Friday, March 29, 2024

A good 60W charger is the only one you need, and these are the best

Share

aukey-usbc-pd-wall-charger-hero.jpg?itok

Chargers always seem to be getting faster and smaller, faster and smaller, and with the wide adoption of the Power Delivery (PD) standard, one high-powered PD charger can serve all the gear in your life, from your power-hungry laptop to your phone, power bank, and even your battery-sipping headphones. There’s quite a few 60-65W chargers out there we trust with our gear, but the RAVPower 61W GaN charger is the best for size, adaptability, and reliability.

Best Overall: RAVPower 61W GaN Charger

ravpower-61w-gan-charger-lifestyle.jpg?i

High-capacity chargers don’t get any smaller than this right now, and RAVPower’s top-quality charger is actually one of the more affordable in the lineup. That adds up to the hands-down best single-port 60W charger on the market, especially when you add in the excellent build quality and responsive customer service.

You might need to flip this charger over to be completely sure the second plug on your wall outlet isn’t obscured, but RAVPower has the smallest footprint and is the easiest to pack up and pocket as you head to Starbucks for an afternoon editing session. Since it weighs only 0.2 pounds (105g), you shouldn’t have to worry about this charger being pried out of the plug by its own weight, either. The LED indicator on this charger is small and not blinding, like some Anker chargers I’ll get to in a minute.

This charger’s compact size is due to using Gallium Nitride (GaN) to create miniaturized chips for these chargers without the same size/capacity limitations that silicon comes with. GaN chargers have only been around for a little over a year, so they’re still relatively new, but we’ve been happy with their performance so far, especially in regards to lower, slower heat buildup compared to traditional laptop chargers.

Supported Power Delivery charging speeds: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/3A, 20.3V/3A

Pros:

  • Positively tiny charger
  • Shouldn’t block second plug
  • Travel-friendly
  • Good LED indicator

Cons:

  • No cable included
  • Charger can still heat up over time

Best Overall

RAVPower 61W GaN Charger

ravpower-61w-gan-charger-render.png?itok

$36 at Amazon

Compact size and a compact price

RAVPower’s 1.9-inch charger is a great value, easily pocketable, and of excellent build quality.

Runner Up: Aukey PA-D4 60W PD Charger with GaN Power Chip

aukey-pa-d4-60w-charger-lifestyle_-_edit

Aukey makes a lot of great tiny GaN PD Chargers — its 18W model and 30W model are the best in their segments. While its 60W charger isn’t quite that small, it’s still a more manageable size and price than most on the market. The PA-D4 is still smaller than most laptop chargers, and it has bulky boxy chargers completely beat on feel and build quality.

The rounded corners, along with the and soft detailing on the corners and front face of this charger feel sublime in the hand when pulling that charger out of my gear bag. While it’s a bit bigger than the RAVPower, the PA-D4 is still lightweight. The LED indicator isn’t too bright, but it’s definitely noticeable.

Supported Power Delivery charging speeds: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/3A

Pros:

  • Travel-friendly
  • Trusted name brand
  • Power Delivery 3.0
  • Good LED indicator

Cons:

  • No cable included
  • Still gets pretty warm
  • Bigger than overall pick

Runner Up

Aukey PA-D4 60W PD Charger with GaN Power Chip

aukey-pa-d4-60w-charger-render.png?itok=

$32 at Amazon

Excellent build quality in a slightly larger package

Aukey’s quality speaks for itself, and the smoother corners and sides gives it a better feel in the hand.

Built For A Beating: Anker PowerPort Atom III 60W

anker-60w-usb-c-charger-lifestyle.jpg?it

The PowerPort Atom III is a bright, bright charger full of personality in a boring, bulky charger world. Slightly smaller than the Aukey PA-D4, the Atom III is a distinct charger that thousands have made their primary chargers for all their gear on the go. The USB-C port is a bit lower on this charger — and it’s much easier to block the second plug with this charger if you’re not careful — but it’s got a good, solid feel and some reinforcement around the folding prongs.

If you’re the kind of person who hates harsh light on your chargers, you might want to look elsewhere or get some thick tape, because Anker likes its indicator LEDs big and bright. I have a multiport Anker charger and I broke out the good gaff tape in order to snuff out its light. Some people actually like bright indicators, but I like my chargers like I like my phone themes: dark as night!

The worry-free 18-month warranty with this charger is a good addition as well, especially if you tend to let your charge just kinda bang around your backpack like I do. What? I can’t have a pouch for everything and this charger is sturdy enough to hold its own.

Supported Power Delivery charging speeds: 5V ⎓ 2.4A / 9V ⎓ 3A / 15V ⎓ 3A / 20V ⎓ 3A

Pros:

  • Two color options
  • PowerIQ 3.0 to QC compatibility
  • 18-month warranty
  • Sturdy design

Cons:

  • LED indicator is so bright
  • More expensive
  • No cable included

Built For A Beating

Anker PowerPort Atom III 60W

anker-powerport-atom-iii-60w-render.png?

$40 at Amazon

Peace of mind with top notch quality and warranty

Anker’s reputation speaks for itself with this solid, travel-ready charger. It’s got a bright look and a brighter LED indicator.

Value Pick: Nekteck 65W Power Delivery USB Type-C Wall Charger

nekteck-60w-usb-c-charger-lifestyle.jpg?

Nekteck makes one of our favorite Chromebook chargers and it also has one of the most affordable 65W chargers I’d actually trust with my laptop. It also comes with a 6-foot USB-C to C cable, which is great if you’re just beginning your USB-C journey and need to build up your cable collection.

