Nothing beats the sheer versatility of a good Gallium Nitride, or GaN, charger. In a package that fits in the palm of your hand, you can charge your computer, gaming device, phone, and potentially other devices all at once. They deliver high voltage and high watts to meet even the highest Power Delivery, or PD, standards.
Here at Gravastar, we are constantly asked which GaN chargers are the best. Our research has come up with a list that represents what we think are the best GaN chargers on the market.
We also think they're universally the best. Whether you're using them for travel, gaming, or just general use these chargers will meet all of your needs.
How We Picked
There are a few qualities that make a GaN charger commendable. Here are the primary ones we evaluated.
Wattage
The listed wattage of a GaN charger lets you know the maximum charging throughput the charger is capable of. That's important if you want to charge multiple devices. Especially if those devices are all PD-capable.
Ports
GaN chargers usually included a mix of USB-A and USB-C ports with some being PD-capable and others not. The more ports, the better, because that lets you charge more devices. On higher-wattage devices, that may also mean multiple PD-capable ports. That means that you can charge more power-hungry devices like your laptop, or charge things like your phone quicker.
Portability
GaN chargers are great because they're relatively small. Unlike a bulky laptop power brick of old, they typically fit in an average-sized palm. That being said, some of the highest-wattage GaN chargers can give those old power bricks a run for their money. GaN chargers should strike a good balance between powerful and portable–after all, they are designed to charge portable devices.
Looks
We are strong believers that form must meet function. It's not enough that a charger should work well, it should also look good. Let's be honest, if you're on the go with a charger, it should complement your office on the go.
Price
Your charger shouldn't break your budget. Frankly, it doesn't need to given the number of strong available options. Price wasn't the primary factor used to generate this list, but we think it's an important consideration.
Best Overall: GravaStar Alpha65 Fast Wall Charger
- Wattage: 65 Watts
- Ports: 2 x USB-C PD; 1 x USB-A
- Portability: Small
- Looks: Yes, please
Call us biased, but we wanted to create a functional and portable charger that's also a conversation starter. The GravaStar Aplha65 Fast Wall Charger does exactly that. Its strikingly futuristic mecha design is appealingly eye-catching and unique.
Don't let its looks fool you: it's also a very competent charger. It has two USB-C PD charging ports and one USB-A charging port. Those ports provide a maximum of 65 watts of power with great flexibility in how you can plug devices in.
Fully loaded, you can charge a Steam Deck or laptop with a phone and tablet, eBook, or other device. You name it, the Alpha65 is compatible with it. That versatility can be difficult to find with some GaN chargers and it was important for us to maintain compatibility.
You can also throw your little buddy in your bag for travel to the office or around the world. The Alpha65's resilient design ensures that you're able to charge your devices when you need to, where you need to.
Fully loaded, the Alpha65 highlights that a 65W charger is the realistic minimum for a techie on the go. A lower-wattage charger will work with a laptop or phone or other device, but not a combination of devices. If one needs to charge a laptop with a tablet and, say, a Switch at the same time, then 65W is the minimum to accomplish that feat.
High Power: Ugreen Nexode 300W
- Wattage: 300 Watts
- Ports: 4 x USB-C PD; 1 x USB-A PD
- Portability: Large
- Looks: Big silver box
The Ugreen Nexode 300W is a beast of a charger. It's one of the highest power chargers available on the market as of the writing of this article and has sufficient wattage to power a low-performance office desktop PC.
PD capability works on all of the Ugreen Nexode 300W's ports, with four USB-C ports and a high-wattage USB-A port. You can handily power four laptops, plus a Switch, phone, or tablet that supports USB-A PD. There aren't many phones or tablets that support USB-A PD, but if they do you'll get fast charging without USB-C to USB-C connectivity.
You can throw the Ugreen Nexode 300W in a bag and haul it around to where you need to go. If you need to. It's big and almost weighs two pounds. When we wrote that some GaN chargers gave old laptop power bricks a run for their money, this was the poster child.
That being said, this will charge 5 power-hungry devices. It's a fantastic desk-based charger for the techie on the go or someone who wants to power their colleagues' devices. One Nexode 300W will power a conference room's worth of devices with little difficulty.
Even better, the Nexode 300W does so with an elegant silver and gray fingerprint-resistant package. It's difficult to argue that this is a solid option for the young, responsible professional on the go.
Compact Travel Power: Anker Prime 100W
- Wattage: 100 Watts
- Ports: 2 x USB-C PD; 1 x USB-A PD
- Portability: Small
- Looks: Small gray plug
The Anker Prime 100W is a small travel charger that delivers a surprising 100 watts for its size. It arguably stretches the power delivery capacity of small GaN chargers to provide maximal, but impersonal, connectivity on the go.
The Prime 100W is an elegant gray plug with retracting power prongs that easily fit in any carry-on. For the professional on the go, this will provide maximal power. It's also designed to be understated.
Fully populated, the Prime 100W will power most laptops, PD-capable phones, and devices that use USB-A PD. Again, for the professional on the go, the Prime 100W will handily facilitate setting up a remote office.
