GaN chargers are all the hype these days because you can get powerful charges in a small form factor. The Kovol Sprint 120W 4-Port PD GaN Desktop Charger is another charger you can consider getting, which retails for about US$79, and with shipping it will bring the total cost to about US$90.
Design and build quality
Unlike UGreen’s 100W GaN Charger that has the UK plug directly attached to the charger itself, the Kovol Sprint 120W charger is more like a charging brick as you need to attach the power cable to it. This offers some flexibility in your use as you can decide where you want to place the charger, such as leaving it on your desk to act as charging hub to charge your devices.
Given it is a GaN charger, the size of the Kovol Sprint 120W charger is really compact, measuring just 8.5cm * 4.5cm *4.5cm. You can easily hold the charger in one hand. The Kovol Sprint 120W charger is encased in high quality plastic and has a nice matte finish to it. The charger feels rather solid and well built and weighs in about 331 grams. There is also 3 LED lights which turn green to indicate that there is power and it is ready for use.
Ports selection and charging
There are a total of 4 ports on the Kovol Sprint 120W charger – 2 USB-C and 2 USB-A. The USB-C ports support PD (power delivery), while the USB-A ports supports QC (quick charge) up to 18W. This is should provide enough options to charge most of the devices we have today.
Despite the name having 120W, it doesn’t mean that it outputs 120W. The single max output is 100W, but you can get a combined output of 120W (60W each) from using two USB-C ports.
You can refer to the below table for a quick summary for all the permutations of charging:
| 1 USB-C Port | 100W |
| 2 USB-C Ports | USB-C – PD 60W USB-C – PD 60W |
| 2 USB-A Ports | USB-A – QC 18W USB-A – QC 18W |
| 1 USB-C Port+1 USB-A Port | USB-C – PD 100W USB-A – QC 18W |
| 1 USB-C Port+2 USB-A Ports | USB-C – PD 65W USB-A – QC 18W USB-A – QC 18W |
| 2 USB-C Ports+1 USB-A Port | USB-C – PD45W USB-C – PD 45W USB-A – QC 18W |
| All 4 Ports in use | USB-C-PD 65W USB-C-PD 20W USB-A-QC 18W USB-A-QC 18W Or USB-C-PD 45W USB-C-PD 45W USB-A-QC 18W USB-A-QC 18W |
Usage
I tested charging my MacBook Pro with the different ports and they indeed output the promised wattages. If you mainly use a MacBook Pro and an iPhone then the combination of 100W charging from the USB-C port and 18W charging from the USB-A port allows you to achieve fast charging on both devices.
As the AC power cord provided is not the most common you can find off the internet, you have to be sure not to misplace the cord if not the charger will almost be useless unless you can find a replacement. There is a slight tradeoff in terms of portability if you’re travelling around with the Kovol Sprint 120W charger as you have to bring along the AC cord as well. However, I do find that the Kovol Sprint 120W charger is best used on your desk as a charging hub.
Conclusion
At US$90 shipped, the Kovol Sprint 120W charger can seem a little steep especially when you have GaN chargers from UGreen which are priced around S$70. Then again, the Kovol Sprint 120W charger is a little unique as it acts more like a power brick, allowing you to place the charger exactly where you want it to be rather than it being confined to a power point.