If you have purchased a device in the last ten years, you will most likely have a slew of chargers scattered around your house. From low power USB-A chargers to the more modern USB-C ones, today’s devices depend on these to keep them going. This is where the new Razer GaN Charger comes into the picture, boasting four ports, quick charge, and a gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor—it is the ultimate power companion.
Costing $180, the Razer GaN charger has everything you could want from a modern adapter. From the ports—two USB-A, and two USB-C—the ability to charge four devices at once, included plug adapters, and even the ability to power some modern laptops, Razer has thrown everything a road warrior would need to power his arsenal on the go.
Using the GaN charger for a few weeks now, it has quickly become my go-to charger to keep my devices running. When I am on the road, or just sitting at home, the efficiency and speed, combined with the ability to charge multiple devices at once has made it an invaluable tool for the work I do. It is easy to see this being an ideal device for people who need their products charged for work, on the go, or even those who suffer from a lack of outlets. It is compact, easy to use, and cool to the touch.
“While the Razer GaN charger does pack a lot into its tiny size, it is much bigger than most phone chargers currently available.”
This is all thanks to the gallium nitride at the core of the GaN charger. It is a semiconductor technology that allows it to run cooler than other chargers, even under load. While there are plenty of chargers on the market—look at Amazon some time—many will get hot, or simply not allow this number of devices to charge efficiently.
While the Razer GaN charger does pack a lot into its tiny size, it is much bigger than most phone chargers currently available. At 3.0 x 2.4 x 1.3 inches and 35 grams, this is a heavy charger that may not work in some outlets due to the weight and size. That being said, in my time testing, I have yet to find a plug it did not sit in comfortably, and even at its size, it was never an issue to find a way to plug it in securely.
For a Razer product, the GaN charger felt relatively stealthy. You will not find any glowing RGB lighting, or bright green logos, it is a simple white or black rectangle with a faint Razer logo when you look carefully at it. If you did not know it came from the gaming brand, you would be hard-pressed to tell at a distance. The white version we tested comes with a high-quality braided USB-C cable that is long enough for most needs and fits securely in the charger. The adapters for travel click on with ease, and the flip out North American prongs store easily when not in use.
“Even laptops that normally can’t charge on even the highest end USB-C charger had no issue when it came to this offering.”
While this all sounds like something you could find easily if you went to some online retailer, Razer has made a charger that delivers 130W of power and is able to distribute that to the devices and where it is needed. There are countless options at around $50-75 on elsewhere, but most do not offer anywhere near this level of power, and many come from brands I would not trust with my high-end tech.
In testing, I threw everything I could at the GaN charger, just to see what it would have issue with. Even laptops that normally can’t charge on even the highest end USB-C charger had no issue when it came to this offering. Even with charging my phone, laptop, and a OnePlus test phone I was using, the GaN charger had no issues, with most charging quickly and efficiently.
Depending on the device, and what they can handle with fast charging, the GaN did manage to speed up this process a little, but as with anything, check with your documentation to ensure this will make a difference. In the case of the OnePlus Nord I was testing, it shaved off around 15 minutes of a full charge compared to the stock charger, not groundbreaking, but notable all the same.
It is also worth noting that there will be some devices that may not play nice with the GaN charger. You should take care when plugging in a device that can deliver 130W, since things can go wrong very quickly. Although in our testing nothing had any issue with the charger, and Razer have a history of high-quality products you should still check with the manufacturer before connecting to something of this nature to not fry a valuable piece of technology.
Razer came with one of the most expensive chargers on the market, but somehow managed to deliver on that price point. It is a simple concept, and one that many would overlook, but the ability to charge multiple devices safely and quickly at the same time is a game changer, especially as the world opens up. If you love to travel, and hate the bulky plugs, give the Razer GaN charger a look, it may be just what you are looking for.
