Fast charging is reaching levels unimaginable just a few years ago. At Xataka we are currently testing the Realme GT3, a 240W fast charging device capable of going from 0 to 100% in less than 10 minutes. Xiaomi does not want to be left behind, and has already announced a 300W charging system that charges a mobile with more than 4,000mAh in just five minutes.
There are those in favor of these numbers, there are those who are not so in favor. But there is a great unknown that is not talked about much and that is revolutionizing the world of chargers: GaN technology. When I received the Realme GT3 I was shocked: the 240W charger was the same size as a 65W charger.
Welcome be the GaN fever
In this Mobile World Congress I saw several colleagues using multiple chargers. Laptops usually use bulky 65W chargers, along with mobile phone chargers, which are not small either.
I quietly took out of the backpack a GaN charger with three ports. With one of them I was charging an iPhone 14, with another a Xiaomi 13 Pro, and with another there was enough energy to deliver 45W to the MacBook Air of one of my colleagues. All with a charger that fit in the palm of your hand.
240W Dual GaN | 120W GaN | 65W standard
Fast charging fever has brought us watts, many watts. Enough for the phone charger to be completely valid, as long as it has the relevant certifications and standards, to charge our PC. Also, having GaN technology allows these chargers to be absurdly small in relation to the power they have.
How is this accomplished? GaN chargers use gallium nitride instead of silicon. This semiconductor material makes it possible to manufacture smaller transistors, in addition to managing higher power levels compared to silicon. These types of chargers are much more efficient than traditionalthey manage heat better despite being smaller.
GaN chargers are also cheap. Going around Amazon we see that the prices are quite similar compared to traditional chargers, and we have them from just over 20 euros with Power Delivery standard, 65W and dual port.
Some of us (as a server) may not want to join the 10-minute upload rush, but the democratization of GaN uploaders is a side effect that everyone else can enjoy. Charge your laptop, phone and any other C-port device with a tiny charger that barely heats up. That is the real revolution.
