Over the last couple of years, the number of computers, headphones, cameras, and portable batteries that charge with USB-C that I’ve acquired has ballooned substantially. I’ve resorted to using batches of individual USB-C plugs cobbled together in my aging infrastructure, but it’s an inelegant solution. That’s where the UGreen Nexode came in.
The UGreen Nexode is not a complicated device: it’s a beefy 2,175-gram, 5.9-inch-tall, $220 silver and gray rectangle that offers a total of 500W of charging out of five USB-C ports and one USB-A port. Given the sheer number of electronics that most photographers and filmmakers have that all require USB-C — and high-wattage charging, too — there is a lot to like about the simple value proposition of the Nexode.
UGreen Nexode Review: Design and Build Quality
This section is going to be quick because there isn’t a ton to say. The first thing you’ll notice about the Nexode is that it feels like it’s built like a tank. Pulling it out of the box, that 2,175 gram weight is noticeable: it’s dense. Luckily, once you have it on your desk, you’re probably never planning on moving it, so the weight isn’t a big deal. One of the reasons it’s so heavy is that it does not have a power converter on the cable. A lot of electronics, like PC laptops or RAID arrays, slim down their appearance and improve heat management by hiding a lot of the power management in a power brick. UGreen didn’t do that here, which means the power cable is just a cable and is, therefore, easy to tuck away in whatever cable management solution you’re using at your desk.
The Nexode’s exterior is made of plastic, but it doesn’t feel like the cheap kind. Inside, UGreen equipped this charging base with 11 levels of protection: over-current, over-voltage, over-power, short-circuit, electrostatic, lightning, anti-interference, anti-surge, soft-start, and over-temperature protection. This is all managed by an array of six custom GaN chips. UGreen says a set of multi-channel sensors performs constant real-time monitoring of heat to assure nothing goes awry, and given the load I’ve put on this thing during testing, I see no reason not to believe the company.
As mentioned, there are four USB-C ports and one USB-A port on the front, and the power input on the back, and the Nexode does support fast-charging (PD 3.1) for over 1,000 devices. That’s it: simple.
UGreen Nexode Review: In Use
UGreen announced this beefy desktop charging system in June, and it’s been on my desk since, acting as the main hub for a host of my electronics. Where before I was running a rat’s nest of cables down the back of the desk into individual USB-C chargers, I now have a single cable that puts all of those ports easily accessible on a front-facing hub.
While it does have six total ports, the Nexode can only draw 500W of total power, so using them efficiently is managed internally by the device, depending on what you plug into it. The top port is the most powerful, offering 240W max charging. The four USB-C ports below it cap out at 100W each, while the USB-A port manages a max of 22.5W. If you plug something into all the ports, they can charge, but the Nexode will evaluate what each port is being asked to do and deliver power the best it can. That’s where the “GaN” in the Nexode’s name comes in: it stands for Generative Adversarial Network, or a type of machine learning.
If you’re just charging six devices that all don’t require high wattage, then you’ll have no problem. But if you’re trying to charge multiple laptops, smartphones, and a couple of camera batteries at the same time, then the onboard chips are going to distribute power in the most effective way they can.
For example, if you ask the top port to draw maximum power — say, for a laptop that is attempting to fast charge — that takes up 240W. That means the two ports below it can also transfer at their max 100W, but the fourth USB-C port will only get 60W. Depending on the state of what is plugged in, the Nexode will adapt the output of each of these ports most effectively to prevent slow charging due to insufficient power.
If you have every port occupied and are taxing the 240W port at max, the Nexode will charge them all, but it will push 60W max through the lower four USB-C ports and 20W through the USB-A port. So it’ll charge everything, but it has to make a choice on where to send power. Once that top port is no longer drawing max wattage, it can push more power through the lower USB-C ports to charge faster.
I have a lot of electronics, and I admit, I had to actually work to find six devices I wanted to charge simultaneously. Normally, I’m probably charging between three and four things at once, and when I’m at this desk, that top port is being set aside exclusively for my MacBook Pro, which still leaves 260W of power to be distributed to everything else — plenty.
UGreen Nexode 500W GaN Desktop Charger is an Affordable Luxury
My old pattern of running USB-C power bricks into every available set of outlets in my office when I come back from a shoot or business travel cannot possibly be unique: I know there are photographers and videographers who are doing the same thing. The truth is that method works and there isn’t anything necessarily wrong with it, it’s just messy. That means UGreen’s $220 Nexode charging bay is kind of a luxury. You don’t need it, but it’s certainly nice to have.
The asking price is pretty affordable given what it can do, but it’s not going to be a necessary item for everyone. Also, as much as it keeps my cables organized, I don’t keep things plugged into the Nexode all the time, as it can end up looking pretty messy. It’s not a worse solution than five individual cables strung up my desk, and there might not be a real way to keep my desktop from looking this scattered, but I do wish it didn’t look like this.
Are There Alternatives?
Power strips and chargers are commonplace, but a nice desktop solution like this is rarer. I think the closest thing to a direct competitor to the UGreen Nexode 500W charging station is going to be the Genki Moonbase, which offers a total of 240W GaN power through seven ports, maxing out its direct USB-C ports at 140W. It’s not quite as powerful overall, but it is only $129 and the inclusion of standard power plugs makes it more versatile. Plus, the Moonbase looks awesome, and you can’t just ignore how much that will matter to some folks.
If you don’t need that much charging power, you can also opt for the UGreen Nexode 300W version that is $150.
Should You Buy It?
Maybe. If you’re like me and like your desktop to be organized while you also regularly have a ton of electronics that need recharging, then the answer will be a stronger “yes.” However, for many, this will feel like a luxury that they can probably forgo.
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