Alxum GaN Charger Review 100W & 65W USB-C PD Fast Chargers

Friday, April 28, 2023

A 100 watt charger the size of a pack of cigarettes was unthinkable 2 years ago but not anymore, thanks to Gallium - the "magic technology" that makes power bricks no longer bulky!

So powerful is Gallium (GaN) technology that you can charge your laptop, tablet and phone fast and efficiently with a single GaN charger.

The GaN chargers seen pictured are the Alxum 100W charger and 65W charger version - both designed with a similar square body made of flame retardant polycarbonate plastic that doesn't catch fire. The Alxum 100W charger has a non-detachable plug, while the Alxum 65W charger plug can be detached and the prongs (1.7cm long) retracted making it more compact and easy to carry.

The second difference between the two is the number of charging ports - the Alxum 100W charger has an extra port so, you can charge four devices in total at the same time. With the Alxum 65W charger, you can only charge 3 devices simultaneously.

Both chargers come with a USB-A port which supports QC 3.0 quick charge - useful for charging Qualcomm compatible devices such as the Galaxy S8/S7/S6/Edge/Plus, Galaxy Note 5/4, LG G4, HTC One A9/M9, Nexus 6, iPhone and iPad. The Alxum GaN chargers also have fast charging USB-C PD (power delivery) ports for devices that require more like laptops.

When charging multiple devices at the same time there is a power split distribution, which is as follows:

65W charger Power Split Distribution

One port

USB-C1= 65W max
USB-C2= 65W max
USB-A= 30W max

Two ports

USB-C1= 45W max
USB-C2= 20W max

Two ports

USB-C1 = 45W max
USB-A = 15W

Two ports

USB-C2 = 15W max
USB-A = 15W

Three ports

USB-C1= 45W
USB-C2= 15W
USB-A= 15W

100W charger Power Split Distribution

One port

USB-C1= 100W max
USB-C2= 100W max
USB-C3= 20W max
USB-A= 18W max

Two ports

USB-C1= 65W max
USB-C2= 30W max

Two ports

USB-C1 = 65W max
USB-C3 = 20W

Two ports

USB-C1 = 65W max
USB-A = 18W

Two ports

USB-C2 = 65W max
USB-C3 = 20W

Two ports

USB-C2 = 65W max
USB-A = 18W

Two ports

USB-C3= 7.5W
USB-A= 7.5W

Three ports

USB-C1= 45W
USB-C2= 30W
USB-C3= 20W

Three ports

USB-C1= 45W
USB-C2= 15W
USB-A= 15W

Three ports

USB-C1= 65W
USB-C3= 7.5WW
USB-A= 7.5W

Four ports

USB-C1= 45W
USB-C2= 30W
USB-C3= 7.5W
USB-A= 7.5W

As far as fast charging cables - one isn't included but required to get the full potential out of these chargers. You maybe able to use the cable that came with your phone - especially if it is a fast charging phone that supports above 65W fast charging like the OnePlus 9 Pro, Honor 70 Pro or Asus ROG Phone 5.

If you don't own a fast charging cable, you will need to buy a fast charging cable capable of 3A current (at 20V, 60W) or, better still get a Thunderbolt 3 cable or 5A rated USB-IF certified cable (20V/100W) that contains an E-Marker chip. These types of charging cables also have the benefit of offering high data transfer speeds up to 10Gbps, which is very convenient when transferring files between your phone and computer.

Ultimately, whether you get the Alxum 65W charger or 100W depends on your needs. But, if you want faster charging while using a device at the same time the 100W charger makes sense.One thing to bear in mind when using these chargers or any other GaN chargers for charging a laptop is the power output, which gets capped when charging a laptop simulatanously with another device. Say for example, you want to charge a 45W laptop and a phone at the same time, the Alxum charger will put out 10% less power than it is capable of (~35W)

The Alxum 65W charger weighs 121 grams and the enclosure measures 5cm long x 5cm wide x 3cm thick. The depth including the plug is 8.5cm deep. The 100W charger weighs 207 grams and enclosure measures 6cm x 6cm x 3cm. The depth with the plug is 9cm deep.