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Anker's New 100W GaN Charger Features Three USB Ports, 34% Smaller Size Than Apple's 96W Charger
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I think it’s a great combo. iPad/Mac on the top, iPhone in the middle, watch at the usb a. Way more convenient for travelling (at least for me) than the phone, watch, AirPods combos that leave the iPad out of the mix.
What happens when one device is fully charged?
Does it free the unused power for the remaining ports?
Does it free the unused power for the remaining ports?
I'm very surprised that they did become "industry leaders" of GAN technology!!
My question is whether
Given that it's the attached device that negotiates its power draw, say you have a 'smart' charger that can deliver 100w total or some combination of that to all ports. That works great if say you have a computer capable of charging at 60w, a tablet at 30w and a phone at 10w, but what if the first device plugged in takes the full 100w? The charger doesn't do the power negotiation, so it can't re-distribute power from the laptop to the next devices plugged in.
This is why we end up with these ports having some fixed portion of the charger's total output, and symbols indicating which devices should be plugged in to which port.
All multi-port chargers have trouble with the logic because there is no obvious solution short of making a huge oversized device that can give the full rated charge on all ports (and by the time that is possible, people will be wondering why they can't get 250w to a single device). I presume this is why Apple has stayed out of this market for the time being - it's difficult to make a multi-port charger to their strict quality tolerances while also having a good user experience.
Given that it's the attached device that negotiates its power draw, say you have a 'smart' charger that can deliver 100w total or some combination of that to all ports. That works great if say you have a computer capable of charging at 60w, a tablet at 30w and a phone at 10w, but what if the first device plugged in takes the full 100w? The charger doesn't do the power negotiation, so it can't re-distribute power from the laptop to the next devices plugged in.
This is why we end up with these ports having some fixed portion of the charger's total output, and symbols indicating which devices should be plugged in to which port.
Why can't Apple add an extra USB-C port on the Macbook chargers? Oh right, so people buy more chargers for their devices. It's for the "environment." /s
It's not US only as it is also usable in Japan and Taiwan.
But yeah, a more universal design would be nice.
Am I looking at a general purpose charging brick that costs $75? Is that a typo? Maybe they meant $7.50, maybe misheard, $17.50?
It's a charger. A nice charger, but still, it's a charger.
It's a charger. A nice charger, but still, it's a charger.
Also if you’re willing put to up with a tiny bit of inconvenience then if you’re a business traveller or fairly well-off tourist staying in decent hotels you almost certainly have a flat-pin shaver socket in the bathroom wherever you happen to be travelling to.
Despite living in the UK when I used to travel almost constantly on business 10+ years ago I used to keep Apple’s tiny little US “sugar cube” charger in my travel washbag along with a really short lightning cable as my standard on-the-road charging setup. Times have moved on of course with more and higher power devices to charge and I’m not sure what the maximum current is from a shaver outlet but if it’s 1A then at 110V and even factoring in inefficiency losses you could probably getting close to the specified 100W output.
Having said all of that then yes, a fully international version with swappable plugs would be a nice addition to the range.
If you're an international traveler, don't you already pack an adapter or three that allows you to plug in your US cord into that country's electrical outlet? The additional cost to the design of such a charger plus the added cost of either including all the plug adapters or the cost of buying them individually is prohibitive.
Buy an 8-pack of adapters for $10 with the money you're saving by NOT buying the Apple charger.
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Your logic makes no sense. You're saying it's better to carry multiple chargers to charge USB-C and -A devices (and takes two outlets in the wall) than just carry one that charges both?
Maybe take a look on Amazon if you think there aren't many USB-C only chargers. You'll be surprised how many multi-port USB-C only chargers there are. My favorite dual port 90W charger is only $25 right now. Black and white.
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No, if it works like others, you have to remove the cable for the wattage to be freed up. The negotiation occurs when a device is connected, I don’t think it’s continual (was just looking at some PD documentation
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Yes, that’s the case. Providing capacity/internal protection/thermal control for 1 port capable of 100w in something that small is hard enough, why create a charger with 100w capacity that CAN charge at 100w from either port when no one is ever going to plugin two 100w devices and ever expect both to charge at 100w (actually, yeah, some might.
) This will be how these work until someone builds a device that can deliver full capacity to all ports with a guaranteed 100w available… actually, no, because the high end per port is now 240w I believe.That’d be interesting and I can see the case for it. I’d expect the standard supports it, but it’d essentially be a 100w per port situation to avoid renegotiation. Currently, there’s not many 200w 2 port chargers available.
No, I’m saying there’s a lot of choices for those that still use USB-A devices. There are far fewer choices for those that only have USB-C devices. I see 1 3 port USB-C only charger and no 4 port USB-C only chargers. I see plenty of chargers that, for someone with USB-C only devices, there’s 1 port or more that will go unused.
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Why should I pay for interchangeable plugs when I don't need them! Buy an adapter and you're all set.
Also interesting how every Anker cable I've ever owned has died at some point. They're great about replacing them but I prefer not having to go through the process every. single. time.
Heh, out-innovate Apple. I do have to say the Anker laptop does appear to run cooler and longer than Apple’s. And the Anker phone almost makes me want to switch. /s
Totally agree. These chargers are always a let down with their complex and inflexible outputs. If apple puts a GaN charger out it will NOT be like these.