Plugable 10-Port PS-10CC USB-C Charger review: smarts & ports aplenty

Price When Reviewed

$99.95

Best Prices Today: Plugable 10-Port PS-10CC USB-C Charger

Up till now the most USB-C ports we’ve seen on a charger is six, courtesy of the Satechi 200W 6-Port Charging Station. Six charging ports ought to be enough for most people, we thought, but on a busy bank of desks or back at home in a device-full abode those charging ports can get filled very quickly.

A further complication is that most multi-port chargers reserve specific maximum power output to each port, known as rules-based charging—so when using all its ports the Satechi Charging Station powers devices at 65W on the top port, 45W on the second and then 20W each on the next four. If you are the last to use a port you might get stuck with just 20W to play with even when the other connected devices higher up are fully charged.

If you want to charge your laptop at the fastest possible speed you need to bag that top port before anyone else uses it to charge their AirPods and gets mean over sharing.

Find out how the Plugable PS-10CC compares to other USB-C charging stations in our round up of the best USB-C docks.

Priority charging takes over

The 10-port—yes, ten—Plugable PS-10CC is the first USB-C charging station to use intelligent software-based priority charging that distributes power across all connected devices—prioritized in the order you choose from left to right. As devices reach full charge, the now greater available power is reallocated down the line. Plugable calls its smart power-allocation technology PriorityShare.

There’s a maximum 100W of power available across the 10 charging ports.

The charger employs real-time current sensing technology to prioritize the devices that are connected to the leftmost ports. Plug the device you most want charged to full—likely your laptop or smartphone—into the first port on the left and it will receive the power it needs before lesser devices down the line.

As the first devices attain full battery status, the PS-10CC automatically shifts the excess power to the next set of connected devices, which should ensure that all receive the required power in the shortest possible time.

It works by sensing both how much power is requested from connected devices and what is available from the attached charger, and allocating power based on priority order in which the devices are connected.

Plugable

If you need to charge multiple laptops, the PS-10CC will provide the maximum requested power to the laptop connected with the highest priority—highest priority is the leftmost port, then the port to the right of that, and so on—then cascading the remaining available power to the next device in line. Depending on factors such as the device model and battery charge level at the time of connection, that first laptop might request 100W, but commonly it will be far less, often ranging from 30-65W and multiple laptops will typically charge at the same time in this scenario.

Most laptops, phones, and tablets are designed to charge at their maximum rate between 0-50% battery levels, and at a lower rate thereafter for optimal long term battery health. So the PS-10CC regularly listens to what the device is requesting and adjusts throughout the charging process to ensure the highest priority devices are getting charged as quickly as they’re capable of, while efficiently cascading remaining available power and ultimately ensuring everything ends up charged.

This should also mean more efficient energy usage and prevent potential overheating.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Specs

• 1x USB-C port (100W) connection to power
• 10x USB-C (100W) to devices

Note that the PS-10CC is a fully USB-C charger, without any legacy USB-A ports for older cables. Look elsewhere if you are still lumbered with pre-C devices. USB-C ports work seamlessly with Thunderbolt 3, 4 and 5 devices, too.

Each port has its own status LED: solid blue means the device on that port is fully charged, blinking blue means it’s currently charging, and purple indicates the port is available.

The maximum possible output of each port is 100W but that is also the total possible power output of the PS-10CC at one time.

If you require a higher total output—for example to charge two or three laptops at the same time—then look for a multi-port charger with a higher maximum.

The $149 Satechi 6-Port Charging Station can output 200W over multiple USB-C ports, although not as intelligently as the Plugable charger. It and other high-output chargers distribute power differently depending on how many ports are in use but in a more limited way, as described earlier.

The $69 Anker Prime Charger (200W, 6 Ports) can push out 200W over its four USB-C and two USB-A ports and uses its AI Power Mode to detect high/medium/low requirements of connected devices and adjusting power distribution accordingly.

Ugreen’s $169 Nexode 300W GaN Wall USB-C Charger has five ports—including one USB-A—and a maximum of 300W output. This can charge three laptops at 140/100/60W or two at 140/100W. using all five ports means power is distributed in a 140/65/45/20/22.5W configuration.

While not as smart as the PS-10CC, these alternatives do offer a higher maximum output and at least one port that supports 140W PD 3.1 that is required to fast-charge Apple’s top-end 16-inch MacBook Pro.

The PS-10CC can still charge that MacBook model, just not at its maximum charging speed. However, if you are charging multiple devices at the same time, that power distribution will be smarter for all connected devices.

While the other chargers work within a fixed set of predetermined power budget rules for different device types across their ports, the Plugable design explicitly aims to avoid the pitfalls of rules-based charging with a simple priority system that charges your most important devices first while ensuring every connected device is charged up efficiently over time. 

MacBooks are better at charging at lower wattages than many Windows laptops. So even a 20W output can get power into a MacBook, while Windows laptops demand 45W just to bother start charging.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Price

Ten intelligent 100W charging ports for $99.99 looks great value to us—if you need that many ports at one time. If you need just one or two then we suggest you look to our other favorite best USB-C chargers.

You’ll need to add your own wall charger and charging cable to get power to the PS-10CC. Check that link above to find the best one if you don’t already have one spare. If you want to use the 10-port charger to its maximum you will need a charger that can output at least 100W.

Remember, too, that one charger is cheaper than the two or three you’d need to rival this single one, and it’s therefore more environmentally friendly, too. The charger is made from 50% post-consumer recycled (PCR) aluminum and 75% PCR PC+ABS.

Plugable

Should you buy the Plugable 10-Port PS-10CC USB-C Charger?

The Plugable PS-10CC can neatly and efficiently charge up to 10 hungry devices at the same time and at an optimum power distribution without you having to resort to multiple chargers and a desk full of indistinguishable snaking cables that would terrify Indiana Jones.

It may not offer the highest total charge, but it delivers its 100W total in the smartest, most efficient manner.