Xcellon PDG-4100W Mighty Mini 4-port 100W GaN USB Charger REVIEW

The right charger for the right users at the right time. 

There are many types of chargers in the market today and finding just the right one can be a daunting task at times. I prefer to stick with companies I know and trust because some third-party options out there can have untrustworthy manufacturing practices. So, I stay with companies that are tried and true. Xcellon is one of those companies. They make a lot of different types of charging devices and one of my favorites is their wall chargers. I recently reviewed the Xcellon PDG-120W Mighty Mini 20W GaN USB-C charger and today, I’m thrilled to check out its big brother the Mighty Mini 4-port 100W GaN USB Charger. 

DETAILS

The Mighty Mini 4-port 100W GaN USB Charger is a 4-port USB wall charger that supports up to 100W of total power output. It uses GaN technology to maximize power output while keeping the size of the charger small, efficient, and safe. There are two USB-C and two USB-A ports included on this charger and it has foldable outlet prongs. This keeps it portable and durable. The charger supports USB Power Delivery 3.0 technology so it is compatible with fast charging. A single USB-C port has the ability to provide up to 100W of power to a single device. So if you have a 16-inch MacBook Pro that requires 96W of power, you can charge it using this power adapter, but you can’t have any other devices charging from it. You do, however, have the option to charge up to four devices simultaneously with the 100W of total power split between them. There is a list included below that outlines the possible power distribution for the different port combinations. 

PORT POWER DISTRIBUTION

• USB Type-C (Single): 100W
• USB Type-A (Single): 18W
• USB Type-C (Both): 65W + 30W
• USB Type-A (Both): 12W + 12W
• USB Type-C (Single) & USB Type-A (Single): 80W + 18W
• USB Type-C (Both) & USB Type-A (Single): 45W + 30W + 18W
• USB Type-C & USB Type-A (All Ports): 45W + 30W + 12W + 12W

USER EXPERIENCE

The Mighty Mini 4-port 100W charger comes in a simple box from Xcellon. It’s mostly white with blue coloring accents to match Xcellon’s branding. The model number “PDG-4100W” is part of the name of the product on the front of the box, but “Mighty Mini” is not. That nickname is found on the Xcellon website and other online retailers, but not on the box. There is a nice image of the product on the front of the box and the main details included. If the product were on a shelf, I wouldn’t have any issues determining if the charger was the right one for me to get. 

The power adapter is housed in a plastic insert to keep it from sliding around in an empty box. When I took the adapter out of the plastic, I thought the adapter felt sturdy and a bit heavy. I double-checked the weight against the Apple 96W charger, which I currently use with my 16-inch MacBook Pro. The weight of the Xcellon Mighty Mini 100W is actually about half of the Apple charger AND you have more options with the Mighty Mini. In addition to the weight making the charger portable, the outlet prongs fold in. This is a big plus to me because when I toss a charger in my bag, I don’t want it to get caught because its prongs are sticking out 100% of the time. Foldable prongs definitely add to a charger’s portability. 

In order to test the charging capability of the Mighty Mini, I used a USB-C to Lightning cable to connect my iPhone 12 Pro to the charger while it was plugged into a power strip. Nothing else was connected and so I anticipated that I was going to get the fastest charging connection possible, which means that within 30 minutes, the battery should gain approximately 50% of its battery life. I started the charging session with my phone having 40% of its battery charged. As it turns out, I was able to gain 39% battery power after charging for 30 minutes. That equals a charging rate of 1.3% per minute. That’s only slightly slower than the anticipated fast-charging rate of 1.6% per minute. 

CONCLUSION

Xcellon has some great products that help you with your charging needs. I really like this Mighty Mini charger because it gives users the option of fast, efficient charging in a compact package. I also like that it gives users the option of using different types of charging cables. This is a really nice product that provides powerful charging for multiple types of devices.

For more information, visit XCELLON