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Anker's new PowerPort Atom chargers are freakishly small and can charge your laptop

By Koh Wanzi - on 10 Jan 2019, 8:34pm

Anker's new PowerPort Atom chargers are freakishly small and can charge your laptop

Anker PowerPort Atom PD 1

Anker just made a really awesome and tiny charger. The PowerPort Atom PD 1 provides up to 30W of output, so it can charge less power hungry laptops like the 12-inch MacBook or new MacBook Air. 

First revealed late last year, the PowerPort Atom PD 1 is the first in Anker's new PowerPort Atom series, a line of compact, super fast chargers. Despite it's small size, the Atom PD 1 matches Apple's larger 30W USB-C charger in terms of power delivery output, and it's capable of 5V@3A, 9V@3A, 15V@2A, and 20V@1.5A. 

Its secret is gallium nitride, which it uses instead of silicon. Gallium nitride components are more efficient and support a higher switching frequency during power conversion, so these parts can be both smaller and run cooler. In addition, gallium nitride chips integrate power, control, and protection functions into simpler circuitry, which reduces the total number of components required and enables a lighter weight charger.  

The PowerPort Atom PD 1 is one of the first chargers to incorporate gallium nitride, although competitors like RavPower's 45W USB-C PD charger already exist. 

The Atom PD 1 measures roughly 4 x 4.6 x 3.8cm, so it can probably fit in your pocket. It also weighs barely over 62g, which is pretty impressive for something that can power devices like the Nintendo Switch and a small laptop. You can technically use it to charge larger devices as well, but they will of course take longer to charge. 

Moving forward, Anker has plans for larger 60W PowerPort Atom PD 2 charger and a 100W PowerPort Atom PD4. The Atom PD 2 will have two USB-C ports, while the Atom PD 4 will have two USB-C and two USB Type-A ports. 

Anker PowerPort Atom PD 2

The Atom PD 1 is expected to start shipping in late January at US$29.99.

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