I took apart this cheap 600W charger to test its claims. What I found inside was not right
Some things really are too good to be true, like this GaN charger from eBay.
It's easy to silkscreen 600W on the product, but can the product live up to the hype?
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
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I test dozens of chargers every year. Some are excellent, while others fall short. Here on ZDNET, I only feature the cream of the crop -- the best of the best. However, I occasionally receive requests from readers asking for my thoughts or opinions on specific products.
Lately, one product that's been generating a lot of buzz is this 600W GaN charger.
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So, I bought a couple for testing. At $99, they're not exactly cheap, but compared to the Ugreen Nexode 300W unit, which costs $140, they seemed like a bargain. After all, this is an 8-port, 600W charger versus a 5-port, 300W unit.
8 ports -- has to be cool, right? Wrong!
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Red flags
The first red flag for me was the no-name brand -- a generic name I'd never heard of before. Why does this company have 600W chargers on the market, while the big names -- Anker, Ugreen, Belkin, Baseus, and others -- don't? I've heard of and dealt with these companies extensively, and they've built reputations for quality and reliability.
But things went downhill the moment I plugged it in.
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The first issue I noticed was that the charger was erratic. I could get 140W out of one of the USB-C ports, but the other 140W port wasn't cooperating and seemed to be stuck at around 65W. To make matters worse, one of the 100W ports appeared to be completely dead.
Another major problem was that plugging or unplugging devices would often cause the charger to malfunction. More often than not, it would enter a state where it stopped working entirely, requiring me to unplug the power cable to "reboot" it and get it functioning again.
Not good.
The charger needs a reboot -- again!
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
No matter what I tried, I couldn't get this charger anywhere near its claimed 600W power rating. To make matters worse, it was erratic and temperamental.
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So, I decided to open it up and take a look inside.
Ballast perhaps?
The first thing that greeted me was a lump of... something. At first glance, it looked like a thermal compound, but it smelled and felt more like a window glazing compound, leaving behind an oily residue. It was also surprisingly heavy, almost as if it had been added to give the charger some artificial heft. Without it, the remains of the charger felt incredibly light.
Not sure what this inside the charger is... ballast perhaps?
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Smells weird...
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Definitely not what I'd expect from a 600W charger.
Serious safety hazard
A quick examination of the circuitry revealed that this is a sub-par piece of equipment. Without getting too technical, the separation between the mains voltage and the low-voltage sections of the charger is inadequate.
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This poor design means that a malfunction could potentially result in the charger outputting mains voltage -- a serious safety hazard. Additionally, the transformers and voltage regulators used don't appear to be capable of delivering the advertised 600W.
This is NOT what a quality product looks like.
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Another concern was how easily the case popped open, exposing the internal components. If this charger fell off a desk while plugged in, the side cover could detach, exposing the high-voltage components. This creates a dangerous situation where someone could accidentally come into contact with the mains voltage while retrieving the charger.
The bottom line
This charger doesn't make the cut. It doesn't even come close.
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This is exactly why I extensively test everything -- from power banks and chargers to power stations. Manufacturers can easily make bold claims on spec sheets, packaging, or even the product itself, but creating a device that actually delivers on those promises is a far greater challenge.
Need a powerful charger? Go for something like the Ugreen Nexode 300W or Anker Prime 250W. These are quality products that deliver the goods from companies with a track record of delivering the goods.