Charge Apple Devices Faster With a GaN Charger (And Here’s How It Works)
When buying a charging block for your iPad, iPhone or Mac, it is sometimes stated that it is a GaN charger. But what is this new form of charging and what benefits does it bring? Does Apple already have a charging block with this technique? In this article we explain it to you in detail.
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What is a GaN charger?
When you are looking for a new charging block for your iPad, iPhone or Mac, you will increasingly come across GaN chargers. But what is this charging technique and what are the advantages? And has Apple actually released a GaN charger itself?
Actually, we have known the material gallium nitride (GaN) for quite some time. In fact, we’ve been using it for over two decades. LED strips and the lasers in BluRay players are already using the material. The range of electric cars is also growing thanks to the GaN technology.
As a final application, we also see the material in space travel. It protects astronauts from unwanted radiation and does an excellent job in the solar panels of satellites.
The benefits of a GaN charger and how does it work
In fact, there are only advantages to gallium nitride as a semiconductor in charging cables. All our devices have a battery. When this battery is charged, a chemical reaction takes place. This releases an enormous amount of heat. Scientists now see that there is not much benefit to be gained from silicon and are therefore switching to a newer and better material.
Gallium nitride appears to be a suitable candidate for this. It is a crystal-like substance that can withstand a much higher voltage. Electric current travels many times faster through GaN than through silicon. As a result, you ultimately charge much faster. In addition, the technology is more efficient, because less heat is lost. This also means that it is safer and more sustainable at the same time. The fact that a GaN charger is compact and can still power any kind of device is one last advantage.
Charging Apple devices with GaN
At the moment silicon is cheaper as a semiconductor. Because research into GaN is still in its infancy, silicon is easier to make. In order to fully switch to gallium nitride, we will have to invest more in research.
Apple (in collaboration with Belkin) is developing the technology and has already released a GaN charger. With the Belkin BOOST↑CHARGE Pro GaN charger, you can charge your MacBook and your iPhone at the same time. Then you also have two charging ports left for, for example, your Apple Watch and your iPad. The devices must of course be compatible. The charging block from Apple cumulatively taps an impressive 108 watts.
We will probably see more and more GaN chargers in the future. As we get used to this technique that’s ideal for fast chargers, we’re really not going back to the silicon chargers.
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