In the test: LinkOn Ganius 136W 2x USB-C and 2x USB-A charger

After doing a Test of the Hunda A1903 multiport USB-C charger with 150 watts published, I got the tip from a reader to get the LinkOn Genius Ganius 166 watt power supply to subject it to a test.

No sooner said than done: I rang LinkOn and asked for the 166 watt power supply. A few days later a LinkOn Ganius arrived, but “only” the 136 watt model. That struck me as a little strange so I read through the product text again and found the following:

This charger got certification for 136W but its maximum output when using all ports is 166W.

In other words, the power supply can handle 166 watts, but it is only certified for 136 watts. So there is no model that is explicitly designed for 166 watts, but only the 136 watt power supply, which is sometimes advertised in stores with 166 watts of output power.

Technical data

With few devices, the technical data are as important as with a power supply unit. For this reason, we start directly with these:

• Manufacturer: LinkOn
• Series: Ganius
• Model Number: PD-012PT
• Type: Gallium nitrite (GaN)
• Power: 136 watts (or 166 watts)
• Ports: 2x USB-C (Power Delivery) + 2x USB A (Quick Charge 3)
• Power USB C: 100 watts (port 1 to 100 watts, port 2 to 30 watts)
• Power USB A: 2x 18 watts
• Charging standards: USB Power Delivery 3.0, Quick Charge 3, PPS (5-20V / 5A), Samsung AFC, Huawei FCP, Huawei SCP, Apple (5V / 2.4A), BC1.2
• Standby: 0,4 watts (measured by yourself)
• Weight: 250 grams
• Price: currently approx. 83 EUR at LinkOn (-10% discount with code “SIRAPFELOT”)

Design and workmanship

The design of the LinkOn Ganius is simple and absolutely ok for a charger. I find the idea that a wall charger protrudes so far from the wall a bit inconvenient, but this is also the case with other chargers and is not a special feature of the LinkOn Ganius.

It sticks out far from the wall and runs the risk of prying out the socket or breaking the plug if you walk past and get your foot caught. I would recommend adding a small extension here to circumvent this problem.

The practical thing is that you get an interchangeable plug for sockets in Great Britain and the EU with the charger. However, the look of the USB-C power supply is not exactly upgraded. With a power supply unit you can certainly get over that.

Otherwise, the workmanship looks quite solid. The USB-A and USB-C plugs are firmly in place and without wobbling and the charge is also reliable.

Since the LinkOn Ganius is a gallium-nitrite power supply unit, it offers a very decent output power for its size of up to 136 watts or 166 watts, if you believe the product text rather than the certification.

The GaN power supplies have been on the rise for a few months and have one big advantage: They can be built smaller than the usual silicon power supplies and they also generate less waste heat, which also allows a smaller size.

As big as the Apple 96 watt power supply, but significantly more power

One of the main reasons you get such a powerful power adapter is for sure because you want to charge your MacBook Pro, along with a few other devices. The large 16 inch MacBook Pro with Intel chip actually needs up to 96 watts, so the LinkOn Genius with 100 watts of power on a USB-C port is certainly a good choice.

In terms of size, it is comparable to the Apple power supply for the MacBook Pro, but it also offers an additional USB-C port and two USB-A ports with which you can charge the iPad, iPhone, headphones or power banks.

Charge with MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and iPhone

I've gotten into the habit of testing power supplies not only USB load resistors to simulate consumers, but always to use the Apple devices and to charge them at the same time. Some chargers tend to stop and restart the charging process when several ports are occupied. The acoustic signals from the devices make for a very annoying background noise when charging begins.

Fortunately, this is not the case with the LinkOn Ganius 136 watt charger. All connected devices only make a single tone when charging starts and then remain quiet while they are charging.

Practical test: MacBook Pro 15 inch charges with full power

My first test candidate was my MacBook Pro 15 inch (Intel). I discharged this to about 35 percent battery level and then plugged it into the LinkOn Ganius power supply without any additional loads.

