The ideal charger should have multiple interfaces and high power, enough to charge multiple devices at the same time. Mobile phones, tablets, and notebooks are all available, and the size is the same as a normal single-port charger. In this way, whether in a fixed place or away from home, one charger can meet the charging needs of all mobile devices, and it is not cumbersome to carry.

TA changed the world again? What is sacred gallium nitride?

This year, a new charging technology has gradually entered the field of vision of consumers-gallium nitride. Its appearance in the lifeless charger industry has set off an unprecedented wave of technological iterations. Some people say that this is the solution to the perfect charger in the future. Program. It sounds great, but what is GaN?

The charging system can be compared to such a set of systems: faucet, bucket, pool. How to fill the pool? Turn on the tap? Fill the bucket? Turn off the tap? Transfer the bucket to the pool? The series of actions of pouring into the pool can be repeated.

So if the bucket is replaced with a smaller water cup, how can the time to fill the pool remain unchanged? The answer is to increase the switching frequency of the faucet. Although there is less water in a single transportation, the number of transportations at the same time increases significantly, and the time to fill the pool can be kept unchanged or even shortened.

The principle of charging is roughly the same, turn on the switch tube? Full of primary side transformers? Turn off the switch tube? Transfer power to the secondary side? Pour into the battery, where the switch tube and the transformer correspond to the above-mentioned faucet and bucket respectively. Therefore, if the switching frequency of the switching tube is increased, a smaller transformer can be used. The transformer happens to be one of the largest components in the charger, which occupies a considerable amount of internal space, so reducing the transformer can also shrink the charger.

At present, the switching tubes are basically made of silicon and germanium semiconductor materials, and the frequency of switching tubes such as MOSFETs is already very high, and there is little room for improvement. Further increasing the frequency will also bring greater switching losses, increase heat generation, and reduce efficiency. It is very difficult to continue making a fuss on silicon semiconductors.

Gallium nitride is a new type of semiconductor material that can replace silicon and germanium. The switching frequency of gallium nitride switch tubes made of it is greatly improved, but the loss is smaller. In this way, the charger can use a smaller transformer and other inductive components, thereby effectively reducing the size, reducing heat generation, and improving efficiency. Of course, this is theoretical.

Ideal is full, the reality is very skinny?

Having said so much, the biggest benefit of GaN chargers is one sentence: smaller size under the same power, more power under the same volume. So is it true?

The three chargers perform a 30-minute fast charging test on the same mobile phone, and record the charging speed and heat generation within 30 minutes. The mobile phone used supports 27W fast charging, which will not cause a bottleneck for the three chargers.

From the test data, Baseus GaN charger has the best performance, charging 71% of the power in 30 minutes; Zimi charger is the second, charging 65%; and Lenovo lipstick power supply performance is the worst, only charging 48 %.

Analyzing the data carefully, the charging speed of Baseus gallium nitride charger is very stable, and it can charge 11%~12% of the power stably every 10 minutes. Zimi can also fight the gallium nitride charger in the first 10 minutes, but in the future There is some attenuation, and Lenovo has fallen behind by a large margin from the beginning, and even the technically similar Zimi can’t compare it.

From the data of the power meter, the reason is obvious. The output power of the Lenovo charger is only about 14W, while the Baseus GaN charger can reach 23W. For a charger that supports up to 65W, this is definitely not a hardware defect or conversion efficiency problem, but a situation where the fast charging protocol is not compatible. There is not much introduction about the fast charge protocol, if you are interested, you can click here to view related articles.

However, it can be seen from the data comparison between Baseus and Zimi that Baseus GaN chargers do have certain advantages in charging efficiency and speed when the fast charging protocol is compatible and can provide full speed.

The heat generation is a bit surprising. In theory, GaN technology can reduce losses and heat generation. However, according to actual test data, the GaN charger is much hotter than the two ordinary chargers. It just happens that winter is here. Hand warmers are still fine.

Gallium nitride is only evolution, not revolution.

On the whole, gallium nitride does not seem to have brought any qualitative leap. Although the performance is indeed a bit better, but at the expense of heat, the most important thing is that the volume and weight does not stand out from the crowd. After all, Lenovo lipstick power supply has also achieved such a small, Where is the problem?

In fact, take a closer look, the Lenovo lipstick power supply can be so small, in fact, there is a big compromise.

The biggest compromise of Lenovo’s lipstick power supply is that there is only one type-c interface, which greatly reduces the practicability. Baseus GaN charger has two C ports and a standard A port, which can meet the needs of three devices at the same time. In addition, the plug of the charger is also a hindrance when carrying it. Baseus can be folded, but Lenovo cannot. Another point is that the price of Lenovo lipstick power supply is actually about the same as that of Baseus GaN charger, which makes the cost-effectiveness of Lenovo lipstick power supply seem relatively low.

If there are multiple devices at the same time, one Baseus GaN charger can hold three, which does save a lot of space and weight. So even if it looks about the same size, the Baseus GaN charger has two more interfaces and a foldable plug, which occupies a lot of internal space. It is enough for a charger whose space is very tight. This is the volume benefits brought by GaN technology.

Like the Zimi 65W charger, although it also has three ports and folding plugs, the volume and weight are crushed by the Baseus GaN charger. Moreover, the Zimi’s multiple ports add up to 65W, and the maximum single port is actually only 45W. The first C port of the GaN charger can directly output 65W.

Especially in the above case, the benefits of GaN chargers are fully reflected. Whether in the office or on a business trip, one charger can charge both a mobile phone and a computer at the same time, saving a lot of trouble, and the clean environment can also make people feel pleasant.

The conclusion is obvious. Gallium nitride technology does make the charger’s performance and size perfect, but the actual experience is not so amazing, after all, it is just a charger. Nowadays, GaN chargers on the market are generally more than 50% more expensive than ordinary chargers of the same type. Whether it is worth it depends on your ideas and consumption strength. I personally think that business people who travel frequently, digital enthusiasts, or people who like cleanliness can try something new. As for those who don’t have much demand, they can wait until the GaN technology is popularized and the price is cheaper.