What is a GaN Charger and How to Use It?

GaN prime technologies continue to positively impact life in many ways in recent times. It is almost difficult to think of another sector that has developed more rapidly, consistently and significantly than consumer electronics... Generations of innovations have been developed in devices that help define and especially influence our modern lives. This is where the GaN charger stands out as one of the most useful products you can use in your busy life.

Before moving on to the GaN charger topic, let's take a brief look at Moore's Law. Moore's Law, put forward by Gordon Moore in 1965, predicts that the number of transistors on a microchip will double every two years, while the cost will halve at the same time. In short, as time progresses, electronics will become more powerful, more compact, and less costly. However, according to today's scientists, Moore's Law can only go so far. Therefore, it is estimated that this law will end after a while.

Even Moore himself believes that his law will become obsolete in the next few years. But this is not just due to a lack of ideas. The famous element silicon, which is found in most circuit boards and transistors, has reached its service limit. The industry demands smaller and more powerful chips, and silicon can no longer handle the heat in the literal sense. So what is the solution? What miraculous material could enter the field, replace silicon and restart the flow of Moore's Law? The answer, of course: GaN. So what is GaN and what are the features of a GaN charger, let's review...

What is GaN?

Gallium nitride (GaN) has recently become a preferred compound in transistors due to its high power density and ability to operate at high temperatures and voltages. Although it has not yet overtaken silicon (Si) as the most widely used semiconductor, GaN has the potential to revolutionize the performance and manufacturing of consumer electronics. Because GaN Prime has the power to meet multiple needs of consumers in today’s modern life.

You’re probably already familiar with GaN, but you’re probably not aware of it. In Blu-ray players, GaN produces the blue light that reads data. This application, which led to the development of white LED light, which is prominently used in indoor lighting and flat-panel TVs, won the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics.

GaN’s uses are not limited to this. It is also used in the automotive, aerospace and military industries. Additionally, GaN has significant advantages when it comes to power distribution, a compound that Anker is keen to explore for chargers. GaN chargers have the power to deliver impressive benefits to consumers.

Anker GaNPrime™: Pioneer of GaN Charging Technology

In 2018, Anker introduced the PowerPort III Atom, the first charger to use its proprietary GaN technology, GaNPrime™. Boasting a thinner footprint, more efficient power delivery, and reduced heat generation, the PowerPort III Atom GaN charger signaled a promising new beginning for chargers. Why GaNPrime™ supports faster electronic devices and signals the need for a greener future.

Anker was one of the first companies to implement GaN into consumer charging products, helping to popularize the technology. It also continues to research and develop GaN primes to power a smarter, more environmentally responsible world. Over the past four years, Anker engineers have worked diligently to achieve similar results in terms of efficiency and product life.After all, this time it's a pocket-sized mobile charger They created portable power that can handle anything, at home or away.

The arrival of the Anker PowerHouse 767 marks the world’s first ultra-efficient portable power station powered by GaNPrime™ technology. This portable energy is a big change, and could have ripples from today to the future. To fully understand its impact, let’s take a look at the current limitations of power delivery and how GaN Prime provides a solution in the next section.

The Quest for a Better Transistor

For as long as electricity has existed, electrical engineers have been tirelessly searching for a distribution solution that offers excellent efficiency—a conductor that is immune to energy loss. The vacuum tube was the first to appear at this point. It was undoubtedly a turning point. However, low efficiency, high manufacturing costs, and enormous heat output soon showed the limits of the technology. Although vacuum tubes are still beloved by nostalgic musical instrument enthusiasts, their usefulness has diminished over time.

Then came the transistor, which would become the basis for subsequent power distribution. Germanium was briefly the preferred element for this more efficient technology before being replaced by silicon, which is now in widespread use.

So, is silicon really an ideal semiconductor? Does it come close to the "perfect efficiency" that engineers desire? Although this dream discovery is still a long way off, gallium nitride is still worth exploring. Let's see why.

How Do Transistors Work?

To conduct electricity, you first need to have a material that can conduct electricity. A true conductor, like copper, allows electricity to flow freely through it. On the other hand, an insulator, like plastic, does not allow electricity to flow. We need a material in between. This allows us to turn the current on and off at will. This is where semiconductors like silicon and gallium nitride come into play.

Power transistors work like valves. Electric current only flows through them when a voltage is applied. How fast and easily this current flows is determined by the band gap. So what is the band gap? In its most basic terms, the band gap is a measure of a material’s ability to conduct electricity. The wider the band gap, or the higher the number of electronvolts (eV) it can carry, the higher its potential to move electrons.

