As more manufacturers are choosing to remove the packaged charger from smartphones, Vivo have decided to go in a different direction by not only continuing to include a charger with its new flagship “X Fold”, they have chosen to include a dual port 80W GaN charger. GaN technology allows for more efficient and more compact designs and currently is typically reserved for premium aftermarket fast chargers.
Vivo’s announcement marks the first time a GaN charger will be packaged with a smartphone, while the advantages of GaN make this announcement less surprising than inevitable, it does show how the technology is becoming an important feature in the USB charging space. Thus far, the main barrier to adoption of GaN has been IC cost compared to their silicon counterparts, though this announcement may also signify the system level cost of power adapter designs using GaN reaching parity, at least above 65W. This this will be further explored in SAR Insight & Consulting’s upcoming GaN Power Adapters Report, being released as part of the wider USB Power & Charging service.
