UGREEN Nexode Pro 160W review: One charger to rule them all

There is a point in every trip where your bag stops carrying gadgets and starts carrying chargers for the gadgets.

Laptop charger. Phone charger. Tablet charger. Another cable because apparently the first three were not enough.

The UGREEN Nexode Pro 160W Charger with Retractable Cable is basically an attempt to end that mess with one chunky block.

And chunky is the right word.

At first glance, I honestly thought this was a power bank. It has the size and weight of something that looks like it should contain a battery, but it does not. This is strictly a wall charger.

What you get in exchange for carrying that extra heft, however, is a lot of charging capability in one device.

The Nexode Pro can deliver up to 160 watts of total output, while a single USB-C port can supply up to 140W, enough for the kind of laptops that normally require their own dedicated charger.

There are four ways to plug in: two USB-C ports, one USB-A port and, more interestingly, a built-in 70-centimeter retractable USB-C cable.

That retractable cable quickly became one of my favorite parts of the charger.

It sounds like a small convenience until you forget a cable. With this, at least one USB-C device is always covered. Pull the cable out when you need it, let it retract when you are done, and there is one less loose wire bouncing around inside the bag.

More importantly, you can charge up to four devices at once.

That makes much more sense when your usual setup includes a laptop, phone, tablet and perhaps another accessory. Instead of finding four outlets or carrying several charging bricks, one charger can take over the entire job.

A charger that may be

too smart

Then things get slightly ridiculous.

There is a display on the charger showing information such as charging speed, voltage and temperature.

And yes, this wall charger has an app.

You can connect it to your phone and monitor or control different charging functions remotely.