The benefits of GaN chargers

1. Small size

Because of the use of gallium nitride and a characteristic of gallium nitride: high switching frequency. It is currently the fastest power switching device in the world. The high switching frequency can reduce the volume of transformers and capacitors, so the natural gallium nitride charging head will be smaller and lighter than ordinary charging heads, and at the same time generate heat will also decrease.

2. High power

Because gallium nitride itself has a wider bandgap, and a wide bandgap means that it can withstand higher voltages, has better conductivity, and will reduce the power consumption of electronic products by 10% to 25%.

Of course, it is not only saving electricity, but also fast charging! How fast? Taking Mi 10 GaN charging as an example, it can charge Mi 10 Pro to 100% within 45 minutes, and it takes 1h50min to charge iPhone 11 to 100%, which is about 50% faster than the original 5W charger.

3. Easy to dissipate heat

Compared with the first-generation semiconductor Si and the second-generation semiconductor GaAs, GaN has a large band gap, a large zero-boundary breakdown electric field strength, and a higher thermal conductivity.

GaN devices can work at high temperatures above 200°C, can carry higher energy density, and have higher reliability; the larger band gap and insulation destruction electric field reduce the on-resistance of the device, which is conducive to improving the overall energy efficiency of the device; The fast electron saturation speed and high carrier mobility allow the device to work at high speed.

4. Good compatibility

According to public data, a certain brand of GaN charger can intelligently identify the output current, and is compatible with most Type-C smartphones, laptops, tablets, and trendy gaming devices, including all iPhones, Switches, and many brands of laptops.

As we all know, Lenovo thinkplus and OPPO mostly support their own laptops and mobile phones, and they did not give a detailed compatibility test list for other brands.

At present, the most widely used semiconductor material for chargers on the market is silicon (Si), such as the Apple charger or Huawei charger you have on hand. However, silicon has almost been used by humans to the limit, so gallium nitride, as the third-generation semiconductor material of silicon, has begun to be gradually applied to most electronic devices.

Is it necessary to buy a GaN charger?

GaN (gallium nitride) is a new type of semiconductor material, which has super thermal conductivity, high temperature resistance and acid and alkali resistance. As the material of the charging head, it has the characteristics of high efficiency, low heat generation, high power and small size, and has advantages in charging power conversion compared with the same power (non-GaN) charger. Its charger is smaller in size, generally only half the volume of traditional chargers. At the same time, it can ensure low-temperature and safe charging, which has brought changes to the entire mobile phone industry. It can be called the "fast charging revolution", and it has become a hot spot in the industry for a while.

Even though the gallium nitride market is booming at the moment, for mobile phone users, whether to replace the gallium nitride charger immediately still needs to be considered.

Generally speaking, if the battery of the mobile phone does not exceed 3500 mAh, and the fast charge of the mobile phone does not exceed 30W, it is not meaningful to use a gallium nitride charger, and the charger that comes with the mobile phone itself is sufficient.

Even if the high-power gallium nitride charger is replaced, it is only charged at a power of 30W, which is a bit overkill.

If your mobile phone battery exceeds 3500 mAh, the fast charging capacity of your mobile phone can reach more than 40W, and the standard charger wattage of your mobile phone is low, then the gallium nitride charger is very suitable for you.

Of course, if it is to charge a laptop, a gallium nitride charger is indeed a good choice.

Why is gallium nitride charger expensive

The reason is simple: GaN technology was immature before, and the cost was relatively higher! The main cost of GaN chargers comes from MOS power chips. Expensive raw materials directly lead to the high price of consumer-grade GaN chargers. Currently, GaN chargers on the market are basically more than 100 yuan. However, as more and more manufacturers participate, it is believed that the technology will become more and more mature, and it is only a matter of time before the cost drops.