Silicon has a band gap of around 1.1 eV, while gallium nitride has three times that at 3.4 eV. This means that GaN requires a higher voltage to switch to a conducting state. It can also withstand much higher temperatures and has many more applications than silicon can handle. This higher potential actually classifies GaN as a wide band gap semiconductor.

GaN’s high electron mobility allows current to flow faster, requiring less energy. For example, LED lights use less energy to light up than old incandescent lights. Less energy also means less heat. We can apply this logic to something like a silicon-based CPU, which typically can’t operate above 100°C without failing or overheating and dying. But a GaN CPU can operate safely at temperatures above 300°C! This faster flow of electricity means a GaN chip can handle more voltage than a silicon chip of the same size. Or you can achieve similar performance and make everything smaller.When it comes to portable power, both are undoubtedly very exciting!

You can charge your devices faster with GaN Prime products developed by Anker. The products generally have different output points, but they can produce very high energy values. Thanks to GaN chargers that will make your life easier and are smaller than existing chargers, you can have the chance to charge more than one device with a single adapter.

Key Benefit of GaN in Portable Power: EFFICIENCY

There are two main areas in a portable power station that are susceptible to energy loss. The first is the batteries themselves. Due to the nature of lithium battery chemistry, a small amount of energy is lost through internal resistance even when the unit is not actively engaged.

The second and primary factor in energy loss is the inverter. Optimizing the electrical flow here increases the performance of the entire unit, and the application of GaN technology provides a significant improvement in efficiency. The GaNPrime 727 is thin and saves space. You can charge multiple devices at the same time. You can get your phone, tablet or more ready for efficient use with the GaN charger.

The Anker 735 GaN iii prime works with a variety of devices to quickly power them. Charge your phone, headphones, or laptop in up to 30 minutes with the 735 GaNPrime featuring exclusive PowerIQ 4.0 technology. In the meantime, you can protect your devices from excess heat with Anker’s proprietary ActiveShield 2.0 technology.

The Anker 735 also stands out with its environmentally friendly feature. For a greener future, you can include products with Dynamic Power Distribution in your life. You can take the GaNPrime 735 with you on your travels and save power whenever and wherever you want.

Better Efficiency → Less Energy Loss → More Value for Money

Even the best portable power banks on the market, including Anker’s, operate at around 90% maximum efficiency. That means that every time you charge or discharge the battery, you’re wasting around 10% of its energy due to loss. So with a 2000Wh battery capacity, that’s 200Wh lost. Let’s say you’re going to power a 200W device; you’re actually only going to be able to power it for 9 hours instead of 10. That’s not false advertising by any brand or poor product design; it’s just a matter of the nature of power efficiency.

The Anker PowerHouse 767 can reach 96% efficiency, meaning there is only a 4% power loss. This translates to a 60% reduction in energy loss compared to the industry average of 10%. With the GaN charger, you can keep massive power in your hands and charge multiple devices quickly.

Efficiency like this comes with a host of benefits. Now you can get even more out of a portable GaN charger that can maximize the potential of its batteries. But in an emergency, backup power efficiency can come to your aid when you need it most. How? Let’s explain it briefly.

A typical 2,048Wh portable power bank loses about 205Wh in energy loss. In comparison, the PowerHouse 767 with GaNPrime™ loses only 82Wh. So what can you do with the extra 123Wh? You may need many more hours of battery life during power outages. That’s where GaN prime technology comes in. You can charge the 12.68Wh iPhone 14 an additional ten times using just one ultra-efficient GaN portable charger.

The Anker GaNPrime 65w multi-charger allows you to charge 4 devices simultaneously. The 140-gram GaNPrime Anker, which will provide high-speed charging for almost any mobile device, is equipped with advanced features such as temperature control and overload protection. You can quickly charge your frequently used devices without wearing out their batteries with the GaNPrime 65w to keep up with the pace of life.

For a safe and efficient GaNPrime power bank, you can check out Anker's wide range of portable chargers. With the GaNPrime 733 portable charger, you can charge multiple devices without any problems and carry it wherever you want. You can make room in your pocket or bag for GaN Prime, so you can use it even on the go.

Better Efficiency → Lower Temperatures → Longer Life

One of the most pressing challenges for engineers is how to control temperatures. The reason is silicon’s low bandgap. Silicon devices typically require large cooling components, such as fans and heat sinks, to stay stable. This results in products that are heavy and inefficient and run hot. GaN is more efficient at transferring current, so it doesn’t require as many components to maintain temperature. This makes a GaN charger capable of performing well even when it’s physically compact.

