The batteries in your mobile devices continue to be disappointingly limiting, but at least the technology in chargers continues to rapidly evolve so you can quickly top up your gear when you find a power outlet. Anker’s new GaNPrime chargers now promise up to 150W of power delivery from a relatively small brick, giving you enough capacity to charge multiple devices at higher speeds.
Last week, Anker announced it had teamed up with two companies, Infineon and Navitas, to help develop a new line-up of higher-watt gallium nitride chargers capable of outputting up to 15oW of power (in total). The chargers would have improved efficiency while maintaining a compact form factor for easy portability.
Anker calls its new technology GaNPrime, and it includes the next generation of the company’s proprietary fast charging standard: PowerIQ 4.0, which offers charging speeds for individual devices up to 1ooW over USB-C, plus Dynamic Power Allocation to ensure that devices with the lowest charge level get higher priority when several are plugged into a charger at the same time. If your laptop’s battery is doing ok but your smartphone is near death, PowerIQ 4.0 will make sure your phone is charged at its maximum speed, while limiting power to the laptop to accommodate it.
A week after revealing the partnerships behind the technology in the company’s new gallium nitride fast chargers, Anker has revealed its GaNPrime charger line-up, with several options that balance power output, portability, and accessibility with various devices.
Anker 747 Charger (GaNPrime 150W)
The flagship of Anker’s new GaNPrime lineup is the 747 charger, which, from what we can tell, shares nothing with the iconic jumbo jet other than its name. The 747 is available today for $US110 ($153), and Anker boasts that it’s 38% smaller than Apple’s $US99 ($137) 140W MacBook Pro charger, while including three USB-C ports plus an additional USB-A port. However, each USB-C port on the Anker 747 maxes out at 100W output, while Apple’s USB-C PD 3.1-compliant MacBook charger can deliver a full 140W through its single USB-C port.
Anker’s latest and greatest still isn’t powerful enough to keep a beefier gaming laptop running while charging its battery. For now the “world’s smallest” 240W GaN charger is still quite beefy, and that’s assuming you’ve got a USB-C PD 3.1-compatible laptop that can handle that much power over USB-C. What Anker’s new GaNPrime chargers are offering are the ability to charge a couple of low-power laptops over USB-C at the same time, or a laptop plus a device like the Nintendo Switch, without needing to pack multiple power bricks when travelling.
Anker 735 & 737 Charger (GaNPrime 65W & 120W)
For those wanting an even smaller footprint, the new Anker 735 and 737 GaNPrime chargers slim down the 747 while still each featuring two USB-C ports and a single USB-A port. The cheaper $US60 ($83) Anker 735 maxes out at 65W of power output in total, while the $US95 ($132) Anker 737 can hit 120W in total, with up to 100W through one of its USB-C ports.
Anker 615 USB Power Strip (GaNPrime 65W)
For those wanting the flexibility of charging USB devices as well as other devices with propriety charging cables requiring access to an AC outlet, the $US70 ($97) Anker 615 is an all-in-one power strip with a removable silicone sleeve revealing a longer extension cord hidden inside — perfect for putting a charger on a hotel room’s bedside table when the nearest AC wall outlet is hidden behind the bed. The Anker 615 offers two USB-C ports, a single USB-A port, and a pair of AC outlets, but USB-C power output is limited to 65W.
Anker 733 Power Bank (GaNPrime PowerCore 65W)
The $US100 ($139) Anker 733 Power Bank offers similar power delivery to the Anker 735, topping out at 65W of power through two USB-C ports and a single USB-A port, but that’s only when plugged into a wall outlet. As the name implies, the Anker 733 Power Bank also features a 10,000 mAh rechargeable battery built in, but when charging devices using the battery alone, the power output is reduced to just 30W max.
Anker 727 Charging Station (GaNPrime 100W)
The $US95 ($132) Anker 727 Charging Station takes a similar approach to the Anker 615 USB Power Strip, with two AC outlets joining a pair of USC-C ports, but it doubles the number of old-school USB-A ports to two for legacy devices. Unlike the power strip, the Anker 727 does muster a full 100W of charging, and can be maxed out to 100W through a single USB-C port if needed. Anker also boasts thatthe 727 is much thinner than most power strips, but not so thin that you can’t actually plug in devices relying on a traditional AC plug.