This beast of a USB-C charger can power 3 laptops, and it's 20% off with this Black Friday deal

What’s the deal?

The Ugreen Nexode 300W GaN 5-Ports Desktop Charging Station is a beast and, right now, Amazon is offering it for $35 off the list price in this Black Friday deal.

Also: The best Black Friday deals live now

Why this deal is ZDNET-recommended

Chargers come in all sorts of sizes — from tiny ones for your smartphone to big ones for your laptop, to bigger desktop units that are designed to charge multiple devices.

The problem with the “one charger to rule them all” is that as soon as you start connecting multiple devices to the charger, the power output falls through the floor. You think that a charger will offer you all the power you need, but once you load it up, it’s just not up to the challenge anymore. 

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But I found a charger that’s an absolute beast. A unit. Built like a brick, it has five ports, will replace a whole bank of standalone chargers, and can output a total of 300W, which is more than twice what Apple’s standard single-port 140W MacBook Pro charger can deliver.

This charger is the Ugreen Nexode 300W GaN 5-Ports Desktop Charging Station. 

Ugreen Nexode 300W GaN 5-Port charger specs

• Total USB Ports: 4x USB-C and 1x USB-A
• Input: 100-240V～50/60Hz 4.2A Max
• USB-C1 Output: 5.0V⎓3.0A/9.0V-3.0A/12.0V⎓3.0A/15.0V.3.0A/20.0V⎓5.0A/28.0V⎓5.0A 140.0W Max
• USB-C2/C3 Output: 5.0V⎓3.0A/9.0V⎓3.0A/12.0V⎓3.0A/15.0V⎓3.0A/20.0V⎓5.0A 100.0W Max
• USB-C4 Output: 5.0V⎓3.0A/9.0V⎓3.0A/12.0V⎓3.0A/15.OV⎓3.0A/20.0V⎓2.25A 45.0W Max
• USB-A Output: 5.0V⎓3.0A/9.0V⎓2.0A/12.0V⎓1.5A/10.0V⎓2.25A 22.5W Max
• Total Output: 300W
• Dimensions: 116 x 95 x 53 mm
• Weight: 0.857kg

Let’s get right to the things I like about this charger.

First, it’s huge and weighty. This is good because unless a desktop charger has a fair amount of heft behind it, it gets dragged about by the cables attached. Sure, at almost 2 pounds, this is no travel charger, but I find lightweight desktop chargers to be a nuisance.

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Next, this charger outputs what it says it will output, and it can keep that up indefinitely. It’s amazing how many chargers you can find that will output their rated maximum for a few minutes or an hour or so, but then start having problems when heat starts to build up and the output starts to plummet.

That’s not the case with the Nexode 300W. This thing can output the full 300W indefinitely. It’s a very stable, high-quality charger.

What I also like about this charger is that the topmost USB-C port can always output 140W, no matter how many other ports are in use. 

Also: The best GaN chargers you can buy

I also like that when using the three ports, you can get 140W from the top port, 100W from the next, and 60W from the other.

This means you can use this charger to power three laptops, which is quite an achievement and makes it a great choice for those who juggle multiple laptops.

Another concern with chargers, especially the higher-power chargers, is heat. GaN (gallium nitride) chargers are more efficient and run cooler than their silicon counterparts, but they can still get hot.

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I ran the Nexode 300W hard, and it remained totally cool to the touch.

The charger also comes with a 5-foot 240W USB-C charging cable, and a 6.5-foot power cord. Both of these are high-quality and what you’d expect from this type of charger.

ZDNET’s buying advice

One thing to bear in mind is that this charger is not cheap. With a retail price of $170, it’s a premium piece with a premium price (although you can get $70 off the price over on Amazon, bringing it to a more reasonable price point). But when you consider that a single Apple 140W USB-C charger is $99, it puts things into some perspective. Also, this is a charger that delivers exactly what it says it will do on the box, and the box promises a lot. 

This is one of the best, most powerful USB-C chargers you can buy. If you need a charger that can handle three laptops, this is the charger for you.