The Plugable PS-10CC 10-port USB-C charger can power up a whole family’s fleet of computers at once. That’s what 10 ports can do for you, as we found while testing the device for our hands-on review.
It can handle up to 100W, and depending on how the devices are plugged in, users can even specify which devices get the most power first.
I tested the PS-10CC in my home office. I like it enough that it’s going to stay.
Plugable PS-10CC 10-port USB-C charger review
Any household with a load of phones, notebooks, tablets and smartwatches can benefit from a 10-port charger. No more fighting over who gets to juice up their device first. Or a small company can simultaneously charge up all the sales team’s phones.
Connect the Plugable PS-10CC to a powerful wall charger and it’s ready to handle your power needs. It replaces the messy collection of chargers all plugged into wall sockets … maybe in the kitchen or perhaps spread out all over the house or office.
That said, keep in mind that it’s only for charging. This isn’t a USB-C data hub. And it isn’t even everything you need to power up your devices.
The Plugable PS-10CC is the first Type-C USB charging station to utilize PriorityShare technology to charge up to ten USB-C devices using a USB-C power supply you already have. Plug everything in at night, have ten charged devices by morning.
Table of contents: Plugable PS-10CC 10-port USB-C charger review
- 10 ports for all your gear
- ~100W of power
- Positional priority
- Real-world charging results
- Plugable PS-10CC 10-port USB-C charger final thoughts
- Pricing
10 ports for all your gear
The Plugable PS-10CC looks like an exceptionally long USB hub. It measures 10 inches long by 1.75 inches deep and 0.7 inches thick. That means there’s no unnecessary bulk to occupy space on your counter or desktop.
The aluminum exterior matches Apple’s space grey color so it fits in well near a MacBook or a desktop Mac.
All 10 USB-C ports are lined up along one side so you can push the accessory up against a wall. The exception is the eleventh port that needs to be connected to a power source — it’s on one end.
And this one unit is all you’ll find in the box. The PS-10CC doesn’t come with a wall charger or any cables. You’ll need to supply these on your own. But you might have some of what you need already — the current MacBook Pro includes a very powerful charger that’s perfect for this accessory, for example.
~100W of power
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Plugable’s device is rated for up to 100W of power. The actual total depends on how much power goes in. You need to supply a wall charger, and if you pick a 65W one, then the maximum power you’ll get is 65W. Yeah, duh, but I want to make sure you’re thinking this through.
Also, be sure you use a USB-C cable to connect the PS-10CC to the wall charger that can handle 100W. Some flimsy cable you found shoved in the back of a drawer probably won’t do it. Even the cable Apple supplies with an iPad tops out at about 50W. You need a good cable.
For reference, to test the multiport device, Plugable sent me its 140W wall charger ($49.95) and a USB-C cable that can handle 240W ($17.95). These specific ones aren‘t required — I already own chargers and cables that could do the job and you might too — but they aren‘t bad options if you need some.
100w is… fine. But an 16-inch MacBook Pro can pull up to 140W, so this is a limitation to be aware of.
Positional priority
When there’s more demand for electricity than supply — and that’s not hard with a 100W maximum — you set the priority for your devices by positioning them on the 10-port charger. The closer a port is to the left side of the accessory, the higher a priority it gets for available power.
It’s a simple system, but it works. For example, if you want your MacBook back ASAP, put it to the left of your spouse’s MacBook that they don’t need until tomorrow. And the kids’ iPhones should go off to the right if they can’t use them until morning. Your computer will get charged fastest, then your spouse’s. The iPhones probably won’t get any power at all until at least one of the Macs gets fully charged, but there’s no hurry for those.
Real-world charging results
In my tests, when power is divided up between multiple computers, the total maximum is about 85W, according to the voltmeters I use for testing. My test setup included two power banks that can each take in a max of 55W and an iPhone that can draw up to 28W. When plugged into the Plugable PS-10CC, the first device took in its full 55W, the second got 30W, and the iPhone received only a trickle. As the batteries in devices off to the left reached 100%, the ones to the right got more power.
LEDs indicate charging status. Ports outputting lots of watts have a blinking blue light. When a device is fully charged, the blue light stops blinking but stays on. Ports waiting for their turn, but with a device plugged into them, show a purple light.
Just to be clear, of course the PS-10CC adjusts power output to an appropriate level for devices from power-hungry laptops to electricity-sipping smartwatches. It doesn’t send more power than the device can safely take.
Plugable PS-10CC 10-port USB-C charger review final thoughts
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
While undeniably useful, this is a slightly odd product. Plugable calls it a charger, but it’s more accurate to say the Plugable PS-10CC extends the capabilities of a wall charger — it’s not a charger all on its own. And it’s not really a hub because it doesn’t do data.
Nevertheless, it’s a very handy accessory for those who need to charge lots of USB-C devices. And these days, that’s most of us. What it does is limited, but within those limits, it works very well.
★★★★☆
Pricing
The Plugable PS-10CC costs $99.95.
Buy it at: Amazon
If you’re interested in the 140W wall charger and 240W USB-C cable I mentioned earlier, the total reaches about $168.
Plugable also makes a range of other Apple-compatible accessories, including the brilliant portable display with built-in USB-C hub it launched last autumn.
Plugable provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out more in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.
The Plugable PS-10CC is the first Type-C USB charging station to utilize PriorityShare technology to charge up to ten USB-C devices using a USB-C power supply you already have. Plug everything in at night, have ten charged devices by morning.
