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For business travelers, charger anxiety is real: bulky bricks, forgotten cables, and insufficient ports. Ugreen's Nexode 65W GaN charger tackles all three pain points with an ingenious solution – a built-in, industrial-strength retractable USB-C cable that rewrites the rules of power portability.

The GaN Advantage Unleashed
Gallium nitride (GaN) technology enables the Nexode's palm-sized form factor, a feat impossible with traditional silicon. But Ugreen pushes further by integrating a 27-inch cable directly into the chassis. This isn't a flimsy afterthought: the cable uses abrasion-resistant polymer and a magnetic latching system, surviving 25,000+ retractions according to stress tests. Senior ZDNET Contributing Editor Adrian Kingsley-Hughes confirmed: "The magnetic latch snaps securely – no flapping connectors. It survived my max-output torture test without overheating."

Power Distribution Mastery
Despite its size, the Nexode delivers serious juice:
- Built-in cable: 60W max (45W when all ports active)
- USB-C port: 65W PD/PPS support (laptop-ready)
- USB-A port: 22.5W (legacy device compatible)

This trifecta handles simultaneous charging for a laptop, phone, and earbuds – critical for airport layovers. The charger intelligently allocates power, supporting 45W/25W PPS for Samsung super-fast charging and 65W PD for premium laptops.

The Trade-Off & Triumph
At 6.9oz, the Nexode is denser than ultra-minimalist chargers. This heft, however, reflects its robust construction and integrated cable mechanism. For security-conscious users, it includes overvoltage/overcurrent/short-circuit protections and UL 62368-1 certification.

Why This Changes the Game
Retractable cables historically meant compromised power or fragility. Ugreen cracks the code by pairing GaN efficiency with cable engineering that withstands real-world abuse. At $33 (currently on Amazon), it eliminates the $25-$40 cable replacement cycle – making it a rare blend of innovation and pragmatic value. As Kingsley-Hughes notes: "It’s the charger I’d deploy in cable-theft-prone coworking spaces or cramped economy seats."

Source: ZDNET review by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, September 2025