8.5

UGREEN Nexode RG Charger Review

A little charging friend that packs a punch.

Have you ever looked at your phone charger and wished you could tell how it was feeling today? Maybe you’ve spent too long working from home and need someone new to talk to – the Ugreen Nexode RG charger might be your new best buddy.

A fully featured 65W USB-C charger, the RG joins the Nexode range to bring a little extra character to your office.

simply put

The Ugreen Nexode RG is a playful charger with serious performance. Don’t let its silly appearance fool you, this is a top quality 65W USB-C charger.

the good bits

Charming looks
Indicator screen
Compact size
Impressive charging performance

the not so good bits

Removable boots spoil the look
Effect is lost in most charging situations

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UGREEN Nexode RG 65W USB-C GaN Charger

design

You wouldn’t expect the design section of a charger review to be particularly important, but with the Ugreen Nexode RG, design is kind of the point. I’ll admit it, this is the cutest USB-C charger you’ll find.

There’s something seriously charming about this little robot, sat happily with its little booties sticking out, headphones on and waiting to charge up to three devices at once. The small screen gives the Nexode RG an animated face that allows for a bit of personality but serves a purpose too, offering a glance view of what the charger’s up to. You’ll find the Ugreen Nexode RG in two colour options, a sleek black or soft baby pink – both look and feel premium with a rock solid construction.

The Ugreen Nexode RG is undeniably adorable but a couple of design choices mean the charm quickly disappears. The boots need to be removed before you can actually use it, chopping the legs off your new friend and leaving you with an easily lost piece. The screen that shows the Nexode RG’s pixel face is a fun touch but in most charging situations will be facing the ceiling and hard to see so a little wasted.

Robot stylings aside, the Ugreen Nexode RG 65W charger is a pretty basic cube. The two USB-C and single USB-A ports along the top are nicely spaced and offer plenty of room around the them. It’s a compact unit overall too, the Nexode RG measures less than 7cm along its longest edge but like others in the Nexode Pro range the pins are fixed and won’t retract to save space.

performance

It may look cute but the Ugreen Nexode RG offers plenty of performance too. Putting the (admittedly gimmicky) robot outfit to one side, this is a fundamentally good 65W charger and offered equal performance to the standard Nexode Pro 65W.

The Nexode RG will cleverly divide its energy between all three devices if connected at the same time, so for maximum charging speed you’re limited to a single port at a time. There’s plenty of punch here though, the 65W maximum rating will charge an M2 MacBook Air to half capacity in just 30 minutes and even with an iPhone 15 Pro charging at the same time I was happy with how quickly my MacBook filled up.

As soon as you plug it in the Ugreen Nexode RG’s little face comes alive with a series of expressions designed to let you know what’s going on. It’s not a groundbreakingly useful feature but it’s charming enough and given the Nexode RG sits in-line with the price of the comparable 65W Nexode Pro it’s not doing any harm.

summed up

At the end of the day, beneath its playful exterior the Ugreen Nexode RG 65W is an impressive little charger. It performs well across both single device charging and with all three ports filled and the RG’s compact size make it easy it recommend.

The robot styling is entirely gimmicky but it’s completely harmless too. For a kids bedroom or an upward facing desktop charger it’s nicer to look at than a plain grey cube and you’re not sacrificing anything for the privilege of a little charging friend. If you’d rather a more traditional style however, both the 65W Nexode Pro and 160W Nexode Pro are equally excellent options.

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