Anker Prime 100W GaN Wall Charger review: Clever and compact

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating
ProsExcellent charging performanceCompact dimensionsFoldable plug (U.S. and U.K.)Three connectionsConsGets very warm during fast-chargingOur VerdictAnker proves that with a clever design, you can also achieve compact dimensions suitable for traveling. Users will be pleased to know that this does not compromise performance.

The Anker Prime 100W GaN Wall Charger (3 Ports) has a lot to like: three charging ports, 100 watts maximum charging power, and travel-friendly dimensions. It has recently been updated from a very similar model and is slightly smaller than its predecessor.

A maximum of 100W is distributed across the three connections. It doesn’t matter which of the two USB-C ports you choose. If you only connect one device, 100W of charging power is always available–this makes the Anker GaN Prime 100W suitable for fast-charging all recent MacBooks except for the 16-inch Pro, which requires a 140W charger for fast charging. This charger is still fine for the top-end MacBook Pro, only not for the fastest charging. For the MacBook Air models and 13- and 14-inch Pro models, it will fast-charge just fine.

A maximum of 22.5W is available with the USB-A port. When connecting two devices, the power is divided in this way:

Between USB-C 1 and USB-C 2: 65W and 35W

Between USB-C 1 and USB-A: 76W + 22.5W

We measured the charging power using USB-C in 30 minutes. An iPhone 15 was charged by 56 percent, an 11-inch iPad Pro by 36 percent, and a MacBook Air M3 by 50 percent.

See how the Anker Prime 100W GaN Wall Charger compares to other chargers in our round-up of the Best USB-C Chargers for MacBook.

In addition to the PowerIQ 4.0 intelligent charging technology, Anker’s GaN Prime technology also includes Active Shield 2.0 monitoring of the charging ports, which meant that the case had no temperature problems during normal operation in our test. Only when fast charging the MacBook Air M3 did it get very warm.








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The foldable plug, which we have already come to appreciate on the smaller Anker GaN Prime 67W model with 67 watts, is very practical. This reduces the overall length to a slim 7.5 centimeters and as the plug does not protrude, it also fits better in your luggage.








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The U.K. model (pictured above) is a little larger than the U.S. version due to the U.K. three-prong plug dimensions, but even that one is foldable.

Should you buy the Anker Prime 100W GaN Wall Charger?

The Anker Prime 100W GaN Wall Charger is a highly recommended USB charger that is particularly useful when traveling. When you need to use only one of its ports, you don’t need to figure out which one is the 100W port, since both USB-C ports support it.

This article originally appeared on Macwelt and was translated by Roman Loyola.