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. One feature I surprisingly liked was the ability to cut power to an individual port from the app.
No unplugging the device. No reaching behind the desk. Tap, and that port stops supplying power.
Do you absolutely need that?
Probably not.
Some of the smart features definitely enter “nice to have” rather than “why did chargers not always do this?” territory. But being able to see the charger’s temperature and monitor what is happening across the ports is genuinely useful, especially when several expensive devices are connected to the same brick.
It also gives the Nexode Pro a little character. Chargers are normally the most boring objects I review. You plug them in and hope never to think about them again.
This one occasionally gives you a reason to look at it.
Not for everyone
Its biggest strength is also what determines whether you should buy it.
This is a lot of charger.
If you leave home carrying only a phone, hauling around a 160W four-device charger makes very little sense. A smaller charging brick will be cheaper, lighter and considerably easier to pocket.
The Nexode Pro starts making sense when you regularly carry several devices.
For me, that is its natural role: sitting on a desk powering everything, or going into a travel bag when I know I will be bringing a laptop alongside my phone and other gadgets.
There is also one practical annoyance to remember: the unit uses a three-pin plug, so depending on the outlet available to you, you may need an adapter. That is worth checking before traveling.
Ultimately, the UGREEN Nexode Pro 160W is not really trying to be the smallest charger in your bag.
It is trying to replace all the other chargers in it.
And if your usual travel kit resembles a small electronics store, that trade-off starts making a lot of sense.