Charging up your power-hungry devices is about to get faster and more convenient. Anker, manufacturer of our best portable charger pick, has announced a new, third generation of Gallium Nitride (GaN) chargers that promise a smarter and more efficient charging experience in an even smaller form factor. Until recently, silicon was the preferred charging technology used in most laptops and mobile devices.
GaN technology more efficiently converts energy into power, producing less heat so internal components can be placed closer together. This means that even those huge laptop power bricks can now be replaced by more diminutive chargers. Anker already makes a ton of popular USB-C chargers, many of which include a previous generation of GaN.
With its latest products, Anker adds PowerIQ 4.0 technology, which not only tells the charger exactly how much power is needed for each connected device, but constantly adjusts the distribution to make sure each USB port is getting what it needs. Previously, if you had two devices plugged into a multiple port charger, I said a laptop that requires 65W of power and a phone that uses 15W, and you disconnect the phone, your laptop wouldn’t get the extra charge.
With GaNPrime, the charger will recognize that the phone has been disconnected and cleverly redistribute and reallocate the available resources. It also determines which device has the lowest battery level and prioritizes that device. That way, if you need to quickly charge up your laptop before heading out and it’s only at 20%, it will get powered up before a phone that’s already reached 80%.
In addition to reducing the size of the chargers (for example, the Anker 737 GaNPrime 65W charger is 53% smaller than the Apple 61W charger), Anker says GaNPrime saves energy use since more efficient charging takes less time overall. And because the new chargers are compatible with over a thousand mobile devices, you’ll likely need to carry just one. Hallelujah!
To take advantage of this new technology you need one of the new GaNPrime multi-device chargers, which range from 65W to 150W of power output, and a USB-C cable. Here’s what to look forward to.
At 150W this charger has the highest power output of the GaNPrime series. It has three USB-C ports and a USB-A port to distribute that power to, making it capable of fully charging a 16inch MacBook Pro in 1.7 hours.
This 120W charger distributes the power output between two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, so you can simultaneously charge a laptop, smartphone and a smartwatch. It can charge an iPhone 13 up to 3 times faster than an original 5W charger can.
This is the smallest GaNPrime charger with two USB-C ports and one USB-A port outputting 65W of power.
This power bank does double duty. Use it as a wall charger and you’ll get 65W of output, enough to charge a MacBook Pro in 50 minutes. Take it on the go and the 30W output can charge your iPhone up to 50% in 30 minutes. It has two USB-C ports and one USB-A but is still light enough to throw in your bag for portable power.
Serious multi-taskers need a charging station with lots of powerful ports. This GaNPrime charging station has two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports and two AC ports with a maximum power output of 100W — all in a slim, light design you can take on the go. If you prefer to keep yours on your desk, the Anker 615 Power Strip has the same 65W of power, two USB-C ports, one USB-A port and two AC ports in a larger form factor.