Do you charge a bunch of gadgets from the same hub? Now might be a good time to upgrade. That's because Anker has just released a new line of multi-port power adapters and chargers that is the first to take advantage of a new technology — called GaNPrime — and it promises to make charging multiple devices at once smarter, faster and way more efficient.
What is GaNPrime?
GaNPrime combines two different technologies: Gallium Nitride (GaN) and PowerIQ.
• Gallium Nitride (GaN): This is a material that's significantly more energy-efficient and space-efficient than silicon. It allows that power adapter to be smaller and more powerful that you were previously used to.
• PowerIQ (Gen 4.0): This is Anker's proprietary technology. It's a smart-charging chip that's integrated into the multi-port power adapter and identifies how many devices are connected and how much voltage output each device needs.
Why upgrade?
The advantage of GaNPrime is that if you have two devices that are connected to a multi-port power adapter, such as a smartphone and a tablet, it will be smart enough to identify how much power each device currently has (and needs to become fully charged) and it'll then adjust its voltage output to optimize charging for each device.
A traditional dual-port power adapter will typically split its voltage output evenly to both devices. For example, if it's a 43-watt power adapter has two USB-C ports, it'll send a max of 20-watts to each of the devices that are connected.
The same wall adapter with GaNPrime will be able to detect the battery life of each device, say one is at 75 percent and the other is at 5 percent, and automatically output a lot more voltage to the nearly-dead device so that charges it more rapidly. It's also smart enough to detect each type of device (and the amount of power it can accept), and it'll optimize charging accordingly.
The result is that when the power adapter with GaNPrime is connected to multiple devices — be it a smartphone, tablet, laptop or other gadget (like headphones) — it'll optimize the charge for each as well as factor in the current battery lives of all the connected devices. Basically, it just promises a better way of charging.
Here are a few of the options in the new GaNPrime lineup.
Anker 615 USB Power Strip (65 Watts)
This is a 65-watt power strip with two AC outlets, two USB-C Ports and a single USB-A port.
Price: $70
Anker 727 Charging Station (100 Watts)
This is a power strip with two AC outlets, two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports. It can output a max of 100-watts. When only one USB-C ports is being used, it can output a max of 100-watts, too.
Price: $95
Anker 733 Power Bank (65 Watts)
This is a unique power adapter because it also doubles a 10,000 mAh portable battery pack. It has two USB-C ports and a USB-A port. It can output a max of 65-watts of power when connected to power, or a max of 30-watts when used as a portable battery pack.
Price: $100
Anker 735 Charger (65 Watts)
This is a 65-watt power adapter with an ultra-compact design. It has two USB-C ports and a USB-A port.
Price: $60
Anker 737 Charger (120 Watts)
This is a 120-watt power adapter with two USB-C ports and a USB-A port. Each USB-C port has a max power output of 100 watts and the USB-A port has a max power output of 22.5 watts.
Price: $95
Anker 747 Charger (150 Watts)
This is a 150-watt power adapter with three USB-C ports and a USB-A port. Each USB-C port has a max power output of 100 watts. The USB-A port has a max power output of 22.5 watts.
Price: $110
