Some Anker Prime Chargers Are Listed As GaN Or GaNPrime — Here's What That Means

There are a number of things you should look for when shopping for a phone charger, but as with most tech, some of the terminology can get confusing. Anker is a prime example of a tech company getting in its own way with technical lingo, including labels like GaN and GaNPrime. The two labels describe different things, not mutually exclusive alternatives. GaN stands for gallium nitride, a semiconductor material used in many electronics. Anker's GaNPrime tech, on the other hand, is a proprietary charging platform built around GaN that the company says it uses in all its GaN chargers. 

Gallium nitride can withstand higher voltages and is more conductive than silicon, and it enables faster switching, meaning GaN transistors can switch on and off faster than conventional silicon power transistors. That helps manufacturers keep components like transformers smaller, which leads to less bulky chargers with higher output and greater efficiency. Anker is one of the most trustworthy brands for chargers and cables, and GaNPrime is at the heart of a lot of what makes its chargers so powerful and reliable. The platform includes PowerIQ 4.0, which detects the connected devices' power requirements and automatically distributes output. GaNPrime also includes Anker's ActiveShield technology, which monitors temperature and adjusts output accordingly.

As noted above, Anker says all of its GaN chargers support GaNPrime, so the key to finding the right charger is in the specs, not whether GaN or GaNPrime appears in the name of the device. The Prime Charger GaN, for instance, is the six-port, 200W version, delivering up to 100W from each USB-C port, while there's a variant called Prime Charger GaNPrime that jacks up the wattage to 250W and makes up to 140W available through one USB-C port.

You should pay attention to both total output and individual port limits; a 250W charger doesn't deliver all that wattage through a single connection. Charging protocol compatibility is also crucial. The 250W model requires a cable rated for at least 140W to achieve the max output from a single USB-C port. Proprietary GaN tech is also not exclusive to Anker. Ugreen makes popular accessories and has its own GaN platform, called GaNInfinity, built into its Nexode Pro range of chargers. It also includes Smart Charge power allocation features as well as Thermal Guard temperature control. Again, specs, compatibility, dimensions, and features like power sharing should take precedence over brand name or terminology when you're shopping for a charger.