RAVPower PD Pioneer 120W 4-Port Desktop Charger REVIEW

Enjoy up to 120W power from a powerful yet palmable desktop charger. 

When I attended college in the early 2000s, it was not uncommon to find a few overburdened outlets with chained power strips and others without a single plug. As society adopted more technology, the need for open charging sources expanded. Unfortunately, most devices were designed to use oversized chargers. As USB charging technology became more commonplace and charging tech shrunk, multi-port chargers and HUBS were developed. Thanks to the technology, individuals could charge multiple devices on a single output port instead of using a single outlet to power a single device,

The RAVPOWER PD PIONEER 120W 4-Port Desktop Charger arrived in a classy white/turquoise retail package.  The cover provided an iridescent blue to green “RAVPOWER” Logo along the top left, a large similarly colored “R” along the middle, and the turquoise product name along the bottom.  The clean white cover, bottom, top, and back panels provided an ideal backdrop for the accent features.  The white-colored top panel displayed “Stay Powered” in thin black font, while the bottom panel displayed a quaint welcome to their family.  The rear panel provided a QR code (www.RAVPOWER.com) along the bottom of the panel, an SKU code, the product name, the RP-PC146 model number, the address/contact information, and the product manufacturing labels.  I loved that the company kept both side panels unadorned and specifically that they chose to use the turquoise color.  Instead of covering every possible surface with information, RAVPOWER chose to let their product speak for itself. As a result, some may feel that RAVPOWER missed an opportunity to describe their device further.  On the contrary, the packaging breathed an air of elegance and simplicity.

I lifted the lid, opened the flaps, and removed the internal cardboard container to access the product.  The inner shell was divided into two inner compartments, a slightly smaller 2 inches wide by 2 inches thick by 3 3/8 inches tall chamber, and a larger 2 1/16 inches wide by 2 inches thick by 5 1/8 inches tall compartment.  The larger compartment contained two cables.  The first cable was a 40 1/2 inches long USB-C to USB-C cable with 1/2 inch long neck sections.  Each of the 7/16 inches wide by 1/4 inches thick USB-C prong ends had an “R” etched into the front/back surfaces and oval-shaped cutouts.  I gripped each of the prongs, bent them forward and backward twenty-five times, and then side-to-side twenty-five times.  I held both ends of the cable, tugged outward, and found the cable was fully intact.  Overall, I was pleased with the durable cable design.  The second cable was a 60-inches long type A wall prong to an oval power adapter.  I loved that they chose to make the setup into a cable system, with a simple wall plug, instead of a large brick plugged into the outlet.  The design element significantly helped to reduce clutter when trying to find a viable charging location.  

The second compartment housed the 11.92-ounce charger, which measured 3 5/16 inches tall by 1 13/16 inches square.  The matte dark grey outer surface successfully resisted fingerprints, dust, and lint.  Other than the glossy black RAVPOWER name printed onto the top/bottom panels, there were no other identifying features. You will find the product specifications (RAVPOWER PD Pioneer 120W 4 Port Desktop Charger name, the RP-PC146 model number, 100-240V input at 50/60 Hz 2.5A input, PD output 5V/3A 9V/3A 15V/3A 20V/5A with up to100W max each port, Smart Output Ports 5V/3A 9V/2A 12V/1.5A with up to 18W Max per port, total output 120W Max), the AC power input port, product manufacturing labels, and contact information along the dark-grey rear panel.  The silver/grey-colored front panel had a pair of vertically stacked USB-C PD ports towards the left and dual iSmart USB-A ports toward the right of the front panel.  Each of the ports was encircled by a blue-green rectangle.  Between the PD ports, you will find “PD,” and between the USB-A ports, you will find the word smart. Lastly, before you discard the outer packaging, make sure to remove the 14-panel instruction manual, and the blue-green thank you card (QR code, 12-month warranty, 30-day cash back logo, VIP access, and support email. 

Before testing the power output, I turned to the instruction manual and evaluated the seven panel English instructions.  The first panel provided the company name, large R, and product name.  The second panel provided a labeled diagram of the front/back of the RAVPOWER charger, while the third panel provided a list of packaging contents (same information as above) and product specifications (same information as above). The fourth panel provided an installation diagram with a variety of wall plug options.  However, only the type-A wall plug was provided. The remaining panels provided a multilingual description of the setup/connection.  To summarize, attach the included power cable to the desktop charger, connect the charger to a power outlet, attach a USB-A or USB-C cable to the charger, and then plug the appropriate cable into your device.  Once you plug the USB cable from the desktop charger into your device, charging will begin automatically without any buttons.  Beneath the installation section, the manual provided a few tidbits of caution, detailed the 18-month warranty and lifetime support. As a bonus, the manual detailed the last section in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, and a pictorial language that I could not identify (Chinese or Korean). 

To test the power output, I plugged the power cable into the desktop charger, the power cable into a wall outlet, and observed the green LED along the charger’s top/bottom front edge. Next, I plugged a Klein Tools Multimeter into the USB-C PD port, the included USB-C cable into the multimeter, and then into my iPad Pro 11”.  The Klein Multimeter displayed 14.85V/1.47A. Next, I plugged a DROK USB-A multimeter into one of the smart USB-A ports, a USB-A to Lightning cable into the multimeter, and then into my iPhone 12 Pro Max.  The DROK Multimeter displayed 5.09V/2.06A. My iPhone 12 Pro started at 19% at 23:26 PM, and my iPad Pro started at 76%. By 23:33, my iPad was at 85%, and my iPhone was at 25%.  By 23:44, my iPad was at 91%, and my iPhone was at 35%.  By 23:54, my iPad was at 97%, and my iPhone was at 48%.  At 00:04, my iPad was fully charged, and my iPhone was at 52%.  By 00:28, my iPhone was at 74% power.  When I rechecked my iPhone at 0130, it was fully charged.  While charging my iPhone/iPad Pro, I plugged my MacBook Pro into the lower PD port.  Excitedly, the 100W max port was more than enough to keep my iPad, iPhone, and MacBook Pro charging at optimal rates.

The RAVPOWER charger did heat up a little but did not get too hot to touch or to hold.  I loved the shape, the power cable setup, the coloration, the USB port layout, and the rate of charge.  Similar to other multi-USB hubs that I have tested, the device will provide ample power for up to four of your devices.  The AC power cable had a convenient Velcro cable for cable management, and the length of the power cord proved to be more than generous.  I was pleased with the RAVPOWER charger and felt it to be the perfect companion to my MacBook within my Timbuk2 messenger bag.  The only pseudo-critique that I have about the device was the lack of a travel case.  In this instance, I removed the charging bricks from my BUBM organizer and added the RAVPOWER 120W 4 Port Desktop Charger. Charge a Nintendo Switch, an Apple iPad or another brand of Tablet, an iPhone/smartphone, and even a MacBook. Add the RAVPOWER PD Pioneer 120W device to your luggage for portable on-the-go power. ,

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