UGREEN 100W Charger Review: Something has changed with UGREEN products, they’re becoming more premium without increasing prices. This GaN X 100W charger is a testament to this with a refined and high-end look concealing plenty of new tech.
{Tech} for Travel
UGREEN 100W Charger Review – $79/£79
The speed at which UGREEN is getting into the travel tech market with modern, functional and well-priced gadgets is staggering.
Along with hubs and robust cables, UGREEN has six different wireless earbud options, and anyone who’s asked me to recommend a budget-friendly pair of buds in the last few months will all say I told them to look at the HiTune.
My daily and travel workstation is the 16″ MacBook Pro; I’m always keen to review 100W chargers. For all of the technology brands like Apple that create beautiful looking devices, they’ve all dropped the ball regarding UK chargers.
UGREEN 100W Charger Review // Features
The UGREEN 100W charger is not a travel adapter with changeable or swappable prongs. It comes in three different models; US, UK & EU. So, although it is not a go anywhere adapter, if you travel within any of these often, you may want to consider swapping it over for your current laptop power brick.
In North America and Europe, this 100W model has the same styling as the 65W charger I reviewed recently. The US version even has foldable prongs, whereas the EU and UK models are fixed.
I tested the UK version for this UGREEN 100W Charger Review, which has a more rectangular and longer body. This longer body made the charger great for small, tight spaces as it’s no wider than a standard UK plug. And with all of the ports positioned on the backplate, they were easily accessible at all times.
However, there was a slight downside to the design. The weight is evenly spread over the charger, acceptable at 274g. It comes in slightly heavier than a standard charger. As a reference point, the UK 65W version with the same number of ports is just 187g.
But, if you attach it to a travel adapter, the weight does pull down on the travel adapter, so I’d recommend using it directly into a wall socket.
Once again, UGREEN has future-proofed its new 100W charger with GaN technology which vastly improves the charging efficiency and 3x USB-C ports packed full of current charging protocols. There is a single USB-A slot for any older devices you may need to charge.
UGREEN 100W Charger Review // Power
Inside, there’s a transformer that controls the correct amount of power to your devices so that the charger can handle devices ranging from tiny buds up to some of the larger laptops.
During the UGREEN 100W Charger review, I tested it on a 16″ MacBook Pro, 2021 11″ iPad Pro, a Nintendo Switch and Apple Watch. The power of the four ports
- USB-C1/2 = 100W Max PD3.0(PD2.0) /QC4+(QC4.0QC3.0QC2.0)/PPS /AFC/APPLE 5V2.4A/BC1.2
- USB-C3 = 22.5W Max PD3.0(PD2.0) /QC4+(QC4.0QC3.0QC2.0)/PPS /AFC/APPLE 5V2.4A/BC1.2
- USB-A = 22.5W Max SCP/QC3.0/AFC/FCP/APPLE 5V2.4A/BC1.2
To get the most from this charger, you’ll need to ensure you’re using the correct cables. UGREEN has a range of USB-C cables, including 100W & 60W leads, both of which match the styling and colour scheme of the new 100W charger.
UGREEN 100W Charger Review // Performance
If it’s 100W of power you need, then the UGREEN charger will deliver it, albeit when only a single device capable of drawing that power is attached. I tested it with a 16″ Macbook Pro and achieved a 50% charge in a little over 45 minutes. This is on par with the UGREEN stated charging time.
The performance depends on the device/s and ports you use. UGREEN provides the below table to explain the power delivery based on the port/s in use at any one time.
Impressively, thanks to the intelligent chip and GaN technology, the 100W charger barely got warm, let alone hot or overheat, which is a reassuring feature. Many chargers can get too hot to touch after being fully utilised.
However, I encountered a problem with this only once during overnight charging. The 100W charger applies a charging pause when a new device is plugged in or removed. This lets the chip redistribute the power, which is perfectly fine.
On one occasion, I attached four almost flat devices to the charger and left them overnight. After several hours each device started to emit a ‘Ping’ to confirm it had begun charging again.
A loop of pings had started as the first fully charged devices stopped drawing power and started again. Not ideal.
UGREEN 100W Charger Review // Design
This is one of the most aesthetically pleasing chargers I’ve tested in a long time, and the US & EU models are not too bad either. The plastic case looks and feels like a metal one, and the grey/black colourway perfectly matches the UGREEN power cables (sold separately).
I made two trips during the review, and the charger lived in my backpack for both of them, and it still looks brand new. It has a reassuring weight when in hand, and the casing is durable.
One trend in powerful USB-C chargers is overly bright LED notification lights. UGREEN has decided to leave them off from this charger, and I can’t decide if I like that or not.
Usually, these LEDs can light up a dark hotel room at night, but with the UGREEN 100W charger, thankfully, this isn’t an issue, but it did make me miss them. A single small pinhole LED notification light would go a long way to making this excellent charger an even better one.
UGREEN 100W Charger Review // Specifications
| 100W Gan Charger (UK) | |
| Dimensions | 70 x 50 x 50mm |
| Weight | 274g |
| Colour Options | Grey Black |
| Port Output | USB-C1/C2：5V/3A 9V/3A 12V/3A 15V/3A 20V/5A 100W Max USB-C3： 5V/3A 9V/2.5A 12V/1.88A 22.5W Max USB-A： 4.5V/5A 5V/4.5A 5V/3A 9V/2A 12V/1.5A 22.5W Max |
| Max Output | 100W Single port use |
| Short Circuit Protection | Yes |
| Foldable Prongs | North America – Yes Europe – No United Kingdom – No |
| In the Box | 100W GaN Charger Manuals |
How much is the UGREEN 100W Charger?
The UGREEN 100W charger is $79/£79/€79.
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
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If you don’t need the full 100W of power, the UGREEN 65W charger is a good alternative.
I quite like UGreen as a brand. I have an adapter of theirs for USB-C to HDMI & USB for the TV and it’s pretty nifty coming with 4 ports. It’s a shame this one is a bit weightier and I don’t think I’m keen on the lack of light either. I get that bright light isn’t ideal if you’re charging overnight, but I agree with you in that a small LED would have sufficed. I like the confirmation that something is actually charging, especially given how often I forget to turn a plug on at the wall!
Fab review as always.👍
Caz x
I remember to plug it into the wall and turn on, I just forget to attach the cables! Thanks for reading.