The best GaN chargers are something that more and more of us are looking to buy right now. That's because they'll power up your devices more quickly than a traditional charger, as well as being smaller and lighter.
GaN chargers are a relatively new type of charger that's constructed using gallium nitride rather than silicon, which is a better conductor of electricity. That makes them smaller, more energy-efficient, cooler, and able to charge more quickly than other models. So you'll save space, save money on electricity bills and won't have to wait around so long for your phone, tablet, camera, or laptop to be fully juiced up.
Below, we list the best GaN chargers on the market today. To choose between them, think about how much power you want: 45W is fine for charging phones, but to charge a powerful laptop you'll need something more like 100-200W. Also, will you need to charge more than one device at once? Some GaN chargers come with lots of ports for this purpose, but that does bump up the cost.
Alternatively, if you're looking for a different type of charger, see our roundups of the best wireless chargers (opens in new tab) and the best solar chargers (opens in new tab).
Like the idea of charging your devices faster, but don't want to spend a fortune? Then here's the charger we can recommend for you. This charger from UGREEN boasts a maximum output of 65W: enough to fully charge a 13-inch MacBook or a Dell XPS 13 in just one hour. If you want to fast-charge more than one device at a time, you have a total of four ports at your disposal, including one USB-A slot and three USB-C slots. At just 2.56 x 2.56 x 1.3 inches, it's nice and compact too. In short, this the best GaN charger we can recommend today for most people.
If you're short on funds, here's the cheapest GaN charger we can recommend today. The Syncwire PD 30W Charger is beautifully compact, at just 1.97 x 1.97 x 1.97 inches, making it a great travel companion. But it packs a fair bit of power nonetheless, allowing you to charge the latest iPhone 14 series up to three times faster than with an original 5W charger. Note, though, that you won't be able to charge more than one device at once.
If our number one pick, UGREEN's 65W charger, isn't powerful enough for you, then how about this one? This 100W USB-C Charger will power up a 16-inch Macbook Pro from 0-42% in just 30 minutes, and to 100% in just under two hours. It also comes with four ports, allowing you to charge up four devices simultaneously via USB-C (3) and USB-A (1). On the downside, you'll pay more, and it weights about twice as much as the 65W model, although 8.3oz still isn't exactly what you'd call heavy.
While it's small in size, this charging station from Spigen boasts four ports (two USB-A, two USB-C) for multi-device charging and delivers an impressive 120W output. That's enough to charge two 14-inch MacBook Pros simultaneously, or a single 13-inch MacBook Pro to 50 per cent in less than an hour. Most importantly, it's reliable, consistent and stays cool during use.
For the ultimate in power, UGREEN also produces a 200W GaN charger. Of course, you'll pay extra for this but in return you'll be able to fully charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro in just 90 minutes. This is also the best GaN charger for powering up lots of devices, with six ports in total (two USB-A and four USB-C). Plus it has a specially designed braided cable, which is very nice indeed.
Choosing between the best GaN chargers largely comes down to a balance between price and power. And if you just need to charge one device, the Anker Nano II 45W offers great value at the lower end of both of these. This tiny device will let you charge a 2020 MacBook Air at full speed, an iPhone 12 up to three times faster than with an original 5W charger, and the latest Samsung phones at full speed with Samsung Super Fast Charging. On the downside, there's only one port, and it's no good for large laptops.
If you have a lot of USB-A devices to charge, then you'll appreciate that this 63W charger has not one but two USB-A ports with which to do so, along with two USB-C ports. To our eyes, it's also got a lovely design and is very compact and light, at just 4.8oz. And overall, it fits a lot of power into a very small package, although on the downside, it is on the pricey side.
This nicely designed 100W charger also comes in at a very nice price. It takes only two hours to fully charge the 96W MacBook Pro 16-inch, and offers enough juice to charge two laptops simultaneously, including Lenovo, Dell, HP, Chromebook, Surface, Acer, and more. Compatible with up to 12 kinds of fast-charging protocols, including PD3.0, QC3.0 and PPS, it also plays nicely with the Nintendo Switch and supports "Charge-and-Play" in TV mode.
Other useful guides
• Best iPhone charger (opens in new tab)
• Best iPhone charging cable (opens in new tab)
• Best travel adaptor
• Best iPhone power bank (opens in new tab)
• Best laptop power bank (opens in new tab)
• Best wireless chargers (opens in new tab)
• Best iPhone tripods & supports (opens in new tab)
