We test the cleverest desktop charger on the market to see if it's worth its price

I'm not exactly sure how it's happened, but I've got nine USB devices plugged in at my desk. And that's before I start charging anything.

From speakers and cameras, to my laptop and a smart meter, there's a lot going on. And then, when I want to charge a phone, a tablet, maybe a camera or a drone, I've got to find a decent socket to plug them into and then deal with the mess of cables.

So you can imagine my delight when the nice people at Anker offered to send me a charging station from the new Anker Prime charging range.

The Anker Prime Charger I've been testing is the most powerful desktop charger from the most advanced range they've produced. It's laced with tech, but it looks a little bit like an old clock radio.

There's a display on the front, a rotary nob on the side, and four very subtle USB-C ports running along the bottom of the display.

On the side, there are two USB-A ports, and the unit is made of a lovely ribbed metal. It's all very posh, and much smaller than I was expecting.

But although it's nice and compact on the desk, it's incredibly powerful. One of the USB-C ports - you can choose which one - can pump out a massive 140 watts. To put that into perspective, my most power-hungry devices, my laptop and my Steamdeck, can cope with 100W. So I'm not going to need all 140 watts in one go, but it's nice to know I won't be putting it to any bother.

Not only can you send a huge load to one of the chosen outputs, but the others can also simultaneously cope with large loads at the same time. In fact, the charging station can put out up to 240 watts across its six ports in one go. And everything that's going on is conveyed to you on the smart LCD screen.

The rotary nob on the side controls all the main functions, such as dividing up the power and setting the priority to each port. It can also be controlled through an app, linked to WiFi, so you could monitor and control everything while you're on holiday. If you really feel you must.

One of the reasons you might want to use the app, whether it be over WiFi or Bluetooth, is because there are dozens of settings to alter, including dividing up power between two laptops for example, themes for the display, and even upgrading the firmware.

But even just as a standalone unit, without altering anything, it's seriously impressive. To have control over your devices, and to be able to constantly monitor what power each device is getting, is just superb.

So it's clearly an incredibly smart charger. To the point that it might just be too much for some people. If you simply want to plug in a USB and forget about it, the £169.99 price might be prohibitive.

It has to be said, it’s possible to get a multi-port charger for less than £20, like this one I found on Amazon.

But if you're a bit geeky, like me, and you want or need to control your outputs, Anker’s charging stations are just a dream come true. And worth every penny.