What Is a GaN Charger, and Do You Need One?

A GaN charger is a wall charger that uses gallium nitride (GaN) power transistors in place of silicon ones, which lets it fit the same power into a smaller brick. The speed you get is set by the charger’s wattage and by how much power your device will take, not by GaN itself: Anker’s charger guide says a 100W charger “will not charge the iPhone itself any faster than a 60W unit.”

So do you need one? You need the right wattage, and GaN is how you get it in a brick that fits a pocket. For a phone plus a MacBook Neo or Air, the UGREEN Nexode 65W 3-Port Charger lists at $39.99 and was on sale for $23.99 at UGREEN’s store on October 28, 2026. For a desk or a bag that also charges a 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6, the Anker Prime Charger (100W, 3 Ports, GaN) was listed at $69.99 at Anker’s store the same day, with a $10 code the store applies at checkout.

What is a GaN charger?

Gallium nitride is a semiconductor whose “wide band gap of 3.4 eV” gives it special properties for optoelectronics and for “high-power and high-frequency devices,” as Wikipedia puts it. In power supplies such as chargers, GaN transistors are used “due to their small size, fast switching speed and high efficiency,” and Wikipedia adds that GaN “is efficient at transferring current, and this ultimately means that less energy is lost to heat.”

The practical result is size. Wikipedia illustrates it with a photo of two 30-watt USB-C chargers: the GaN one “is significantly smaller than a traditional silicon-based charger (left) of the same power rating.” That is the photo at the top of this page. UGREEN makes the same claim for its own product: “GaN technology allows this 3-port charger to be 50% smaller than comparable chargers.” That 50 percent is UGREEN’s figure, not an independent test.

Is a GaN charger worth it?

If you carry a charger, yes: you get the same watts in less space. Anker’s guide makes the same point: “Gallium nitride chargers run cooler and occupy less space than traditional silicon adapters, which matters if you travel or keep the charger in a bag.” If the charger never leaves the outlet behind your nightstand, size matters less than the right wattage. A multi-port GaN charger like the two below can also stand in for more than one brick, which is this guide’s view of the main payoff.

What GaN does not change is how much power your device accepts. Anker says of the iPhone 18 Pro: “While the phone will accept power from a 100W adapter, its internal charging circuit caps the draw at roughly 46–52W depending on the model.”

How many watts does your device need?

Start with your device, not the charger. Here is what Apple lists for its newest phones and laptops:

The right-hand column is this guide’s match of each device to the two chargers below, by wattage: the UGREEN gives up to 65W from either USB-C port on its own, and the Anker up to 100W from one USB-C port. A 65-watt charger still charges a MacBook Air; it just falls short of the 70 watts Apple names for the Air’s fast charging. For a 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro, Apple’s 94W minimum is close to the Anker’s full 100W, so keep the laptop alone on it. Other 14-inch models, with M5 Pro or M5 Max, ship with a 70W or 96W adapter depending on the chip and list a 70W minimum.

The iPhone 18 Pro note. Apple ties the 18 Pro’s fastest wired speed to a 60W-or-higher adapter with Adjustable Voltage Supply (AVS). Neither store page read for this guide lists AVS; UGREEN’s protocol list names PD, QC, AFC, SCP and PPS. Anker’s guide says “Any USB-C PD charger will power the iPhone 18 Pro,” adding that older adapters without AVS “will not reach the 0–50% speed Apple advertises.” The iPhone charger guide lists chargers whose makers do state AVS and how close tests found the others.

The catch with multi-port chargers: the watts are shared

Anker lists how its total is shared; UGREEN’s store page lists only per-port maximums.

With two devices on the Anker, the 100W is shared, and Anker’s page does not say how it splits between ports; with three, the total drops to 89W. For a laptop, plug in alone or put it on the top USB-C port, which Anker labels “100W Max (Top Port USB-C1).” And use a USB-C port for a phone: the USB-A port on both chargers tops out at 22.5W, below the 40W Apple names for the iPhone 17’s fastest charge.

For a phone and a small laptop: UGREEN Nexode 65W

UGREEN pitches it as a charger that “Replaces your bulky laptop charging brick and fast charges your phone at top speed.” It has two USB-C ports, either of which gives up to 65W on its own, and a USB-A port at up to 22.5W; it measures 2.59 by 1.57 by 1.22 inches and weighs 4.58 ounces. UGREEN lists it at $39.99, and on October 28, 2026 its store had it at $23.99 for the charger alone, or $36.49 with two USB-C cables.

It covers an iPhone 17 at Apple’s 40-watt fast-charge level over a USB-C cable, more than covers the MacBook Neo’s 20-watt adapter, and beats the 40W adapter that ships with a MacBook Air.

One warning for Samsung owners: UGREEN’s page says that for Galaxy phones this charger “only supports 25w Galaxy Super Fast Charging 1.0” and “Does not support 45W Samsung Super Fast Charge 2.0.” Anker’s page for the Prime 100W does not name a Samsung mode either. If you have a Galaxy that charges at 45W, check that a charger names that mode before you buy.

Check price on Amazon

For a 14-inch MacBook Pro or a travel bag: Anker Prime 100W

This is the one-charger-for-everything pick. Anker lists “100W Max” from one USB-C port, 100W shared across two devices and 89W across three, with a USB-A port at up to 22.5W. It measures 1.7 by 1.1 by 2.7 inches.

At 100 watts from one port it is above the 96W Apple names for fast-charging the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 and the 70W it names for fast-charging a MacBook Air. Anker’s store listed it at $69.99 on October 28, 2026, and applied a $10 code at checkout.

Check price on Amazon

Frequently asked questions

Is a GaN charger faster than a regular charger? Not at the same wattage. GaN makes the charger smaller; the charger’s wattage sets the ceiling and the device decides how much of it to take.

Can a GaN charger charge a laptop? Yes, if it has enough watts for that laptop. A MacBook Neo ships with a 20W adapter, and a 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 ships with a 70W one, with 60W as Apple’s recommended minimum.

Can a MacBook charger charge an iPhone? A USB-C one can. Anker’s guide says “Any USB-C PD charger will power the iPhone 18 Pro,” though without AVS it won’t reach Apple’s fastest figure. The iPhone charger guide discusses how close a laptop plug comes.

Will a 100W charger damage a phone’s battery? The phone limits what it draws. Anker says the iPhone 18 Pro’s “internal charging circuit caps the draw at roughly 46–52W,” and that “The extra wattage from a 100W charger is useful if you also power a laptop or tablet from the same adapter.”

Is a GaN charger a good gift? For someone who travels or carries a laptop, yes: UGREEN says its 65W model “Replaces your bulky laptop charging brick.” For an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods on a nightstand, a 3-in-1 stand from the 3-in-1 charger guide may suit them better.

Sources (10)

• en.wikipedia.org Wikipedia: Gallium nitride
• us.ugreen.com UGREEN: Nexode 65W 3-Port Charger (store, October 28, 2026)
• anker.com Prime Charger (100W, 3 Ports, GaN) (store, October 28, 2026)
• apple.com iPhone 17 tech specs
• apple.com iPhone 18 Pro tech specs
• apple.com MacBook Neo tech specs
• apple.com MacBook Air tech specs
• apple.com MacBook Pro tech specs
• anker.com Nano Charger Neo
• anker.com iPhone 18 Pro Charger Guide