Aukey Omnia 100W 4-Port PD Charger review: A one-stop power brick?

With USB-C, it’s becoming increasingly practical to use a single power outlet for your phone, laptop, and other devices. With innovations in GaN technology and universal standards such as USB Power Delivery, the market for charging adapters is flush with multi-port charging stations. Although choosing the best one for your devices is not necessarily easy.

Today we’re taking a look at the Aukey Omnia 100W 4-Port PD Charger. With four connections, GaN technology, 100 W power and an important brand name for on-board charging, this connector promises a central point of contact for all your gadget charging needs – from telephones to handheld consoles to even more power-hungry laptops.

So this charger meets Android AuthorityExpectations? Let’s find out in our Aukey Omnia 100W 4-Port PD Charger Review.

See also: The best accessories for phone charging

What you need to know about the Aukey Omnia 100W 4-port PD charger

• Aukey Omnia 100W 4-Port PD Charger: $ 56.99

The Aukey Omnia 100W 4-Port PD Charger offers a total of four USB ports, all of which can be used at the same time. Two USB-C and two USB-A. The USB-C ports on the bottom of the connector support the USB Power Delivery 3.0 specification.

Both USB-C ports support 5V, 9V, 12V and 15V devices with up to 3A and 20V chargers with up to 5A. This is in line with the specifications needed to charge even the most demanding laptops like a MacBook Pro. The two USB-A ports support the Apple 2.4A fast charging standard, but nothing else. Most devices are limited to a maximum of 10 W. Quick Charge, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge, or other proprietary standards are not supported here.

As is often the case with multi-port adapters, the loading speed of each port changes depending on which other ports are used. This can be quite confusing. Fortunately, Aukey is very clear about each port’s capabilities. This is printed on the underside of the connector as follows:

• 1 USB-C port (max. 100 W)
• 1 USB-A connection: 5 V 2.4 A (max. 12 W)
• USB-C + USB-C: 45 W + 45 W (max. 90 W)
• USB-C + USB-A: 65 W + 12 W (max. 77 W)
• USB-A + USB-A: 5 V / 2.4 A (max. 12 W)
• USB-C + USB-C + USB-A: 45 W + 45 W + 12 W.

For a 100 W charging stone, the Aukey Omnia 100 W 4 port is very compact, if not a bit cumbersome. Even so, it’s smaller and more portable than many single-port USB-C laptop chargers. Aukey claims it’s 20% smaller than the 16-inch MacBook Pro charger. There is a lynch pin on the back of the charger to keep it compact when traveling. Overall, the charger measures 69.8 x 69.3 x 33 mm and weighs 223 g. It is available in black and white color options.

What is good

With an on-board power of 100W, the Aukey Omnia 100W 4-port PD charger is an excellent replacement for a bulky single-port laptop charger. I got 65W for an Honor MagicBook Pro laptop and 55W for a Microsoft Surface Pro X. That was enough to charge them as fast as the included chargers, assuming I only used one of the USB-C ports.

By using two USB-C ports, the peak power is reduced to 45 W. Fortunately, this is still sufficient for most, if not all, USB Power Delivery compatible tablets and smartphones such as modern iPhones or Google Pixels. 45W is also more than what you need to charge a Nintendo Switch and can charge laptops relatively quickly too.

Connecting multiple devices is a little more complicated and can make it difficult to find the optimal charging setup. However, it is important that both USB-C ports continue to provide at least 45 W each regardless of the configuration. I checked that this is also the case with four devices connected at the same time. This is very different from some other high-performance multi-port chargers that only have one USB-C port to charge laptops. The Aukey charger stays surprisingly cool even when charging four devices with 100 W.

Two 45W USB-C ports are a boon for those who may need to charge a few more powerful devices at the same time. It definitely is the Reason for purchasing the Aukey Omnia 100W 4-port charger.

What is not so good

As with many USB-C connectors, the latest USB-PD-PPS specification is not supported in the Aukey adapter. This is a requirement for current high-end smartphones from Samsung in order to be charged with 25 W. Instead, you get 15W less power on both ports when charging newer Samsung Galaxy devices.

As mentioned earlier, there is no support for Quick Charge or any other popular USB-A charging standards used by older devices. As a result, you may not get the fastest charging speed available from micro USB devices like drones or cameras. The USB-A ports also share power, so connecting two devices will slow down the charging speed.

In the case of USB-A problems, we did not find very good energy efficiency when charging via these ports either. They achieved a fairly moderate wall-to-device conversion rate of 76%, compared to an energy efficiency of 80-85% for the USB-C ports. The bottom line is that the two USB-A ports aren’t as useful or high quality as those of some other multi-port hubs.

Aukey Omnia 100W 4-Port PD Charger Review: Should you buy it?

Priced at $ 56.99, the Aukey Omnia 100W 4-port PD charger isn’t exactly cheap, although 4-port chargers are rare. Unfortunately, the Omnia 100W isn’t a great 4-port charger at this price point. The two USB-A ports are not compatible with the numerous fast charging standards, so they are only useful for charging older devices.

The Aukey Omnia 100W 4-Port PD Adapter can charge even the most power-hungry USB-C devices.

If you’re looking for something that can quickly charge both USB-A and USB-C devices, you’re better off with the 65W RavPower PD Pioneer GaN we tested here. Likewise, the cheaper Omnia 65W PD GaN charger from Aukey is a great choice if you only need to charge a powerful USB-C device and a smaller handheld device at a time.

Instead, it’s better to think of the Aukey Omnia 100W as a very powerful dual-port USB-C charger with simple USB-A ports in case you need them. The charger’s greatest strength, and a rarity in the 4-port market, is its ability to output 45W to two USB-C ports at the same time. This makes this a very good choice for the subgroup of consumers who may need to charge multiple laptops or tablets at the same time.