After 10 minutes of charging (during operation) I was able to make up around 16,5 Wh and 12% battery level. The charging power was around 80 watts - more is needed, the MacBook Pro doesn't, which is why I couldn't reach 100 watts.

For comparison, I once again discharged the MacBook Pro to 35% battery level and then charged it with the Hunda A1903 power supply, which I already mentioned above. After 10 minutes on the charging cable, I also achieved 12% more battery level with the Hunda, but "only" about 13,9 Wh, which flowed into the MacBook Pro via the cable.

The difference in watt hours (Wh) is not huge and you probably won't even notice it in everyday life, but it is measurable. However, the difference may disappear over a longer period of time. The charging current changes again and again during charging because the charging electronics in the MacBook Pro control the process in such a way that the battery is charged as gently as possible.

The endurance test for the LinkOn Ganius 136 watts

My self-designed endurance test for the power supply looked like that I occupied all ports with devices. The following consumers were used:

• MacBook Pro 15 inch (Intel)
• iPad Pro 12,9 inches
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• 26.800 mAh power bank

A CPU stress test was run on the MacBook Pro so that it could get the maximum performance from the USB-C port. I took the measurements with the USB-C multimeter from Innovateking executed.

• Read more: In the test: Hunda A1903 Multi-Port 2A2C USB power supply with 150 watts
• Read more: In the test: Aukey 60W dual-port PD charger with 2x USB-C
• Read more: In the test: RAVPower USB-C charger with 65 watts and USB Power Delivery
• Read more: In the test: 3-way USB-C charger from Ugreen for the wall socket

Results with the LinkOn Ganius

The LinkOn power supply continued to deliver the maximum power of approx. 1 watts to the MacBook Pro at the 84st USB-C port when fully occupied. The port would certainly have delivered 100 watts, but my MacBook Pro didn't ask for it.

The second USB port, on the other hand, was throttled to 30 watts as soon as USB-C port 1 was occupied.

As long as you charge the MacBook Pro on port 1 and the iPad Pro on port 2, that's no problem. Only if you plug yourself in and swap the two ports will the MacBook Pro no longer receive sufficient power, as it cannot charge with 30 watts of power.

Results with the Hunda A1903

I tried the same scenario with the Hunda power supply and here the power distribution of the USB-C ports was regulated in such a way that each USB-C port could have 60 watts when both ports were occupied.

This is an advantage and disadvantage at the same time, because on the one hand the MacBook Pro is charged at every port on the Hunda, regardless of which one it is plugged into, but on the other hand it does not get the maximum performance and therefore does not load as quickly as it is on Port 1 of the LinkOn Ganius.

My conclusion on the LinkOn Ganius PD-012PT

The LinkOn Multiport USB-C power supply is definitely a solid recommendation when it comes to supplying Apple devices, power banks and headphones with power in parallel.

The immense output power and the fact that all devices charge in parallel without complications ensures that I give the device the go-ahead.

In spite of everything, I personally like the Hunda power supply a little better, because in my opinion it has two advantages:

1. It comes with a power cord and therefore does not pose the risk of breaking the plugged-in charger at the socket.
2. The distribution of the charging power when the USB-C ports are occupied with two 60 watts is more helpful for my everyday practice than a 100 watt and a 30 watt port.

Update 11.10.2022/10/XNUMX: XNUMX% discount directly at LinkOn

You can purchase the LinkOn Ganius power supply directly with the code “SIRAPFELOT”. at LinkOn in the shop order. The code gives you a 10% discount and if you click that you are from Germany, the goods will also be sent to you from the EU, so there are no customs costs.

Thanks to LinkOn for the discount code.

Jen Kleinholz( Founder & Sir Apfelot )

Jens has been running the blog since 2012. He acts as Sir Apfelot for his readers and helps them with technical problems. In his spare time he rides electric unicycles, takes photos (preferably with the iPhone, of course), climbs around in the Hessian mountains or hikes with the family. His articles deal with Apple products, news from the world of drones or solutions to current bugs.