Carrying the charger for your phone and laptop is being collapsed into one device, as more Gallium Nitride gadgets arrive.
There are already too many acronyms and initialisms in technology to remember, but if you’ve wanted a way to ensure you can lighten your tech luggage in your travels, there’s another you may want to remember: GaN.
It stands for Gallium Nitride, and back in 2020 when it started appearing, it started slimming down gadget-laden backpacks due to what it could do.
Rather than require you to bring an individual power supply for all of your gadgets, power supplies with Gallium Nitride (or “GaN”) inside rely on a replacement to silicon that deals with heat better, and so can throw in more wattage into a smaller space.
The idea with GaN power supplies is that you can bring a big power supply in a small package, and potentially charge not just your laptop from the one smaller charger, but also other devices, such as your phone or wearable.
It’s an idea that has been used in Apple’s most recent laptops, appearing in the high-end MacBook Pro 16, while Belkin was one of the first gadget makers in Australia to bring the GaN bricks local, offering two sizes, small and large.
Two years on, Belkin is getting some friendly competition, as Mophie looks into how it can make your backpack a little more friendly, offering four flavours of the GaN power pack.
They’re coming in the Mophie Speedport, and cover a 30 watt that can handle one laptop — such as a MacBook Air — and a 45 watt which is similar, but offers two ports, ideal for charging a small laptop and a phone.
There are also two bigger models, with a 67 watt model made to deliver a maximum shared output of 65 watts of power for bigger laptops, plus assortments of phones and tablets (two devices will cover 45W on one port and 20W on another, while one device could deliver 67W), and then there’s something else that seems suited for travelling: a 120 watt GaN power plug.
A little big different, Mophie’s Speedport 120 comes with a figure-eight cable, likely making it easily interchangeable on travels with other figure-eight cables that are easily found, and the amount of power it offers appears to be impressive.
It’s all in the name, with 120 watts of power spread out over three USB Type C ports and one regular rectangular Type A. Two of the Type C ports are capable of offering up to 100W (though not at the same time), with the remaining Type C for 20W and the rectangular Type A at 12W. While that sounds like the Speedport 120 will handle more than 120 watts, 120 is the maximum the unit will top out at, though this is larger than most bricks we’ve seen.
From the sound of things, the Mophie 120 GaN Speedport seems suitable for owners of larger computers in need of performance, with their respective power packs typically running from 80 to 96W, making this model suitable.
“GaN is the latest advancement in device charging technology, and mophie is pleased to provide more compact, portable options to help keep devices, from the smallest headphones to the largest laptop, charged for anything,” said Ross McInnes, Director of Sales for the Asia Pacific region at Mophie.
Australians can expect the GaN Speedport models to rock up in stores shortly, with the Speedport 30 priced at $49.95, the Speedport 45 priced at $69.95, the 67W Speedport 67 for $89.95, and that massive Speedport 120 hitting $139.95.
