If you’re anything like me, you have a bag full of cables and charging bricks at home. Most of them will probably never be used again, but I can’t bring myself to throw them away…just in case.
When I travel, I have to pack multiple cables and bring multiple charging bricks so that I can charge all my Apple devices. I need a Lightning cable for my iPhone/AirPods, USB-C for my MacBook, and something for whatever the Apple Watch charger is called.
Like you, I’ve longed for one cable to rule them all. However, Apple is not there yet. So, the next best thing might be a single charging brick.
The Zeus 270W Charger
Recently, I was approached by a company called Chargeasap to see if I wanted to try out one of their newest products, the Zeus 270W GaN charger. I was intrigued by the premise, so I agreed to take a look.
A week or so later, it arrived in the mail, and I’m not sure if I have ever seen anything like this before. The Zeus charger has a 140W USB-C port, two 100W USB-C ports, and a 36W USB-A port.
It even has a 1-inch OLED display that shows real-time information about the power output from each port measured in Watts and Amps, as well as a fast-charging status indicator.
What is a GaN Charger?
GaN stands for Gallium nitride. It’s a semiconductor material that allows charging bricks to be smaller and more power efficient. To give you a size comparison, a 30W GaN charger is about the size of the old 5W iPhone charger that Apple used to include with the iPhone.
However, the Zeus charger is not small, (90 x 42 x 50 mm). It’s not light either, (11 oz), but it packs 270 watts of power into a portable, travel-sized device that is easy to pack.
Is 270 Watts a Lot of Power?
Actually, it is. I looked on Amazon to see if I could find anything even close to 270W, and very few manufacturers are making anything this powerful.
My go-to company for third-party cables and chargers is Anker. Their flagship 747 GaN charger also has 3 USB-C ports and a USB-A port, but it has a maximum load of 150 watts, and a single USB-C port only charges to a maximum of 100 watts, versus 140 watts in the Zeus charger.
The UGREEN 200W Desktop Charger is another alternative. It has four USB-C ports and two USB-A ports. Two of the USB-C ports are rated at 100W and two are 65W. The USB-A ports top out at 22.5W. So, although this has more ports, it also has less power.
What Can You Charge?
A single 270W Zeus charger can power 3 laptops simultaneously. You can connect a 16″ MacBook Pro (140W) and two MacBook Airs (35W each) and charge them all at full speed. That still leaves you a USB-A port in reserve for your iPhone or Apple Watch.
Here’s a breakdown of the four ports and their output when in use:
- USB-C1 = 140W
- USBC2 or USBC3 = 100W
- USB-A = 36W
- USB-C1 + USB-C2 or USB-C3 = 140W + 100W
- USB-C1 + USB-C2 + USB-C3 = 140W + 65W + 65W
- USB-C1 + USB-A = 140W + 36W
- USB-C1 + USB-C2 or USB-C3 + USB-A = 140W + 65W + 36W
- 4 ports used simultaneously: 140W + 65W + 12W + 12W
Of course, it’s not just Apple devices that you can charge with the Zeus 270W charger. You can charge digital cameras, USB speakers, headphones, a Nintendo Switch, and even a portable power device like Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack.
Performance Under Testing
In my testing of the Zeus 270W charger, I was delighted with the results. It does what it was designed to do: charge devices quickly and reliably. It can get a little warm under load, but it never got too hot or had me concerned about the welfare of my devices.
The Zeus charger comes with a variety of interchangeable travel adapters, so you can use it abroad. They effortlessly slide in and out and certainly add to the versatility of this device. I will definitely take the Zeus charger with me on my next trip to the U.K.
The OLED screen is a really nice touch. For Apple fans, it’s also a useful insight into Apple’s Optimized Battery Charging. You can see exactly how much power is being pumped into your device and when that pauses or changes the charging rate when the battery is nearly full.
My only real gripe with the Zeus was the articulating prongs on the US model. They don’t always work the way you want, and they can be a little tricky to flip open until you get used to it.
You can use the charger in a wall outlet, but the weight of the charger is such that it doesn’t always feel like it is inserted securely, especially when all the ports are in use. It’s fine 90% of the time, but if you happen to knock or pull on a cable accidentally, it’s not too hard to dislodge the Zeus. This wasn’t a big problem for me, but it’s something to be aware of.
The Zeus worked flawlessly when connected to a floor or desktop charging strip, as in the image below.
Final Verdict
Overall, I have enjoyed using the Zeus 270W charger. It’s fast, reliable, and has more power than most people will need. The Zeus is a perfect travel companion, and although I still need to pack cables, I love the idea that I don’t need as many charging bricks.
If you want a four-port charger that comes with multiple travel adapters, you won’t have to look much further than this.
The Zeus 270W charger is available now on Indiegogo.
