Today, Anker is launching an entirely new lineup of chargers, marking the first of its stable to arrive with the latest GaN charging tech. Packed into six different form factors, Anker is opting to forgo the new GaN III standard in favor of launching its own version of the tech known as GaNPrime. Delivering notable power stations for refueling your entire Apple kit, there’s everything from 150W multi-port chargers to Qi-enabled solutions and other USB-C power stations.
Anker GaNPrime lineup launches with six new USB-C chargers
Last major announcement we heard from Anker brought the new MagGo series out for iPhone 12 and 13 owners, and now today’s launch is similarly squaring up for Apple users. Spreads across six different accessories, the new Anker GaNPrime lineup seeks to reduce not only the clutter in your bag by cutting down on multiple chargers, but also waste by ensuring you only need a single adapter to fuel your entire kit.
All taking on multi-port UBS-C designs, the lineup comes in different form factors with altered pricing to match. Anker is also uniquely taking a different approach this time around by ditching the more readily available GaN III standard and instead making its own GaNPrime offering. But why reinvent the wheel when most of the other brands out there are going with the existing standard? Anker has a few answers.
Two of the biggest selling points that Anker noted to me was the efficiency and the safety of its new GaNPrime offerings. As far as the former goes, Anker has built in the latest version of its inteligent power delivery system, which in this case arrives fittingly as PowerIQ 4.0. This assists each of the six different chargers in automatically adjusting energy between ports to make sure devices that are more in need of power are prioritized. On the safety side, Anker is also building in ActiveShield 2.0 into its new GaNPrime lineup. This keeps an eye on temperture readings for each of the charging blocks and certainly comes in handy when you’re talking about chargers that can dish out upwards of 150W at a time.
There’s also the size aspect of the new releases that make GaNPrime as notable as it is, with the typical form factor chargers from Anker clocking in at anywhere from 38 to 53% smaller than Apple’s own offerings. And last but not least, each one of the new debuts is a bit more efficient than your typical charger, with Anker noting that these will waste 2% less power compared to previous generations of Anker GaN offerings.
Here’s how pricing across the entire Anker GaNPrime lineup stacks up, with all of the options now available for pre-order direct from Anker. We’re expecting Amazon listings to go live soon.
- 150W 4-port Charger: $109.99 | Amazon and Anker
- 120W 3-port Charger: $94.99 | Amazon and Anker
- PowerCore 65W Power Bank: $99.99
- 100W Qi Charging Station: $94.99
- 65W Power Strip: $69.99
- 65W 3-port Charger: $59.99 | Amazon and Anker
9to5Toys’ Take
Anker was kind enough to send over a pair of its new GaNPrime chargers ahead of today’s launch, and I’ve been checking them out for the past couple of days. So while I can’t speak for the entire lineup revealed today, I can talk about the build quality, performance, and use cases on the two more capable chargers in the lineup.
As something of the flagship release from the new Anker GaNPrime collection, the new 4-port 150W USB-C model was the charger I was most eager to get my hands on. I have long been a fan of Satechi’s take on GaN charging, and so seeing Anker step into the ring is an eagerly awaited matchup. Right out of the box, build quality is pretty standard if you’re familiar with anything else from Anker. Each of the chargers are wrapped in a plastic casing, which has a nice soft touch to it. There’s a fold-out plug design in either case, with little rivets lining the front of the charger.
The charging tech is of course the real star of the show, and I have to say that Anker isn’t fooling around with either of the USB-C options. The 150W solution is easily going to be enough to handle any charging setup, though even the less capable 120W alternative still packs a punch. I’ve been testing out both of them with powering my Apple kit in mind, and both have handled the task quite well.
Being able to charge my 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro without breaking a sweat is an impressive feat, let alone being able to handle outputting the same 96W to Apple’s larger 16-inch model. The experience alters a little bit between the 150W and 120W models from there, with the extra ports getting different allotments of power based on what you’re looking to charge in tandem to a macOS device. But even when topping off an iPhone, iPad mini, and Apple Watch alongside the MacBook Pro, there doesn’t seem to be much concern for overheating. That seems to be largely in part thanks to the combination of PowerIQ and ActiveShield 2.0 tech.
One of the more unique things is that both of the chargers include an extra accessory in the form of a suction mount that helps each of them stay on the wall. As large as these chargers are, more worn-out wall outlets may not be able to support the weight, and so Anker thought ahead by including an optional rubber accessory that fits over either adapter. It’s a neat little way to ensure users won’t have any issues, though I am sure most of us can leave them off around the house. But if you plan on taking these on trips, the inclusion certainly helps add some peace of mind for unreliable hotel outlets and the like.
At the end of the day, Anker’s aim for its new GaNPrime USB-C charger lineup is very clear and the products themselves back that up. Whether you’re just looking for a travel-friendly solution that can handle refueling all of your gear from a single wall adapter or need to replace an existing offering that came with your MacBook, the new USB-C chargers are easily up to the task. Sure, they have premium price tags, but the value offered by having everything in one handheld unit isn’t lost on me, and I am certain many of you in the Apple ecosystem will feel the same.
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