Energy loss is actually a bigger problem than wasted battery capacity. That energy has to go somewhere. Because the unwanted result is heat. Low efficiency means more energy loss. This leads to more heat generation, which leads to higher temperatures. GaN chargers waste less energy as heat. At the same time, since they can conduct electricity better, they can provide high energy power without overheating.

Temperature is a key factor in overall battery health. The closer components can operate at optimum temperatures, the longer the life of the device. Through rigorous testing, Anker engineers have found that GaN Prime can reduce operating temperatures by up to 30℃. This deep temperature change compared to silicon means new durability and power possibilities for portable power. So long-life LiFePO4 batteries now last even longer. The entire circuit design and electronics have an unprecedented lifespan. Because internal component temperatures remain low and stable in more compact spaces, power banks can operate outdoors even on hot summer days. By opting for GaN Prime-enabled devices, you can increase the efficiency of your devices and have devices that last longer.

Packing a massive amount of power into a 67 lbs device, the PowerHouse 767 is portable and easy to take anywhere. Thanks to the efficiency of the GaN charger, this future of portable power results in better portability, more power, and more reliability. Additionally, the Anker GaN prime 120w features a faster charging feature of up to 26 minutes. It detects the power needs of your devices and automatically adjusts the power for more efficient charging. Moreover, the Anker GaNPrime 120w can monitor the temperature and provide you with safe usage advantages.

Better Efficiency → More Sustainable → A Greener Future

GaN’s efficiency provides a third major benefit that impacts the entire world. As global energy crises worsen, chip shortages persist, and carbon emissions continue, the need for more efficient and sustainable power is inevitable.

Fortunately, products with GaN prime technology can support us to have a greener future.It is estimated that GaN could provide cleaner power with a carbon footprint 10 times smaller than silicon. Some experts say that replacing all electronics with GaN could reduce energy consumption worldwide by 20%. What’s more, if every data center in the world were to switch from Si to GaN prime, CO2 emissions could be significantly reduced by 2030.

Large-scale energy transitions like this can require major infrastructure changes. But as consumers, it’s up to us to make the difference! Simply by choosing a portable power station, we can make the impact you want in the world. Depending on the efficiency and energy loss ratio, a typical 2,000Wh power station uses 2.22 kWh of electricity to charge. The Anker PowerHouse 767 with GaN Prime uses about 2.08 kWh to charge. While this difference of 0.14 kWh in energy saved may not seem impressive on a small scale, remember that there’s always power in numbers.

According to the annual North American Camping Report 2021, there are an estimated 94 million active campers in the US. Let’s consider the idea that each of them has a portable power station. If they all switched to a GaN Prime power station of the same wattage and used it every day, the amount of power saved would be equal to 4,434 terawatt hours per year. According to statistics, this could power the entire state of California for a week or the entire state of New York for twelve. Therefore, a GaN charger is one of the most environmentally friendly options you can choose for a greener future.

With the Anker 737 120-watt charger, you can charge 3 devices at the same time and get the fast and efficient power you want in a short time. You can use this great GaN charger with more than 1000 devices, from phones to tablets or laptops. The product, which has a dynamic power distribution feature, shortens the charging time and provides a safe charging experience. This GaN prime device also supports you to have a greener charging experience with significant energy savings.

The Future of Portable Power

While the GaN charger has impressive advantages, it should be noted that there is still a lot of work to be done to change the trajectory of a silicon-powered industry. Major technology companies must work hard to adapt their engineering and manufacturing processes to this new semiconductor. After all, no change is easy! But it is also clear that gallium nitride has undeniable efficiency and durability. So perhaps Silicon Valley could eventually become “GaN Valley.”

When GaN Prime technology gets the full weight of the industry behind it, great technological breakthroughs can happen! You should not forget that GaN has a brighter sky ahead of us. With these great GaN prime technologies, you can leave bulky chargers behind. All of these can be as thin as simple power cables. Mobile phones can experience a quantum leap in performance. CPUs can reach 20 times higher frequency speeds.

You can take the necessary step by choosing products with Anker GaN prime technology for portable power. Anker set out with the mission of making long-lasting and reliable power accessible to everyone, anywhere and anytime. GaN Prime, which is much more than you think, supports you to have a more sustainable future. Anker PowerHouse 767 meets your expectations and can charge your devices faster by producing high energy values.

By choosing Anker GaN charger models, you can leave behind a greener future while achieving the efficiency and power you desire.