UGREEN Nexode 300W review: The only desktop charging station you'll ever need

UGREEN established itself as one of the best charging accessory brands in recent years on the back of its Nexode series, and the Chinese manufacturer continues to excel in this area. Instead of talking up its portfolio, I wanted to share how I use UGREEN's products daily: the Nexode 200W serves as the de facto charging station for all the new phones and accessories that show up, and having used it for nearly a year now, I don't see myself switching out to anything else. This charging station has six ports and a total power budget of 200W — hitting 100W over individual USB-C ports — and it is ideal for my use case.

Then there's the Nexode 100W, which I use in the bedroom to charge the daily drivers — whatever phones my wife and I are using, and our smartwatches. It has three USB-C ports and a USB-A port, and it manages to charge four devices simultaneously. I also use the Nexode 100W 7-in-1 charging station on my desk primarily because it has AC outlets, allowing me to connect NAS servers or any other hardware I'm testing out at the moment and top up any phones via the 100W USB-C ports. Between these three products, I have all my charging needs catered to, and when UGREEN said it was introducing its next-gen charging station, I was obviously interested.

That charging station is the Nexode 300W. As the name suggests, this thing has a total power budget of 300W, more than any other UGREEN product thus far. But what's particularly interesting is that it is able to deliver 140W of power over a single USB-C port, making it a great choice for use with recent MacBooks and the best Windows notebooks. I used the Nexode 300W for just over six weeks, and here's why I think it is the best overall option if you want an all-in-one product that can safely charge all your devices at once. 

UGREEN Nexode 300W: Pricing and availability

UGREEN unveiled the Nexode 300W on September 5, and the charging station is now up for sale globally. It is available for $269 on Amazon, and you can pick it up for the same $269 on UGREEN's website. Over in the U.K., the Nexode 300W is listed for £269, and in Germany, the charging station costs €259.

UGREEN Nexode 300W: What you'll love

UGREEN went with a vertical design for the Nexode 300W, and this makes the charging station just that little bit easier to use on a desk. The design is identical to other UGREEN chargers, and you get a dark grey color scheme with a matte finish. There's 300W emblazoned on the side to remind you of the charging potential on offer here, and the charging station has a removable power cable.

The design and detachable power cable makes the Nexode 300W well-suited for portability, and the rubber feet at the bottom ensure the charging station stays planted on your desk. UGREEN bundles a USB-C to USB-C cable in the box, and like the charging station, the cable also works over the PD 3.1 standard and can safely charge devices up to 240W. The cable retails for $27 on its own, so it's good to see UGREEN bundle it here.

The Nexode 300W has five charging ports in total, one less than the Nexode 200W. There are four USB-C charging ports — labeled USB-C1 through C4 — and a single USB-A port at the bottom, and you'll find charging labels underneath the USB-C ports. The USB-C1 port hits 140W over the USB PD 3.1 protocol, and is ideally suited for charging devices that require a lot of power, like notebooks.

Image 1 of 3

The USB-C2 and USB-C3 ports can go up to a maximum of 100W individually, and the fourth USB-C port maxes out at 45W. The solitary USB-A port goes up to 22.5W, and it's better suited for accessories. Like other Nexode chargers, the Nexode 300W uses dual GaN chips to minimize the size and deliver consistent charging performance.

Here's the breakdown of the charging profiles for each port:

• USB-C1 (140W Max): 5V/3A (15W), 9V/3A (27W), 12V/3A (36W), 15V/3A (45W), 20V/5A (100W), 28V/5A (140W)
• USB-C2 (100W Max): 5V/3A (15W), 9V/3A (27W), 12V/3A (36W), 15V/3A (45W), 20V/5A (100W)
• USB-C3 (100W Max): 5V/3A (15W), 9V/3A (27W), 12V/3A (36W), 15V/3A (45W), 20V/5A (100W)
• USB-C4 (45W Max): 5V/3A (15W), 9V/3A (27W), 12V/3A (36W), 15V/3A (45W), 20V/2.25A (45W)
• USB-A (22.5W Max): 5V/3A (15W), 9V/2A (18W), 12V/1.5A (22.5W), 10V/2.25A (22.5W)

The Nexode 300W includes PPS support, so you will be able to charge the best Samsung phones at their fullest charging potential of 45W. I used the Nexode 300W as my primary charging station for over six weeks now, and it has fared flawlessly. I consistently saw over 87W with Windows notebooks that could hit 100W, and it was a breeze to charge my iPad Pro 12.9 and a multitude of phones, including the Galaxy S23 Ultra, Pixel 7 Pro, Galaxy Z Fold 5, and iPhone 14 Pro.

Now, coming to that 300W power budget, you can hit that by using the USB-C1, C2, and C3 ports simultaneously to charge three devices, going up to 140W, 100W, and 60W. With all the ports in use at the same time, you get a total power budget of 292.5W, which is more than adequate. There are a slate of safeguards built into the Nexode 300W to limit overcharging and ensure the charger doesn't overheat under load.

Here's what the various charging profiles look like with more than one port in use:

After nearly a month and a half of use, I have zero issues with the Nexode 300W when it comes to the performance side of things. It was effortless at charging all the devices I have in my house, and the generous power budget combined with the charging ports and clean design make the Nexode 300W the best charging station money can buy today.

UGREEN Nexode 300W: What needs work

The main limiting factor with the Nexode 300W is its price; as of writing, the charging station retails for $269. That's more than twice as costly as the Nexode 200W, which is selling for $129 at the moment.

And like the Nexode 200W, I would have liked the ability to charge a wider selection of phones. The Nexode 300W works over the USB PD 3.1 protocol, and while that's great in its own right, there's no option to use it with OnePlus and OPPO phones that use the SuperVOOC standard. You can plug in these devices, but charging will be limited to 10W.

While the charging station has a diminutive stature, it is bulky. It comes in at 868g without the cable, and that's significantly more than the 517g of the Nexode 200W. This isn't a problem if you need a charging station for your desk, but it is a consideration for use on the road.

UGREEN Nexode 300W: The competition

If you don't need 140W of power from a single port, the Nexode 200W may be a better choice for your needs. It's still able to deliver 100W over individual USB-C ports, and the 200W power budget is more than adequate for charging all your tech. And the best part is that as it was launched nearly a year ago, it's discounted to $129, making it a terrific bargain.

UGREEN Nexode 300W: Should you buy it?

You should buy this if:

• You want an all-in-one charging station to charge all your devices at once
• You need a USB-C port that can hit 140W
• You want the latest PD charging tech along with PPS
• You need a high power budget

You shouldn't buy this if:

• You need an affordable charging station
• You want a lightweight charger for use on the road

UGREEN is building on its dominance with the Nexode 300W. This charging station is overkill for most users, but if you want the ability to charge at 140W from a single USB-C port while charging other devices at the same time, there really isn't anything else that offers the same level of versatility.

Ultimately, that's the main differentiator for the Nexode 300W. There are plenty of charging stations that go up to 240W these days, but if you need more power and still want to charge up to five devices at once, the Nexode 300W is the obvious choice.