This monster 240W charger has features I've never seen on competing accessories - and it's on sale

What's the deal?

You can pick up the Baseus 240W at a bargain price this Black Friday -- there's 20% off the regular price and a further $20 thanks to an on-page coupon, brining the total down to $140. 

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Gallium nitride technology (GaN) has revolutionized chargers, allowing them to be smaller, more powerful, and to run cooler. Top-tier manufacturers are using this technology in their latest chargers, equipping them with a variety of ports and features.

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One such charger is the Baseus 240W, a 5-port smart USB-C GaN desktop charger with an LED display. This beast of a charger is perfect for any gamer or professional's desk.

Baseus 240W, 5-port smart USB-C GaN desktop charger features

Charge two laptops simultaneously with a maximum power of 140W for one laptop and 100W for the other3 x USB-C (140W max), 1 x USB-A (30W max), 1 x DC port (240W max)Immersive, edge-to-edge LCD displayAdvanced cooling technology that makes use of glue-fill techniques and grapheneBluetooth control using Baseus smart app4-foot power cordIncludes 240W USB-C to USB-C cable 

With this Baseus charger, you get the best of both worlds -- an extension cord with a smart power adapter on the business end that's capable of a max output of 240W.

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The power adapter includes three USB-C ports that support Power Delivery (PD) 3.1 (up to 140W) and PD 3.0 (up to 100W), as well as a USB-A port for legacy devices (with a maximum output of 30W).

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

There's also a DC barrel connector for charging various laptops, and to offer even better compatibility, the kit comes with several adapters. While many high-end laptops now use USB-C for charging, a fair few still use a DC barrel jack, either because it's legacy or the unit needs more power than USB-C can muster.

If you need DC power, it's there. If you don't, you still have a powerful USB power adapter to push a combined power of 238W through the four USB ports. That's breathtakingly impressive output.

The unit comes with a 240W USB-C-to-USB-C cable, and a variety of DC cable adapters to suit different laptops. 

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In addition to these features, the charger's front has a touch-sensitive monochrome LCD display that shows the power being drawn on each port and the total power consumption of the attached devices.

The screen is bright enough to be seen in sunshine, yet it's not so bright that it becomes annoying when used on a desk in low-light conditions.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

The built-in touchpad is used to turn the display on and off and to reset the unit to factory settings.

I've carried out all my usual tests on this charger, from thermal tests to checking to see if the outputs are as the spec sheet claims. The unit passed all these tests with flying colors. 

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

There's also an app that can be used to view and control some of the charger's basic features. That's a useful extra if you like controlling things with an app.

ZDNET's buying advice

Upon first laying eyes on the Baseus 240W, 5-port smart USB-C GaN desktop charger, I expected it to be expensive. While $200 is not cheap, if you consider its power output and the utility of the display, the price feels reasonable, and the big bucks are a fair exchange for the device you are getting.