Ugreen charger review: Turbocharger family for gadget freaks

Power adapters are like teeth: You don't worry about them until the originals are gone. And as with teeth, getting a good replacement can be expensive. But at least when it comes to chargers, there are third-party solutions that combine multiple options in one affordable device. Ugreen is one of the vendors offering a whole range of charging solutions – and NextPit took a look at them for you.

Disclaimer: Ugreen provided us the 65-watt and 20-watt chargers and sponsored this review. However, it did not influence our opinion or the results.

You're probably wondering: Can power adapters be sexy? Probably not, you might say. Nevertheless, I did buy a 100 watt four-port charger from Ugreen for myself a few weeks ago after reading my colleague Antoine's French review and feeling a sort of "MUST BUY NOW!"-feeling.

Long story short, I haven't regretted buying the 100W charger for a day yet! When I can, I charge with the original accessories. But when I'm travelling or in the office, I only use this device, which has never let me down in three months. Now Ugreen has asked us to take a look at their other products. After my good experience so far, we're happy to do so.

You can find Ugreen's 100-watt power adapter on Amazon here:

Ugreen 100W USB-C power supply with 4 ports (79.99$)

Ugreen 65W USB-C power supply with 2 ports

The Ugreen charger with 65 watts has inherited the good looks and value from it's bigger sibling with 100 watts. The black, ribbed plastic looks high-quality and everything is solidly built. Nothing wobbles, the plastic does not give way under your fingers. And as it's flu season: The case is slightly smaller than a pack of tissues.

The quality is also as you would expect from a top device: Just great! We've tested several cables to see how they feel when plugged in and whether they could be moved. There was only a tiny amount of movement, if any, in all cables.

High quality, fast charging

As the name suggests, the Ugreen charger charges smartphones, tablets and notebooks with up to 65 watts. Supported standards include Power Delivery 3.0 and Quick Charge up to 4.0+. PPS (Programmable Power Supply) ensures optimization of current and voltage during charging. This increases efficiency, reduces temperature build-up, and ultimately protects the battery. If two devices are plugged in at the same time, the Ugreen Charger charges port 1 with a maximum of 45 watts, leaving 20 watts for the second port.

When charging smaller devices, such as smartphones or smartwatches, there is little or no noticeable heat generation with this device. If you charge a tablet or even a notebook with this power plug, the temperature increases accordingly and the plastic gets slightly warm. However, this is absolutely normal and comparable to the heat development of an original power adapter.

Fast charging even faster in the test

In the test, we charged an Oppo Find X3 Pro, a Samsung S21 Ultra as well as a MacBook Pro 13" with the charger. The notebook was even charged a bit faster than promised by the manufacturer: 25% battery level was reached in just under 20 minutes, 50% after 37.3 minutes and 100 percent after 1:40 hours.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra supports Power Delivery 3.0 with a maximum of 45 watts – hence the battery was charged to 50 percent after 24 minutes and completely after 58 minutes. The Oppo Find X3 Pro can be charged with 65 watts, but only via the proprietary SuperVOOC charging turbo. With Power Delivery, the maximum is at 18 watts. Accordingly, the complete charging process took just over one and a half hours.

You can find Ugreen's 65-Watt power adapter on Amazon here:

Ugreen 65W USB-C charger with 2 ports ($39.99)

Ugreen Mini 20W USB-C Charger

In terms of design, the 20W charging plug from Ugreen is very reminiscent of the original parts of larger, well-known manufacturers. The plastic is high-quality and glossy, while the shape, as mentioned, is reminiscent of other brands. Although the plastic does not have a rough surface, no visible fingerprints can be detected.

The USB-C charging slot accommodates the cables well and there is no wobbling once plugged in. The heat generation is as usual with comparable other devices. The plug gets warm to the touch without ever getting hot.

Charger ideal for smartphones and tablets

With a charging power of 20 watts, the Ugreen Mini power adapter targets smartphones and tablets. Thanks to the Power Delivery 3.0 and Quick Charge 4.0, 3.0, and 2.0 standards, the most important open standards are supported. As with the larger Ugreen chargers, PPS is also on board to optimize current and voltage during charging. This improves efficiency and thus reduces heat generation and battery wear.

In testing, we used the Ugreen Mini to charge both an Apple iPhone 13 Pro and a true Android oddity: The LG Wing. The iPhone 13 Pro takes up to 20 watts via Power Delivery 3.0 according to official specifications. Hence, already after 10 minutes, the 25 percent capacity mark is reached. After 22 minutes, the battery is half full, and after 71 minutes it is completely charged. The situation is similar for the LG Wing, which relies on Quick Charge 4.0. The first quarter of the battery is charged after 13 minutes, half of it after 26.5 minutes. The complete charging process finally takes one and a half hours.

You can find Ugreen's 20-watt power bank on Amazon here:

Ugreen Mini 20W USB-C Charger (12.99$)

Conclusion: Great charger, but fast charging not compatible with all smartphones

If you are interested in an Ugreen power adapter, then you should definitely take a look at the datasheet of your smartphone beforehand. Especially many Chinese manufacturers (Hello there, BBK group) only achieve the advertised high charging speeds when using their proprietary standards, which are not supported by third-party manufacturers. The 20 watts of the Ugreen Mini will get you on the road with the vast majority of smartphones. However, the 65 (or even 100) watts of the stronger Ugreen power supplies are usually only achieved with notebooks – or combined, if you charge several devices at the same time.

In our test, the Ugreen power adapters convinced us on the one hand with their high-quality workmanship and pleasant materials, but at the same time they also fully fulfilled the charging performance promised by the manufacturer. Thumbs up!