I tried Razer’s $180 GaN charger — and it’s actually good
I tried Razer'southward $180 GaN charger — and it's actually expert
A charger isn't like a gaming mouse or a smartwatch; it's not easy to review 1. It either works or it doesn't, and the Razer USB-C GaN Charger works. The question, then, is whether it'due south worth its premium price: $180. It may seem unthinkable to pay this much coin for a wall adapter, particularly since every gadget you own probably came packaged with a perfectly good means of recharging it.
Razer justifies the premium by delivering a fast, durable charging brick that uses a gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor. Two of its ports are USB-C connections, and you tin charge upward to four devices at in one case.There are two USB-C ports, and two USB-A ports, and the USB-C ports tin indeed provide plenty juice to charge a laptop.
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Having used the GaN Charger for a few weeks, it's non without its charms. This accompaniment does indeed charge a lot of gadgets at once, and very efficiently at that. It also has the potential to be quite useful for frequent travelers, part workers or people with limited outlet infinite at home.
What is a GaN charger?
First and foremost: "GaN" stands for "gallium nitride," as mentioned above. Gallium nitride is a semiconductor that runs cooler than standard charger components – silicon, for example. As such, GaN chargers tin fit more ports in shut proximity to one another, and distribute ability to them more than efficiently.
The Razer USB-C GaN Charger does, indeed, fit a lot of charging ports into a small space: ii USB-C and two USB-A ports in a charging brick that measures 3.0 10 two.four 10 1.3 inches and weighs ane.2 ounces. The weight might non audio like much, just it has a lot of heft for its size. In fact, when I tried to plug it into an airplane ability outlet, it promptly fell out. If you lot buy this accessory, you'll probably want to keep it in a stable outlet, in a convenient location.
In terms of appearance, the USB-C GaN is just a black box with a Razer log on either side, and some green highlights in the USB-A ports. It comes with United kingdom and European adapters, if the Due north American-mode prongs won't piece of work in your region. As Razer gear goes, it'southward downright subdued.
Is the Razer USB-C GaN Charger worth $180?
The large question, of course, is whether this straightforward gadget is really worth its high asking price. One-hundred and eighty dollars is a lot for a charging brick, peculiarly since you tin can get comparable gear on Amazon for about $50.
One day, while working remotely, the GaN powered my laptop while as well recharging my Nintendo Switch, my Google Pixel 3a and my partner's Pixel 3 simultaneously – and the three handheld devices all charged very quickly.
Granted, Razer gear is normally a better investment than a no-name make, and having 130W of power to distribute really can make a big difference. My kickoff week with the Razer GaN proved to be a perfect exam bed for the device, as I took a weeklong trip and didn't feel like packing a whole mess of chargers. One day, while working remotely, the GaN powered my laptop while also recharging my Nintendo Switch, my Google Pixel 3a and my partner's Pixel 3 simultaneously – and the three handheld devices all charged very quickly. (The laptop charged more slowly, compared to a dedicated ability brick, but not having to pack said cumbersome power brick was its own advantage.)
Information technology'south worth noting that while the Razer GaN did indeed charge my USB-C gear a footling faster, the departure wasn't night and mean solar day. My Pixel 3a, for instance, went from completely dead to fully charged in an hour and a half, using the Razer GaN and the included USB-C cable. That'south a great result – but the standard charger took an hour and 45 minutes. It's enough to make a difference in the long run, simply probably won't have much impact day-to-day.
Otherwise, I charged all sorts of things with the Razer GaN – phones, tablets, consoles, e-readers, laptops and even portable chargers – and encountered simply two issues during my time with it. The first was the plane incident mentioned in a higher place. The second was a balmy shock when I tried to fold in the prongs immediately afterward taking it out of a socket. However, I tried (as safely as possible) to recreate the issue and failed, then hopefully it was a i-off occurrence.
My other concern is that the Razer GaN might non play nicely with the Nintendo Switch over time. After shorting out a Nintendo Switch due to faulty charging a few years dorsum, I have been positively paranoid about using third-party chargers for Nintendo's finnicky handheld hybrid. So far, the Switch and the GaN have played nicely together, simply with a brick that tin evangelize upwardly to 130W of ability, information technology wouldn't take much for something to get wrong.
I've contacted Razer near both potential issues. The company is looking into them, and we'll update the piece when nosotros hear back.
Razer USB-C GaN Charger: Bottom line
In the terminate, it'southward tough to give a broad recommendation for the Razer USB-C GaN charger. Information technology worked terrifically well in my travels, and I could see information technology becoming my go-to charger. At the same time, I don't know if I would spend $180 on it – or if my life would be considerably unlike without it.
If y'all've got a lot of gadgets to charge and limited outlet space to do it, the Razer GaN might make a good improver to your dwelling house, office or travel pocketbook. If you're happy charging but one gadget at a fourth dimension, but still desire to invest in some Razer gear, you could always spend the $180 on the Razer Blackshark V2 Pro instead.
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Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/razer-usb-c-gan-charger
Posted by: mcleansualleadiang.blogspot.com
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