UGREEN Nexode 500W test: Fast and versatile charger?

Scope of delivery

• Charger in bulky format
• No separate USB-C cable included

As soon as you unpack it, you notice that the charger is quite bulky at around 15 cm long, around 12 cm deep and a good 6 cm wide and is clearly designed for use as a powerful desktop charging solution. In addition to the charger itself, the scope of delivery also includes a C13 power cable measuring two meters in length. Of course, the usual paperwork, such as the accompanying instruction manual, is also included. Considering the price, however, it is a shame that UGREEN does not include an additional USB-C cable. After all, the manufacturer itself offers various charging cables from 100 to 240 watts in its own online store, which would complement each other perfectly.

Appearance & workmanship

• Minimalist design with labeled charging capacities of the ports
• Very high-quality workmanship with stable stand thanks to silicone feet
• Relatively heavy (1.6 kg), therefore more suitable for stationary use

In terms of design, the UGREEN Nexode 500W is quite minimalist. The charger has a dark housing with a matt gray finish. The angular, rounded shape looks robust, while the five USB-C ports and the USB-A port sit neatly in the front panel. It is worth mentioning that the USB ports have different speeds. UGREEN clearly marks the maximum output power directly under the respective port. These range from 20 watts for USB-A to 240 watts for the top USB-C port and 100 watts for the other ports. However, UGREEN does not use LEDs to visualize the current charging process at the individual ports.

The UGREEN Nexode 500W impresses across the board with its very high-quality workmanship. Thanks to the robust plastic housing with cleanly finished transitions, the charger leaves a stable and durable impression. Two silicone feet on the underside ensure that the charger remains securely in place on the desk – even with several cables connected.

However, two points stand out: Firstly, the charger weighs a hefty 1.6 kilograms. If you take the Nexode 500W in your hand, you immediately notice that there is a lot of technology involved. Accordingly, the UGREEN Nexode 500W is more suitable for stationary setups on the desk, while it tends to be less suitable for traveling – especially if weight is an issue. It would also be ideal if UGREEN were to offer a later version of the charger including a display with the respective power values of the individual ports. In relation to the price range, this would offer meaningful added value.

Features

• 240 W USB-C1 port for particularly powerful laptops
• Up to 500 watts total power for multiple devices simultaneously
• GaN technology with high efficiency and comprehensive protection mechanisms

The performance at a glance

On a purely technical level, the UGREEN Nexode 500W is in a league of its own. The highlight is the USB-C1 port with an impressive 240 watts of power in accordance with the Power Delivery 3.1 standard. This allows extremely energy-hungry devices such as laptops to be recharged particularly quickly. UGREEN cites the large 16″ MacBook Pro as an example, which can be charged to 60% within 30 minutes. All other USB-C ports also have an impressive output of 100 watts per port. Even if all five USB-C ports were occupied by notebooks, an output power of around 60 watts would still be available at each port, and 240 watts would still be available at the first port – really powerful!

Important to know: Up to 240 W of power is always available via the USB-C1 port. Even if this capacity is not fully utilized, the total output of the other ports is reduced to a maximum of 260 watts.

GaN, protection mechanisms and protocol diversity

Technically, the manufacturer relies on gallium nitride technology (GaN) for the UGREEN Nexode 500W, for which a total of six GaNInfinity chips are installed. This approach should enable a particularly high efficiency of up to 95% and at the same time ensure lower heat generation and intelligent power management. Another interesting feature of the UGREEN Nexode 500W is its clever direction detection. As soon as the charger detects that the housing is at a steep angle, the power is automatically reduced. This serves a safety purpose and is intended to prevent overheating or possible malfunctions.

The equipment is rounded off by broad support for various protocols – including PD 3.1/3.0, PPS, Quick Charge, AFC and FCP. In simple terms, this means that the charger is compatible with a wide range of devices, including Apple MacBooks, Dell laptops, iPads, smartphones and even smaller gadgets. At the same time, UGREEN has integrated eleven protection mechanisms. The most important protective measures include overcurrent, overvoltage, short-circuit and overtemperature protection, which ensure safe operation.

Practical test: Is the power sufficient for all devices?

• Easy charging of several devices simultaneously without any noticeable loss of performance
• Moderate heat development even under higher loads
• Port power distribution somewhat confusing from several devices

In the practical test, the UGREEN Nexode 500W shows what it was designed for – namely the simultaneous supply of several devices without any loss of power. Various laptops, tablets and smartphones could be connected without any problems, all of which were charged quickly.

Apart from the first port with 240 watts, all other USB-C ports provide enough power to charge almost any device quickly in our opinion. Especially for slower devices such as smartwatches or over-ear headphones, the USB-A port with 20 watts is completely sufficient. In everyday use, we did not notice that the actual charging times increased accordingly or that the devices charged significantly slower when charging at the same time. However, it was noticeable that there was a certain amount of waste heat. However, compared to older and usually cheaper models, it never got particularly hot.

However, if you wanted to fully operate a laptop with 100 watts at each USB-C port, the difference down to 60 watts per port would be more noticeable. For this test, however, we did not have a representative number of devices that permanently access such a power supply. The same applies to the maximum load of the first USB-C port. Theoretically, up to 240 W is available, but we were unable to fully access this power in the test as the corresponding consumers were missing. However, a USB-C cable required for this, which enables 48 V at 5 A, was available to us in the test. USB-C cables with 100 W each at 20 volts and 5 amps were used for the rest of the test, including the load test.

One point of criticism that stands out in practice is the operability of the different power levels of the charging ports. Especially with three or more devices, the handling of the port limits is somewhat confusing if you don’t want to read which port limits first every time.

Conclusion

The GaN power supply UGREEN Nexode 500W leaves an all-round solid impression in the test. Thanks to five USB-C ports and one USB-A port, there are sufficient interfaces for parallel fast charging. Above all, the 500 watts of total power and the special 240 W port with Power Delivery 3.1 are probably primarily aimed at technically demanding users. In terms of suitability for everyday use, there were no noticeable issues with voltage instability or excessive heat development despite charging a wide variety of devices – although the power supply does heat up during the charging process.

However, we do see potential for optimization in terms of usability. It would be helpful to be able to see directly on the device which maximum power is available for which port assignment. Although the operating instructions provide the relevant information, an integrated display would be a much more convenient solution here. This could show both the current charging power of the individual ports and the active power distribution and would be a good match for a premium charger that costs around €200. So if UGREEN is planning a V2, a display would improve two things at once.

All in all, the UGREEN Nexode 500W is a convincing solution for those who want to bundle as much charging power as possible into a single device instead of having several power supply units on their desk. At the same time, the market for chargers is now very broad. Depending on the area of application and the number of devices to be charged, suitable alternatives can also be found in lower price ranges.

PROS

• High overall performance
• Six charging ports (USB-C and USB-A)
• 240 watts via single USB-C port
• GaN technology with high efficiency
• Extensive protection mechanisms

CONS

• High price
• Large and heavy construction
• Power distribution depending on the port assignment

Detailed Rating

Processing100

Hardware90

Performance100

Price-performance ratio80

Conclusion

Looking to the future, UGREEN has created an absolutely futuristic charger with the Nexode 500W. One limitation at the moment, however, is that suitable end devices and USB-C cables with support for 240 watts via Power Delivery 3.1 are still a rarity on the market. Nevertheless, buyers of the UGREEN Nexode 500W should be well prepared for both the current and future generation of devices.

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