8-in-1 GaN Charging Station with Display and Retractable Cables PW46, 165W, Space Gray

On the front of the PW46, all outputs are in one place: two pairs of retractable USB-C cables on either side of the display, and below the display, ports C3, C4 and C5 with a USB-C connector and port A6 with a USB-A connector. Each output is labeled with its number and maximum power, so it is clear without the manual where the laptop goes and where the earbuds go. Four devices with a USB-C connector charge directly from the built-in cables, while the ports take the cables that already came with your devices. The station is especially useful where a laptop, a tablet and several phones are charged every day and there are few outlets near the desk.

The display on the front shows the total power the PW46 is currently delivering in large digits, and below it an overview of all eight outputs with their present voltage and current. The detailed view of a single output also adds its power in watts. A voltage higher than 5 V means that the device has negotiated fast charging with the station via one of the supported protocols. If a laptop stays at 5 V, it is immediately clear that it is charging at low power only, and there is no need to find out why the battery is filling up slowly.

Inside the PW46, gallium nitride (GaN) transistors switch faster and with lower losses than the silicon components of older chargers. The higher switching frequency allows for a smaller transformer, and lower losses mean less waste heat, which is why 165 W of power, eight outputs and a display all fit into a single desktop body. The housing is made of a combination of polycarbonate and ABS (PC + ABS): polycarbonate adds resistance to impact and heat, ABS adds dimensional stability. The metallic paint gives the surface the look of metal, but the body is plastic. The ventilation openings on the side of the station should be kept clear so that heat from charging can escape.

With two devices connected, port C3 or C4 delivers a maximum of 100 W, so the full 140 W is only available for a single device charging on its own. The highest total comes from combining port C3 or C4 with cable C1 or C2: 100 W for a laptop and 65 W for a second laptop or tablet, 165 W in total. Cables C1 and C2 deliver 65 W each at the same time, and ports C3 and C5 split the power into 100 W and 45 W. Cables C7 and C8 keep 45 W each even when charging at the same time, so two phones do not slow each other down.

The PW46 charging station is 133 mm wide, 48 mm high and 100 mm deep and weighs 536 g. On the desk, it takes up an area of 133 x 100 mm, roughly the size of a postcard. The mains power cable included in the box is 1.5 m long and reaches an outlet under the desk. Given its weight and separate power cable, the PW46 is better suited to a permanent spot on a work desk or at home, where several devices are charged at once, than to travel.