Price is right for potent, 3-port Ugreen GaN Fast Charger [Review]

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UGreen's 65W GaN charger can top off three devices at once.★★★★☆
UGreen's 65W GaN charger can top off three devices at once.
Photo: DAVID SNOW/Cult of Mac

Strange to think that until quite recently, people carried around separate chargers for each device. And some people still do. But if you’re on the go for work or leisure, wouldn’t it be much better to bring one compact charging device and a few cables?

With compact and potent gallium nitride (GaN) chargers, you can — if yours has the requisite power and ports.

The Ugreen 65W GaN Fast Charger seems like a Goldilocks type, in that regard. At 65W of power output, it’s strong, but not as big as even more-potent chargers. And it has three ports to cover your basic charging needs.

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Ugreen 65W GaN Fast Charger

Right out of the decent-quality box, Ugreen’s middleweight GaN charger feels right — and it feels well-priced. The build quality seems high, even though the device’s exterior is plastic.

The two-tone device, with a matte gun metal gray metallic look on the sides, has a solidity to it. Not every choice out there is as well-built or well-equipped.

USB-C and USB-A cover most needs

Setup and use is simple. The device’s plug folds neatly away to conserve space. On the opposite end, three ports are clearly marked USB-C1, USB-C2 and USB-A. That covers most devices — laptops, tablets, smartphones and more.

While many of your devices are likely USB-C, plenty of gadgets still use USB-A. Earbud charging cases, headphones, wireless keyboards and wireless mice come to mind.

The one potential complaint someone might have here is simply wanting more ports. There are GaN chargers out there with four or more, including a 100W GaN charger from Ugreen. But with this 65W charger, you have something a little smaller and lighter, yet still useful.

The charger doesn’t come with cables. You use the ones you already have.

Ready power

You may be accustomed to plugging USB-A gadgets like peripherals into a dock connected to your computer. But plugging straight into this charger’s USB-A port might get the job done faster.

The Ugreen device’s USB-A port, when used alone, puts out 22.5W of power — more than you get from one port on a MacBook Pro (15W) powering an adapter with a USB-A port.

Along those lines, the Ugreen charger brought my Sennheiser Momentum 3 over-ear headphones from 20% to nearly full in short order, faster than when I plug them into my MacBook Pro. Same story with my Tribit MaxSound Plus Bluetooth speaker.

In general, the charger can provide up to 65W of high-speed charging power, which is plenty to fast-charge smartphones, tablets, laptops, peripherals and other gadgets.

Using multiple ports

As with other multiport GaN chargers, the more ports you engage, the more the power is distributed.

For example, with one USB-C device connected, you get a 65W maximum charge. So you can charge 13-inch MacBook Pro from empty to 100% in less than two hours, the company said. I didn’t test it on my MacBook Pro, which is seemingly forever attached to my monitor’s USB-C hub, charging if ever charging is needed.

In my test of one 65W port on the Ugreen charger, I found it took about 54 minutes to charge my iPhone 13 Pro from 20% to 90% — pretty much exactly the same amount of time Apple’s 20W charger takes to do the same task. But that could have something to do with Apple limiting capacity from third-party chargers connected to Apple products.

Speaking of Apple’s traditional 20W charger, it’s two-thirds the size of Ugreen’s 65W GaN Fast Charger. That shows the power of GaN, which safely packs more into less space.

Note that Ugreen’s GaN charger intelligently allocates power output to protect against the dangers of over-current, over-voltage, overheating and short circuits. During my use, it never even got warm.

Ugreen 65W GaN Fast Charger features (model CD244-2C1A):

  •  65W max output: fast full charging for 13-inch MacBook Pro within 2 hours.
  •  3-port fast charger: 2 USB-C ports and 1 USB-A port charges three devices simultaneously.
  •  Latest GaN technology: GaN tech makes this wall charger smaller in size, more efficient on performance and lower temperature in operation than traditional silicone options.
  •  Comprehensive protection: Avoid over-current, over-voltage, over-heating and short-circuit even with overnight charging.
Note the power output with different ports in use.
Note the power output with different ports in use.
Photo: Green

The bottom line: For the price, the Ugreen 65W GaN Fast Charger is an excellent choice. That’s especially true when you apply the 5% off coupon the Amazon product page before checkout.

Where to buy: Amazon

Ugreen provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out more in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.

★★★★☆

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