Anker 737 GaNPrime 120W charger – fast and faster (off-grid)

The Anker 737 GaNPrime 120W charger is what every nerd needs. Up to 100W charging from one port or 120W across two USB-C and one USB-A ports. It is faster than most chargers too.

GaN 5 (Gallium nitride) is the latest charging technology, replacing traditional switching transistors. Compared to transistors, this offers 4x faster switching speed, 95% charger efficiency (87% transistor) and can carry more wattage in a smaller, cooler package.

Anker has been at the forefront of GaN, developing three proprietary technologies to make high-capacity charging faster and safer. It used the latest GaN 5 technology that includes lossless volt/amp/watt sensing and higher energy efficiency over GaN3.

First is power IQ4.0. It accurately detects the connected devices’ power needs and adjusts them in real-time. It also dynamically distributes power between the three attached devices to minimise charge times.

Second, Active Shield 2.0 monitors the device temperature over 2 million times a day. This, combined with overcurrent and voltage protection, makes it a safer way to charge Lithium-ion batteries.

Third, it is smarter than the average charger, reducing charge times on a 16” MacBook Pro 2021 and an iPhone 13 by up to 26 minutes.

Australian Review: Anker 737 GaNPrime 120W charger SKU B2148T11

Website	Product page
Price	$159.95 with free shipping.
From	Anker Australia online.
Warranty	2-year ACL with local support.
Made in	China
Company	Anker (Shenzhen Oceanwing Smart Innovations Technology Co., Ltd) is a Chinese electronics company that produces computer and mobile peripherals, including phone chargers, power banks, earbuds, headphones, speakers, data hubs, charging cables, torches, screen protectors, security cameras, and more under multiple brands.
More	CyberShack Anker news and reviews

New Ratings Methodology 2024

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

We are also tightening up on grading. From now on, Pass, for example, means meeting expectations for the price bracket. We consider a Pass mark to be 70+/100 with extra points added for class-leading and excellence. Pre-2024 reviews tended to use 8+ as a pass.

First Impression – Pass+

I have been waiting for over a year to get one of these to review. They were a sellout in the USA, Europe and Asia, and Anker needed to get RCM C-Tick certification.

That brings me to why I wanted to test this brand for an extended period. I have had several early GaN chargers stop working, and I was concerned about their safety. I should add that these were not from Belkin or Anker but from Asian brands wanting to cash in on the GaN trend.

Let’s just say that I am not disappointed. It has been on the test bed for a couple of months, powering every USB-C device that we review. We have poked, prodded, temperature monitored, and multi-meter/VA tested every aspect on dozens of devices. Without fail, it delivered the correct volts/amps/watts for each device, even identifying some devices that were allegedly fast-charge capable but were not. It passes with flying colours.

What is it capable of delivering? – Pass+

The two USB-C ports (C1 and C2) are the same each separately capable of 5V/3A/15W, 9V/3A/27W, 15V/3A/45W and 20V/5A/100W (you need a 5A cable for that).

The USB-A port can deliver 4.5A/5W/22.5W, 5V/4.5A/22.5W, 5V/3A/15W, 9V/2A/18W, and 12V/1.5W/22.5W.

When used together, the 120W is shared according to need, although if you use USB-A and the middle USB-C (C2), you only get 24W.

All ports auto-sense the voltage/amperage/wattage needed so it’s PD and PPS compatible.

Charger efficiency (converting 240V.50Hz to USB) varies between 73.93% (low load) and 85.18% (high load)—all within spec.

Tests – Pass+

It safely powers a Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2 that usually uses a 120W power supply without an undersupply warning. Our VA meter shows it responding from as low as 45W to 97W, depending on load.

It powers the latest Motorola Edge 50 Pro with its 125W charger without an undersupply warning. It matched the 18V/5A/95W from the Moto charger and gave similar charge times.

USB-A downstream charge 5V/3A/15W – Pass

I tested it against the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 108W 4-port GAN wall charger – one size fits all, and it matched those results.

Caveats

To achieve

• 100W charging on one port (97W achieved), you must use 5A-rated cables (20V/5A/100W).
• 3A cables will only charge at a maximum of 60W.
• 1 or 2A cables (as most cheap USB-C cables are) reduce to 5W or 10W by cutting the voltage to 5V.
• The device detects cable type so as not to overstress or overheat the cable.

A 5W USB-C to USB-C cable is inbox. You can also use Thunderbolt 4 cables for 100W charging.

CyberShack’s view – Anker 737 GaNPrime 120W charger is very safe, fast and convenient

Three ports, 120W combined charging, and Anker’s expertise in chargers and cables make this an excellent choice.

At a svelte 100 x 40 x 30mm x 210g plus a cable or two, it’s a perfect desktop or travelling companion.

Rating

• Features: 90 – Three ports sharing up to 120W
• Value: 90 – Fair price, and you get Anker quality and RCM C-Tick certification.
• Performance – 100 – meets or exceeds all tests for 100W.
• Ease of Use: 95 – plug into the wall socket and go.
• Design: 90 – Compact, both USB-C ports can power up to 100W (separately) and eco-friendly packaging.