Mini review of JOYROOM PODIX 140W 5-port USB GaN charger with power meter function

I’ve just received a review sample of the JOYROOM PODIX 140W 5-port USB GaN charger, which I found interesting because it integrates a power meter function for the whole charger and for each individual port, which could be useful for reviews of USB-powered boards and devices.

In this short review, I’ll go through an unboxing, before testing the features with a smartphone, and trying to stress it a little with five devices, including a laptop, a USB-C powered HDMI display, a wireless display, an Android smartphone, and a Raspberry Pi 5 SBC.

JOYROOM PODIX 140W charger unboxing

I received the device in its retail package, reading “JOYROOM PODIX” “140W 5-port desktop GaN charger” and listing key features like fast charging, 80cm retractable cables, and a 1.54-inch “ultra large” display, as well as compatibility with standards such as USB PD 3.1, PPS, AFC, SCP, FCP, and QC 3.0.

The side of the package has more detailed specifications for the charger, summarized as follows:

• Model – JR-TRD01
• Display – 1.54-inch display for power consumption information
• USB ports

  

  • 3x USB Type-C ports
    • C1 up to 140W
    • C2 up to 100W with 80cm retractable cable
    • C3 up to 100W with 80cm retractable cable
  • 2x USB Type-A ports
    • A1 up to 30W
    • A2 up to 30W
  • Note that the values are for single-port output, and once we start using multiple ports, the max per port drops as shown on the package. For example, maximum values with 5 ports:  20W (C1), 20W (C2), 80W (C3), and 15W (A1+A2); so you have to plan depending on the device used. I find it odd that the 80W max is not on the C1, but that’s what the specs and the photo on the right say.
• Misc – Button to switch between modes on the display
• Power Input – 100-240V AC 50/60 Hz up to 3.5A
• Dimensions – 82.5 x 75 x 75 mm
• Weight – 466 grams

Inside the package, we’ll find a multilingual user manual, an anti-slip silicone pad, a power cord (EU here, but others like US or UK can be selected when ordering), and the unit itself.

The front panel features the 1.54-inch display, the control button, the USB-A ports up to 30W, and the 140W USB-C (C1) port, while we can see the two retractable 100W USB-C “C1 and C2” cables on the top.

The back side features the power input port and the all-important data about supported power output for each port.

JOYROOM PODIX 140W charger testing

Time to test the charger. The first time, I connected my smartphone (90% charge) to the C2 port, and the charger showed it was drawing 7 Watts while charging.

If I tap the button once, it will switch to the per port’s power consumption mode…

… and one more tap will bring the animated emoji. I’m not sure why this mode exists; maybe it’s just pretty.

I then decided to add a wall power meter to show the delta against measuring from the charger. The charger should always report lower values since measurements will not include the power wasted inside the charger. I just didn’t know how much delta to expect. When the charger is connected without any load, and the display is turned off, it draws just 0.2 Watts.

If the display is turned on (default or after pressing the button), it draws 0.8 Watts, and the display shows zero Watts as expected.

I plan to connect five devices to the charger, so we have to look at the maximum power output per port again:

• USB-C1 – 20W; note: bottom right
• USB-C2 – 20W
• USB-C3 – 80W
• USB-A1 + A2 – 15W

One of the devices will be my laptop, which comes with a 65W power adapter, so the only suitable option is the USB-C3 port delivering up to 80W. I connected the laptop to the USB-C power adapter while the laptop was turned off. The display shows something is connected to the C3 port, drawing under 1 Watt, while the wall power meter already reports 2.8 Watts of power consumption.

If I turn on the laptop, the values are 12.6 Watts and 9 Watts when idled. The values vary a lot since the laptop is already fully charged, so it does not need to draw that much power.

So I installed HeavyLoad to create a load on all CPU cores and continuously draw power, requiring charging. The power meter reads 41.6 Watts, and the JOYROOM PODIX charger reads 36 Watts. I was expecting some differences, but not that much. It’s not clear whether it’s due to inefficiency in the power adapter or inaccuracy in the power meter function on either device.

I added more items: an NVMe SSD enclosure to the laptop, a headless Raspberry Pi 5 running a stress test connected to a USB drive simulating, a portable HDMI monitor (CrowView), and a wireless display (Eazeye Radiant). I was about to connect a smartphone, but I had to change my plans a little bit.

The delta grew even larger with the wall power meter reporting 78.6 Watts and the charger 63 Watts.

But the real issue here was that the wireless display was not super stable. Here’s a summary of what it connected to all ports so far:

• C1 – CrowView monitor – 3 Watts / 20 Watts max
• C2 – Raspberry Pi 5 – 7 Watts / 20 Watts max
• C3 – Laptop – 44 Watts / 80 Watts max
• A1 – Eazeye Radiant – 9 Watts / 15 Watts max (A1+A2)
• A2 – Not connected
  

This would have left me about 6 Watts on the A1+A2 port for the smartphone, and the wireless display was already unstable. At the same time, I noticed the CrowView would only consume 3 Watts, far below what the C1 port would allow. So I reorganized the connections to switch the two displays, and added the smartphone, and everything ran smoothly.

New connections on power measurements

• C1 – Eazeye Radiant  –  9W / 20W max
• C2 – Raspberry Pi 5 – 3W / 20W max; note: it looks really low for a stressed Pi 5, as I previously measured 8.8W using the wall power meter only. Also, the maximum power draw is supposed to be 5V/5A on the Pi 5, so it might not be entirely safe depending on how many peripherals are connected and the load on the board.
• C3 – Laptop – 44W / 80W max
• A1 – CrowView monitor – 3W / A1+A2 = 15W max
• A2 – Smartphone with 71% charge – 7W / A1+A2 = 15W max

The total power draw was 82.6W on the power meter and 68 Watts on the charger, well within the combined maximum of 135 Watts with 5 devices, and each port was safely within its limit.

I still find it amazing that we can power or charge all these devices with a single power adapter.

Conclusion

I really like the Joyroom PODIX 140W 5-port charger. You can have a single power adapter on your desk to potentially charge or power all your devices. The power meter function reports the combined power draw and per-port power consumption, which can be handy for testing and deciding which device to connect to which port. I’m not sure yet whether I’ll use it in reviews of USB-powered devices, as I’d like to check another similar power meter first to compare values. The resolution is also limited to 1 Watt.

I’d like the thank JOYROOM for sending the PODIX 140W 5-port USB GaN charger with power meter function for review.  The JR-TRD01 model reviewed here sells for $149 on the company’s store. It might also eventually show up on the company’s AliExpress and Amazon stores.

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