Although the Prime 100W is specced at 100 watts, it doesn't provide significantly more functionality than a charger specced at 65 watts. Both decrease the per-port wattage when fully populated. You're still left charging the same classes and combinations of devices: laptop plus tablet and USB-A device.
Still, it's hard to argue that the Anker Prime 100W isn't the most compact travel charger for the wattage. If you want something small and unobtrusive to charge on the go, then the Anker Prime 100W is for you.
Best for Phones: Anker Ace Foldable 45W
- Wattage: 45 Watts
- Ports: 1 x USB-C PD
- Portability: Very Small
- Looks: Small black plug
If all you need is a charger to charge a single phone, tablet, or lower-power laptop then the Anker Ace Foldable 45W is for you. It's by far the smallest option on this list and is smaller than what would have been an included iPhone or Galaxy charger, if those devices still came with included chargers.
The 45W of power delivered by the Ace Foldable will handily power most of what you throw at it. It will have no problem powering many laptops, Macbooks, iPads and tablets, iPhones, Steam Decks, Switches, you name it.
The tradeoff for the Ace Foldable's small size is that it only charges one device at a time. If you travel light, then this is a perfectly manageable charger. You can throw it in a bag with a USB-C cable and go. Depending on how cluttered that bag is, you may even lose this charger in there.
If you need to charge more than one device at a time, obviously this won't work. Still, with the high wattage power delivery, it will sequentially charge your devices quickly. If you're looking to save as much weight and space as possible, then this is a great option for a small charger.
All PD All the Time: Satechi 200W 6-Port GaN Charger
- Wattage: 200 Watts
- Ports: 6 x USB-C PD
- Portability: Medium
- Looks: Elegantly rounded silver rectangle
Compared to the Ugreen Nexode 300W, the Satechi 200W 6-Port GaN Charger is positively small, at almost half the size, but is larger than all other options on this list. It handily delivers single-port wattage of up to 140 watts with two PD 3.1 ports. Fully loaded it will simultaneously power a laptop, tablet, and four PD 3.0 devices.
The lack of USB-A ports means you're likely only charging USB-C devices with the Satechi 200W. That means limited legacy support for micro USB devices. However, with USB-C being adopted as the de facto standard for most modern devices, chances are those legacy devices will be phased out soon enough.
It's a shame the Satechi 200W is capped at 200W. A 300W unit would likely be able to deliver 140 watts on two ports simultaneously, which would make the Satechi really stand out. That would have likely increased the cost significantly, however, and it's a very appealing device at its price point.
Additionally, as it is, it will simultaneously deliver 140 and 100 watts on two ports to power two very power-hungry devices. Few other devices on the market can lay claim to the same. Fully loaded, it delivers 65 watts on one port, 45 watts on a second, and 20 watts on the remaining four.
Overall, the Saitech 200W is a great option for your GaN charging needs if you have many USB-C PD devices and need to charge them all simultaneously.
The Competition
240W GaN Charger Station Desktop with Digital Display Screen: This is a desktop GaN charger capable of delivering enough power for a laptop, tablet, and numerous less power-hungry devices simultaneously. It also packs a wireless charger for your phone!
Acxuodzen USB C Charger Block 160W 2 Pack: This difficult-to-pronounce option provides two chargers with three ports each: two 65-watt USB-C PD ports and one 30-watt USB-A PD port. These chargers are good options for people who need to charge multiple devices using a relatively unobtrusive wall plug.
Anker 511 Charger (Nano 3): If you love the simple aesthetics of the phone chargers Apple used to include with the iPhone, look no further than the Anker 511 charger. It's a simple plug with one 30-watt PD port, perfect for an iPhone or iPad, and comes in a variety of pastel colors plus black and white.
Frequently Asked Questions
We also get numerous questions related to finding the best GaN charger. Here are answers to some of our favorites.
Are GaN Chargers Really Better?
Unequivocally yes. GaN chargers are a significant advancement in power delivery technology and are far superior to their purely silicon-based counterparts. They allow delivery of more than 15 watts of power over a USB connection in a compact package.
What is the Best GaN Charger for PC?
The best GaN charger for PC is one that delivers 145 watts over a PD 3.1 port. While most laptops on the market only require 65 watts, a charger capable of delivering 145 watts over one port will be able to quickly charge any laptop on the market that supports it.
What is the Best GaN Charger for MacBook?
What makes a GaN charger good for a Windows laptop makes it good for a MacBook. MacBooks only need a charger capable of delivering 65 watts, but a charger that delivers 145 watts will charge it much quicker.
Final Thoughts
One of the great things about the Power Delivery standard is that the device and charger automatically negotiate the amount of power to be supplied based on manufacturer specifications. If your device can consume 145 watts over a USB-C PD 3.1 connection, then it will!
You should never try to modify or override the power delivery settings of your charger or charging device. Doing so poses a danger to the charger, the device being charged, and your health and well-being.
Also remember that even though some of these chargers are meant to be put in a bag for travel, they are high-voltage devices and if they're damaged they can pose harm to you and the devices you charge.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
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