A compact, powerful charger that can handle multiple devices at one time.
At one point in time, power adapters were shipped with every single device that needed to be recharged. Now, it’s a rarity unless it’s a large enough device to warrant a special charger. For some companies, like Apple, it’s an environmental protection issue. Apple made this clear when they announced that a power adapter would not be included with the newest Apple Watches in an effort to reduce waste. For these instances, it’s sometimes prudent to look to a third party for a charger replacement. One of my favorite third-party companies is AUKEY. They consistently put out a solid product and their designs are practical for daily use. When I picked up their 90W 3-Port PD Wall Charger, I knew that I wouldn’t be disappointed.
DETAILS
The 90W 3-Port PD Wall Charger is listed as part of AUKEY’s Omnia series chargers on Amazon. They also classify it as a laptop charger, but it can do so much more. The charger offers high-speed charging (90W PD 3.0 from a single USB-C port) and has enough power to charger a MacBook at full speed. The charger is approximately 20% smaller than Apple’s 87W charger and produces 40% less energy waste. The charger features a foldable plug that makes it travel-friendly and handy to carry with you no matter where you go. The chart below shows how power output is divided when multiple devices are plugged in, but when all three ports are used together, the main USB-C port still provides up to 60W of power. The charger works with most USB-C laptops andPD devices.
| Model | PA-B6S |
| Technology | PD 3.0, QC 4.0, QC 4.0+, QC 3.0, MTK PE, FCP, AFC, SCP, Apple 2.4 |
| Input | AC 100-240V 50/60Hz 2A |
| Output | USB-C 1/2: 3.3-11V/5A (PPS); 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/4.5A (Max 90W) USB-A: 4.5V/5A, 5V/45.A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 20V/3A USB-C 1 + USB-A: 60W + 30W (Max 90W) USB-C 2 + USB-A: 12W + 12W (Max 24W) USB-C 1 + USB-C 2: 60W + 30W (Max 90W) USB-C 1 + USB-C 2 + USB-A: 60W + 12W + 12W (Max 84W) |
| Max Output | 90W |
| Dimensions | 2.52″ x 2.44″ x 1.30″ |
| Weight | 6.7oz |
USER EXPERIENCE
AUKEY puts out a good product, but doesn’t think much of their packaging. The charger comes in a brown cardboard box with an image of the product printed on the front. Aside from that, there isn’t a lot of information included. The box notes the name of the product as “90W 3-Port PD Wall Charger” and the model number as “PA-B6S.” Inside the box, the user will find the wall adapter and a user manual. The user manual has the instructions for use provided in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese. The instructions are really pretty basic – plug the charger into a wall outlet, connect a charging cable to your device, connect the other end to the charger, and unplug your device when it’s fully charged — but the manual gives the user additional information on the product as well. It also describes what power delivery is, what dynamic detect is, and what GaNFast Technology is.
One of the first things I noticed about the charger was its size. While it’s a little thicker than my 61W USB-C Power Adapter for my MacBook Pro, the AUKEY charger about 1/3 the size of the Apple charger. One of the things I really like about this charger is that there are three options to charger devices — USB-A (1) or USB-C (2). Both of the USB-C ports provide Power Delivery 3.0, but one is labeled specifically for a laptop. I’m not sure why AUKEY would distinguish the two ports from each other if they end up doing the same thing.
In order to test the charger, I plugged my iPhone 11 Pro and iPad Pro (11-inch, 2018) into the charger using a Lightning/USB-C and a USB-C/USB-C cable. When the charging test started, the iPhone had 80% battery and the iPad had 35%. After 40 minutes, the iPad had gained a total of 39% power and the iPhone had gained 17%. That ended up being a charging rate of 0.975% per minute for the iPad and 0.425% per minute for the iPhone. Given that they were both plugged into USB-C ports, one of them was receiving up to 60W and the other was getting 30W. So, it stands to reason that one of the devices would have a faster charging rate than the other.
CONCLUSIONS
The 90W 3-Port PD Wall Charger is a really nice option for a third-party power adapter. I really love the fact that it has different types of ports. I have some nice power adapters from AUKEY that only have USB-C or only have USB-A as the connection port. This one not only has both types of ports, but it also has two USB-C ports. This comes in very handy these days since a lot of devices charge via USB-C. The charger retails for around $50 (at the time of publishing). This seems to be a decent investment for this type of product. The 96W power adapter from Apple retails for $79. So having a power adapter that costs $30 less and includes additional i/o ports seems like a no-brainer for me. AUKEY makes a solid product. I’ve never had any issues with their power products and will continue to advocate for them since they work so well.
For more information, visit aukey.com, Facebook, and Twitter.
