Acefast Desktop Power Station Z4 review: Stylish charger for your desk

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating

Pros

Ports: 3 USB-C and 1 USB-A

Useful LCD display

Configurable connections

Fast charging

Cons

May not be enough ports for complex setups

Our Verdict
If you are looking for a large charging station with a cool head, the Desktop Power Station Z4 is the right choice. It offers fast charging and the display provides an excellent overview of the output power.

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The Acefast Desktop Power Station Z4 PD218W GaN charger doesn’t skimp on features, packing a punch with 218 watts of maximum output power, three USB-C ports, and a USB-A port. At first glance, the housing looks very playful with its transparent front. The four ports are located next to each other with sufficient spacing but are not directly labeled–the labeling can be found on the colored display on the left-hand side.

On the screen, each USB port has its own color and its own column: green for the first USB-C port, blue for the second USB-C port, orange for the third USB-C port, and red for the USB-A port. In addition to the display with the name of the USB port, the maximum available output power, the current output power, and the current output voltage are displayed. For example, 10 watts at 20 volts for a M3 MacBook Air, or 38 watts at 20 volts for a M1 MacBook Air. That is very informative.

The display may look playful, but it is very practical. It gives you a good overview of the maximum output power that you have set with the button. The current charging power, on the other hand, is a welcome gimmick. For example, you can see that the charging power for a M3 MacBook Air M3 peaks at around 69 watts and drops steadily to 45 watts at around 65 percent.

A button net to the display switches the mode for the output power:

Mode A (C1: 100 watts, C2: 65 watts, C3: 30 watts, A1: 18 watts)

Mode B (C1: 65 watts, C2: 65 watts, C3: 65 watts, A1: 18 watts)

Mode C (C1: 100 watts, C2: 100 watts, C3: off, A1: 18 watts)

Mode D (C1: 100 watts, C2: 100 watts, C3: 18 watts, A: off)

For effective charging, Acefast uses GaN technology as well as a smart chip to monitor the charge. The Desktop Power Station Z4 218W supports a variety of voltage/current combinations and charging standards such as Power Delivery 3.1.

We measured the charging speed within 30 minutes with three Apple devices connected to USB-C. An M3 MacBook Air charged by 53 percent, an 11-inch iPad Pro by 35 percent, and an iPhone 15 by 54 percent. These are very good values. It also remains pleasantly cool due to the relatively large housing.

As the Desktop Power Station Z4 218W is intended for the office or at home, the size of the housing is of secondary importance. Here, other points besides the temperature during charging are important, such as the generous rubber coating on the underside and the good accessibility of the charging ports.

Should you buy the Acefast Desktop Power Station Z4?

If you are looking for a large charging station with a cool head, the Desktop Power Station Z4 PD218W is the right choice. It offers fast charging and the display provides an excellent overview of the output power.