Like all my other modern electronics, my Framework Laptop¹⁾ charges via USB-C. When I got it, I bought a Ugreen Nexode charger, an Anker Powerline Flow III cable and 3D printed an oganizer for it.

It works, but the result is a bit bulky and the cable is already showing some wear from being pinched by the organizer. So when I came across a 65W charger with a built-in retractable cable, I was intrigued. Could such a charger be a good solution? When I looked into it, I noticed that there are quite a few options and their size seemed to vary wildly. Time to do another comparison.

I was mostly interested in the performance of those chargers. Could they deliver the promised 65W without setting themselves on fire?

Ideally I would have tested with a dedicated DC load and an USB power meter. But I don't have a load that can pull 65W and my power tester doesn't speak USB PD either.

So I did use my laptop. Surprisingly none of the standard mechanisms in Linux gave me the actual power input²⁾. But I got Claude to figure out how to read the data directly from the laptop firmware using this script:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Measured adapter input power from the ISL9241 charger ADC. Run as root.
set -euo pipefail
 
PORT=3          # EC I2C port of the charger (Framework 13 "marigold")
ADDR=0x12       # ISL9241 8-bit I2C address
REG_IADP=0x83   # adapter input current, 22.2 mA/LSB
REG_VIN=0x87    # adapter voltage (VIN), 96 mV/LSB
INTERVAL=5
 
rd() { ectool i2cread 16 "$PORT" "$ADDR" "$1" | grep -oiE '0x[0-9a-f]+' | tail -1; }
 
while true; do
    iadp=$(rd "$REG_IADP")
    vin=$(rd "$REG_VIN")
    mA=$(( (iadp & 0xFF) * 222 / 10 ))
    mV=$(( ((vin >> 6) & 0xFF) * 96 ))
    awk "BEGIN{printf \"%.2f V  %.3f A  %.2f W\n\", $mV/1000, $mA/1000, ($mV/1000)*($mA/1000)}"
    sleep "$INTERVAL"
done

To test, I ran stress to have the CPU run at 100% permanently, then drained the battery to around 40%, plugged in the charger and let it run for about an hour.

I wrote down the power it charged with at the beginning and the power after an hour - ideally both values should be close to 65W. I then took a picture with a cheap thermal camera and because its reported temperatures are somewhat off, I also did some temperature measurements with an infrared thermometer - taking the highest measured temperature (usually inside the USB-A port).

Of course I couldn't test the longevity of the retraction mechanism and the cable.

All chargers have been bought with my own money³⁾, all opinions are my own.

Here are all 5 devices I tested. In the foreground is what they compete against – my Nexode charger and the 1.8m Anker cable in the 3D printed organizer.

All chargers magnetically attach the USB-C connector to the housing, so it is not dangling around while the cable is retracted. All chargers offer an additional USB-C and USB-A port and they all use a similar kind of flat cable. The only exception is the Baseus charger which has no USB-A and slightly thicker cable.

The cable retraction works similar to a vacuum power cable: pull it out and it will stay put. Pull again a little and the cable is reeled back in again.

All chargers use Gallium-Nitride (GaN) technology and nominally deliver 65W⁸⁾ when using a single port or the builtin cable.

The Nexode X605's body is close to a cube, but this compactness does can not hide that this is the chunkiest of all tested chargers. Both in volume and in weight. It's the only one that has the cable reel in a horizontal position (assuming the plug is at the bottom).

The Ugreen provided a steady 55W to the laptop with a measured maximum temperature of 56°C – unlike for all other chargers the heat was concentrated in the bottom of the charger, close to the power socket. The rest of the device was only warm.

The cable outlet has some round over, so when the connector snaps in place, it is not at a sharp 90deg bend. Ugreen is a well known brand and is usually good quality - this charger is no exception.

I never heard of this brand before. The Mcdodo FreeGo is the only charger adding a charge light in the USB-C connector and a little LED display for the current charge wattage.

One thing this charger is missing is a little stopper at the cable that keeps stops the retraction before the connector hits the inlet – you have to guide the connector to have it snap back into place. The connector is also sitting proud of the housing which might become an issue when you throw this charger into your bag. When the connector is snapped into place, there is also a very sharp bend in the cable – a probable fault line in the future.

The charging started at around 54W, but after an hour only delivered 41W which probably is thermal throttling kicking in. Thanks to that the temperature read at around 53°C max and the device's outside was only warm, not hot.

Another unkown brand. The Topadre 65W is one of the smallest chargers I tested, but comes with the longest cable of them all.

The only somewhat interesting thing about the design is the very shiny silver top on the USB-C connector. I don't think it serves any purpose and is a major fingerprint attractor. Unlike with the Mcdodo, the connector is mostly sunk into the housing and the cable bend is less sharp.

The charger delivered full 60W the whole time. Not surprisingly with the small size and large cable, there is not much space to dissipate heat. I measured 64°C and the whole device was actually hot to the touch.

Baseus is a well known brand again. The Baseus Enercore is on the bulkier and heavier side again but with the second longest cable. The Baseus cable is also thicker than the rest. All other chargers have flat cables that are about 1.2mm thick – the Baseus cable is 1.7mm, potentially making it more robust.

The Baseus charger has another difference. The Euro-plug is offset to one side. Unlike all others, it thus only blocks one neighboring port instead of two when used in a powerstrip.

Unfortunately it was not able to deliver full power. It started at 58W but after an hour had throttled to 47W. The result was a cool 47°C measured maximum though.

The final candidate is sold under the name YKEJCLD, but like with many of those random letter companies, I expect this one to be sold under many different brand names.

The first thing to notice is the bold bright yellow color of course. I like that. Similar to the Mcdodo, the cable does have a sharp bend when the connector snaps into place. It is the lightest and smallest of the bunch.

Electrically it was able to deliver 57W the whole time. But just like the Topadre it was not great at dissipating heat. I measured a top temperature of 69°C and uncomfortable to touch.

Unfortunately there is no clear winner.

The Baseus felt like an okay compromise of being somewhat bulkier than many of the others but providing a more robust cable with an okay length and a better power strip compatibility – unfortunately with it not being able to deliver the full power without throttling disqualified it.

I think I will try my luck with the Topadre for its compact size and long cable. I am a bit worried that the electronics might not keep up with the high temperatures on the long term, but we'll see.

The Ugreen is a safe choice if you can live with the bulk and short cable.

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