RAVPower PD Pioneer 90W 2-Port USB-C Wall Charger REVIEW

Powerful enough for power-hungry computers.

When you are on the go, you want to travel as light as possible. One thing I always take with me is my MacBook Pro and, of course, a way to power it. Apple does provide a wall charger, but it’s so big and bulky that I hate to take it anywhere. Fortunately, there are accessory companies like RAVPower that are releasing charging solutions for people just like me. One such solution is the PD Pioneer 90W 2-Port Wall Charger, which is designed to charge computers just like my MacBook Pro.

DETAILS

The PD Pioneer 90W 2-Port Wall Charger is designed to provide a powerful enough output to fast charge 15-inch MacBook Pros within 2 hours. The GaN tech and Pi chip work in tandem to lower power consumption and maximize charging efficiency. It features dual device fast-charging with performance-boosting smart power distribution that detects and optimizes power for connected devices. The wall charger is specially designed to work with PD charging protocols for use with all USB-charged devices. The charger is also engineered to guard against overheating, overcurrent, overvoltage, and short-circuit issues.

USER EXPERIENCE

The PD Pioneer 90W 2-Port Wall Charger came in a pretty standard RAVPower box. The RAVPower logo is stamped on the front and the name of the product is displayed below it. The back of the box has the name printed again this time with the model name of the product right below it. Aside from the name of the charger, there isn’t any identifying material on the exterior of the box that would let the consumer know what was in the box. I like the simplicity of the packaging, but think that at the very least an illustration of the product should be included on the outside.

When you open the box, you will find the charger, the user guide, and a long (59.1 inches) USB-C charging cable. The charger is compact (2.5 x 2.5 x 1.2 inches) and much smaller than the Apple Wall charger that can accommodate the 15-inch MacBook Pro (4.88″ x 4.88″ x 1.22″ inches). The prongs fold into the charger for easy storage and traveling place-to-place. The backside has two USB-C ports that have a maximum charge of 90W each (according to the user manual). There is an LED light above the USB-C ports that indicates when it’s connected to a power source. The manual also outlines some very basic instructions (in multiple languages) for using the wall charger.

1. Please connect your device to the wall charger with the USB charging cable, then plug the wall charger into the wall outlet via its AC pin.
2. Remove the wall charger from the wall outlet once charging is completed.

In order to test the wall charger, I first discharged our 15-inch MacBook Pro completely. It was 100% dead when I began charging it with the RAVPower PD Pioneer. After 60 minutes, the battery had gained 57%. That averaged a charging rate of 0.95% per minute, which ended up being faster than the AUKEY 100W PD Wall Charger that we reviewed not too long ago. I was surprised and impressed that this was the outcome of the charging tests. One thing I did notice right away after charging was that the charger was noticeably warm to the touch. I took a temperature reading with our infrared thermometer and it was 108-113º. While this isn’t enough to make the charger malfunction, it’s enough to catch my attention.

CONCLUSION

The RAVPower PD Pioneer 90W 2-Port Wall Charger is a good option for having a compact charger at your beck and call. The advanced GaN tech goes a long way to ensuring your devices get charged quickly and efficiently. I love that it’s compatible with quick charging protocols and that it’s so much smaller than the Apple wall charger. I do have concerns that it heats up so much after a relatively short amount of time (1 hour), but since it’s still within safe amounts (below 140º) I’m willing to accept it. The PD Pioneer is a good investment in portable charging for laptops.

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