Despite the appearance where it looks like you can swap the folding prongs — the way you can on a MacBook charger brick — this is a single, fused block of a charger. That’s fine, because I’d rather it be sturdy than swappable. I wish this charger was a bit smaller, but most of us carry these chargers in a backpack rather than in a pants pocket, so it’s not a dealbreaker if you’re looking to save a little money.

While Nekteck might not be a well-known name, this charger is UL and USB-IF certified, so you can trust that it will safely charge your gear without overcharging or overheating.

Supported Power Delivery charging speeds: 5V/3A, 9V/3A,12V/3A,15V/3A, 20V/3.25A

Pros:

  • Faster 65W speed
  • Comes with a cable
  • Lower price

Cons:

  • Bigger and heavier
  • Boring look

Value Pick

Nekteck 65W Power Delivery USB Type-C Wall Charger

nekteck-60w-usb-c-charger-render.png?ito

$30 at Amazon

Get a bigger, faster charger without breaking the bank

When you’re charging a power-hungry laptop, you need every amp you can get, and this affordable charger offers up 65W charging.

Chunky But Careful: UGREEN 65W USB-C Power Delivery Charger

ugreen-65-w-charger-lifestyle.jpg?itok=7

You can’t mistake this charger for small, but UGREEN does good work with its chargers and cables and it’s got wider compatibility beyond just Power Delivery 2.0. There’s support for Qualcomm QC 3.0, Huawei’s FCP fast charging protocol, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charge (AFC), and BC 1.2.

Simply put, this is an affordable fast charger that should be able to fast charge most recent devices you throw at it.

It’s also a charger that may be harder to slot in random wall plugs when you’re out and about. When you’re using it in a home, office, or classroom, that bulk won’t get in the way, leaving you with an adaptable brick that to charge your laptop, tablet, Nintendo Switch, or beefy battery pack.

Supported Power Delivery charging speeds: 5V/3A, 9V/3A,12V/3A,15V/3A, 20V/3.25A

Pros:

  • 65W charging
  • USB-IF certified
  • Compatible with Nintendo Switch dock

Cons:

  • Big and clunky
  • No cable included
  • Power Delivery 2.0

Chunky But Careful

UGREEN 65W USB-C Power Delivery Charger

ugreen-65-w-charger-render.png?itok=2sFD

$30 at Amazon

She may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts, kid

This thick brick of a charger might not be the best for travel, but if you need a new charger for your desk, this is for you.

Adaptable Duality: Aukey 63W Dual-Port PD Wall Charger

aukey-dual-port-usb-c-63w-charger.jpg?it

Aukey’s single-port charger is a little smaller and a little cheaper, but if you usually need to charge a phone and a laptop, consider upgrading to this dual-port beauty. What makes this Aukey model better than competitors like Anker and RavPower is when two devices are plugged in, rather than splitting the current evenly, Aukey prioritizes one port with 45W and the other with 18W. This helps you ensure your laptop and your phone charge at a decent rate of speed, rather than your phone being given more than it needs and your laptop charging slowly.

A little guesswork was required for new users when it was first released — the bottom plug is the one that gets 45W/60W — but Aukey added a laptop indicator on the bottom plug to help clear up the confusion. This charger is a tiny bit bigger than the single-port model, but it’s more than sufficient trade if you need to charge more devices more quickly.

Supported Power Delivery charging speeds: (Bottom 60W port) 5V 3A, 9V 3A, 12V 3A, 15V 3A, 20V 3A (Top 18W port) 5V 3A, 9V 2A, 12V 1.5A

Pros:

  • Adaptive ports
  • Charge two devices at once
  • Power Delivery 3.0

Cons:

  • Little bigger
  • No cable included
  • Mind which port is which

Adaptable Duality

Aukey 63W Dual-Port PD Wall Charger

aukey-dual-port-usb-c-63w-charger-render

$50 at Amazon

Charge your phone and laptop quickly

This charger can give you 60W to one device, or 45W and 18W to two, so you can fast charge your way.

Bottom line

Multi-port USB-C chargers that will charge a single device at 60W are still somewhat rare, but I’m happy a lot of companies offer one. That said, your far-and-away best bet for a 60-65W charger that’s both compact and affordable at the moment is the RAVPower 61W GaN Charger. It’s under 2 inches in every dimension, it costs under $40, and it’s a brand I absolutely trust to charge my laptop. Really, what more could you need in a charger?

The things to look for most importantly in a Power Delivery charger in this range are the specific charging speeds it allows, whether or not it has any extra standards or protocols on top of Power Deliver — PPS is something we’d like to see in more chargers, but it’s still relatively new and hard to find — and whether or not it’s going to block other ports when used on a power strip or regular wall outlet.

The RAVPower supports 20V/3A, which is the speed you’ll want most often for a laptop unless you manage to find a charger that supports 5A charging, which usually isn’t added to a charger until it gets up closer to 100W. It’s also the most compact of the bunch right now, and that’s important if you’re prone to charging in tight spaces or overcrowded outlet strips at the airport.

If you need to buy a new charger right now, get the RAVPower. If you don’t need to buy one immediately and are fine holding off a few months to get an even smaller charger, Aukey showed off a newer, smaller line of chargers utilizing GaN at CES 2020. The Aukey Omnia line will be launching later this spring and looks like it might unseat RAVPower from the top spot in this roundup in size, especially for the multi-port version, but we need to see it launch and see how well it handles a month in my gear bag first.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

100x100_5610553.jpg?r=1

Ara Wagoner themes phones and pokes YouTube Music with a stick. When she’s not writing help and how-to’s, she’s running around Walt Disney World with a Chromebook. You can follow her on Twitter at @arawagco. If you see her without headphones, RUN.

Read more

More News