After being released earlier in the year, Satechi finally got in on the USB-C GaN chargers with its own collection of new offerings. Arriving with premium designs and up to 108W of power to refuel your entire Apple kit, our latest Tested with 9to5Toys review is checking in to see if these are worthy upgrades to your charging setup. Head below for a closer look.
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Hands-on with the Satechi GaN USB-C charger
After seeing Anker get in on the GaN chargers with its latest collection of gear, the folks over at Satechi are finally looking to bring the latest technology to their lineup. Debuting earlier this summer in different form factors, the lineup arrives to tackle recharging everything from iPhones to iPads and even the high-end 16-inch MacBook Pro.
Entering with three different price points, the lineup of Satechi GaN USB-C chargers launch at $54.99 for the 3-Port 66W offering. That then steps up to the standard 100W charger for $69.99 and the flagship 108W 3-Port Satechi GaN USB-C model at $74.99. With compact designs thanks to the Gallium Nitride technology, there’s premium price tags to match. But are they actually worth picking up, let’s take a closer look.
Here’s a quick look at the specs:
Supercharge your setup with the Satechi 108W USB-C 3-Port GaN Wall Charger, featuring Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology to power up to three devices simultaneously. Equipped with three USB-C PD ports to support multiple configurations up to 108W, the charger can easily power your 16-inch MacBook Pro at full speed, or your iPad Air setup on-the-go, so you can keep working while your devices are charging.
- Featuring next-gen Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology
- Charges up to three USB-C PD devices at once – up to 108W total
- Equipped with ETL & CE certifications for safe charging
- Sleek space gray design with convenient foldable plug for charging on-the-go
9to5Toys’ Take
I’ve been using all three of Satechi’s chargers over the past couple of weeks, having scattered them across different rooms of my apartment to take advantage of their different outputs. Across the lineup, each arrives with the usual kind of quality you’d expect from Satechi, although not the typical metal designs. All three are covered in a plastic shell that’s coated in a metallic finish to give things more of a distinct look, as well as a folding plug design.
They’re not the most compact offerings on the market, but have more than made up for that with just how much power each of them pack. Headlining the lineup is the 108W Satechi GaN charger, which arrives with three USB-C ports. That total power output can be spread across all three of the slots, or just from a single port in order to refuel pretty much every device in Apple’s stable.
There’s also a smaller 66W version that rocks the same 3-port design and a similar form factor. But it’s not quite as capable as its more powerful brethren. To complete the lineup is a single port 100W USB-C PD charger that’s geared more toward MacBook users than being a one-size-fits-all offering like the others.
After putting them to the test, I can certainly say there’s a lot to like, but there’s one big drawback. The real deal breaker for many is probably going to be the cost, which matches the feature set and build equality thanks to higher-end price tags. While I think many will find the lineup to be compelling at the end of the day, it’s really only the flagship model that’s going to stay in my everyday carry going forward.
As novel as the 66W and 100W models are, the real star of the show from the collection is that flagship 108W offering. Its form factor stands out among a sea of competitors and matches that with about as versatile of a power output as you’ll find. Don’t get me wrong, the others are solid in their own rights, but the value proposition on the higher-end model is hard to beat for folks in the Apple ecosystem.
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