Ubiquiti USW Pro Max 48 PoE vs Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200: Specs & Price Comparison

Ubiquiti USW Pro Max 48 PoE

★ 3.5 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 224 Gbps
Total Non-Blocking Throughput: 112 Gbps
Forwarding Rate: 167 Mpps
Ports (breakdown): 32x 1GbE RJ45 (24x PoE+ at 32W, 8x PoE++ at 64W) + 16x 2.5GbE RJ45 (8x PoE+ at 32W, 8x PoE++ at 64W) + 4x 10G SFP+
PoE Budget: 720W total PoE availability (PoE, PoE+, PoE++ supported; max 64W per port)
Layer: L3 (DHCP server, DHCP relay, inter-VLAN routing, static routing)
Stacking Support: Not listed in official specifications
Packet Buffer: 2 MB
VLANs: 1,000
MAC Address Table: 32,000
IPv4 Static Routes: 256
Access Lists: 128 IPv4, 128 MAC
Form Factor: 1U rack mount, 442.4 x 400 x 44 mm
Weight: 6.2 kg (13.7 lb) without mounting brackets
Power Supply: Internal AC/DC 870W, universal 100-240V AC, DC input for redundant power (RPS)
Max Power Consumption: 100W excluding PoE output; 820W including PoE output
Management Requirement: UniFi Network 8.0.24 or later
Display: 1.3 inch touchscreen LCM
Operating Temperature: -5 to 40u00b0C (23 to 104u00b0F)

✔ Pros: Full 720W PoE budget with 64W PoE++ on 16 of the 48 copper ports, suited to high-power devices; 16 multi-gigabit 2.5GbE ports for Wi-Fi 6/7 access points and high-speed endpoints; Layer 3 routing (inter-VLAN, static routes, DHCP relay) without a separate router; 4x 10G SFP+ uplinks for aggregation or fibre; 224 Gbps switching capacity and 167 Mpps forwarding rate; centralized management through UniFi Network with a touchscreen display; rack-mountable 1U form factor with redundant DC power input
✘ Cons: High price relative to smaller UniFi switches, with US prices roughly $1,300 to $1,500 at major sellers; requires UniFi Network 8.0.24 or later, so it is tied to the UniFi ecosystem; 720W total PoE budget can be exhausted if all 48 ports draw high power, so per-port budgeting is needed; 6.2 kg weight and full-depth chassis require a sturdy rack; stacking support is not listed in official specifications, which limits scaling as a single logical unit; fan noise is not specified, which matters for non-data-centre installs
Est. Price: $1,299 - $1,527

Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200

★ 4.2 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 128 Gbps (24-port models); 176 Gbps (48-port models)
Forwarding Rate: 95.2 Mpps (24-port models); 130.9 Mpps (48-port models)
Ports (breakdown): 24x or 48x 10/100/1000BASE-T (PoE+ on PoE SKUs) + 4x SFP/SFP+ uplinks (1GbE/10GbE); 6200M models add 4x SFP+ uplinks
PoE Budget: 370W Class 4 (24G and 48G 370W SKUs); 740W Class 4 (48-port 6200F PoE SKU); up to 1440W Class 6 (60W per port) on 6200M PoE SKUs. Varies by SKU
Layer: L2/L3 (Layer 3 static routing; dynamic routing depends on software license)
Stacking support: Yes, VSF virtual stacking up to 8 members (single logical device); VSX redundancy also supported

✔ Pros: Fixed-port, Layer 2/3 managed access switch in a compact 1U form factor; Wide range of PoE and non-PoE SKUs (370W, 740W, and 1440W class 6 PoE options) for IP phones, cameras, and APs; VSF stacking of up to 8 members simplifies management as one logical device; Full Aruba CX OS features with REST API, network analytics, and automation support via Aruba Central; Solid mid-range pricing compared with enterprise-class core switches; 10GbE SFP+ uplinks support aggregation and campus backbone links
✘ Cons: Model and SKU naming (6200F vs 6200M, 24G vs 48G, PoE vs non-PoE) is confusing and specs differ significantly between variants; Public spec sources conflict on some figures (for example, 6200F throughput and uplink types), so exact datasheet values should be verified per SKU; Dynamic routing and advanced L3 features require additional licensing; Power budget is limited on 370W and 740W SKUs, so high-draw PoE devices may not all be supported at full load; Pricing is in USD only for 6200F SKUs. European 6200M pricing was found only in EUR and GBP, and no official HPE list price was confirmed
Est. Price: $4,261 - $8,663

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