives you all the information you need, such as recharge time, output, input, time remaining on the battery, and even some fun animations. It connects to the EcoFlow app, which is one of the best on the market, and it has a safety system that adjusts for overheating up to 10 million times a day. In practice, it's every bit as impressive as it sounds on paper. It's a bulky thing, and quite weighty at almost 700 grammes, so I'm not sure you'd want it in a pocket, but it's fine in a bag. The three sockets along the top can be used simultaneously, and that's a combined 300 watts altogether, or 140 watts in and out, and then 2x65 watts. The way it divides them up is so complicated it would take me an age to explain, but it's unlikely you'll need more power, put it that way. What's also complicated is the charging input system. Basically, you can charge it at up to 140 watts through a single port, or through a single port and the retractable cable at up to 240 watts. Then there's a thing called a "Pogo pin" which you need a Rapid Pro Desktop Charger for, and that'll give you up to 320 watts of inward grunt. To save you doing the maths, that's quick enough to charge this huge battery up in just 20 minutes. Bonkers. Recessed buttons on the side navigate the display, and it's a tricky setup to grasp at first, but you probably won't need it all that often. Connect it to a Rapid Pro Desktop Charger and you can top it up at a crazy 320 watts | EcoFlow And it's a shame there's no USB-A port, but not everyone will actually miss it, and we really should have weaned ourselves off that sort of connector now, anyway. I know it seems like there are a lot of numbers to get your head around with this device, but it's the numbers that make it so appealing. And when you compare its numbers to other devices at this price point the £140 cost makes more sense. For example, one of its closest rivals is the Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank. Costing £129.99 - if you can catch it on offer - it has the same 27,650mAh battery capacity, but "only" 250 watts across its three ports. And only two of those are USB-C, the other one's USB-A. And there's no retractable cable. And it takes longer to charge with an input of "only" 170 watts. I've tested the Anker rival and it's really very good. It's been one of my favourite high-end power banks for a long time. But then EcoFlow dropped this Rapid Pro on us, and it's changed everything. If you need serious power and your pockets are deep enough, this is just about as good as power banks get. EcoFlow has just set a whole new standard.
Scotsman
a day ago
- Scotsman
EcoFlow Rapid Pro review – ultra-fast charging, monster capacity, smart features
The EcoFlow Rapid Pro is one of the most powerful power banks on the market - but is it worth its price tag? | EcoFlow This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. Big, powerful and brilliantly clever, the EcoFlow Rapid Pro is pricey but packed with features – and seriously fast. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... If you're going to spend more than £100 on a power bank, you'd be expecting some pretty serious features. You'd want at least 20,000mAh, for example. A digital display would be a must, it would need a hefty power output and fast recharging time, and a retractable cable is all the rage nowadays - so it'd at least be a nice touch. They're all present and correct in EcoFlow's latest product, the Rapid Pro. It's part of a series of genuinely portable "Rapid" products from the brand that's made a name for itself with beefy portable power stations and solar solutions. And it's seriously impressive. It costs £139.99, and that's only if you can catch a launch deal knocking £30 off the usual price. And then we should dispense of some headline figures, because they're really quite exciting. Is battery capacity is 27,650mAh. It has a total output of up to 300 watts across its three ports, it has a retractable USB-C cable that can put out 140 watts, and it can recharge at up to 300 watts thanks to a complex input system I'll come back to. It's a beefy device, so not something you'd slip in a pocket, but it'd fit fine in a bag It has a colour display that gives you all the information you need, such as recharge time, output, input, time remaining on the battery, and even some fun animations. It connects to the EcoFlow app, which is one of the best on the market, and it has a safety system that adjusts for overheating up to 10 million times a day. In practice, it's every bit as impressive as it sounds on paper. It's a bulky thing, and quite weighty at almost 700 grammes, so I'm not sure you'd want it in a pocket, but it's fine in a bag. The three sockets along the top can be used simultaneously, and that's a combined 300 watts altogether, or 140 watts in and out, and then 2x65 watts. The way it divides them up is so complicated it would take me an age to explain, but it's unlikely you'll need more power, put it that way. What's also complicated is the charging input system. Basically, you can charge it at up to 140 watts through a single port, or through a single port and the retractable cable at up to 240 watts. Then there's a thing called a "Pogo pin" which you need a Rapid Pro Desktop Charger for, and that'll give you up to 320 watts of inward grunt. To save you doing the maths, that's quick enough to charge this huge battery up in just 20 minutes. Bonkers. Recessed buttons on the side navigate the display, and it's a tricky setup to grasp at first, but you probably won't need it all that often. Connect it to a Rapid Pro Desktop Charger and you can top it up at a crazy 320 watts | EcoFlow And it's a shame there's no USB-A port, but not everyone will actually miss it, and we really should have weaned ourselves off that sort of connector now, anyway. I know it seems like there are a lot of numbers to get your head around with this device, but it's the numbers that make it so appealing. And when you compare its numbers to other devices at this price point the £140 cost makes more sense. For example, one of its closest rivals is the Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank. Costing £129.99 - if you can catch it on offer - it has the same 27,650mAh battery capacity, but "only" 250 watts across its three ports. And only two of those are USB-C, the other one's USB-A. And there's no retractable cable. And it takes longer to charge with an input of "only" 170 watts. I've tested the Anker rival and it's really very good. It's been one of my favourite high-end power banks for a long time. But then EcoFlow dropped this Rapid Pro on us, and it's changed everything.
