Apple's 140W Power Adapter is Company's First GaN Charger, Supports USB-C Power Delivery 3.1

Apple has confirmed to The Verge that its new 140W USB-C power adapter is the company's first charger based on gallium nitride or "GaN" technology, which allows for smaller, lighter, and more power efficient chargers than silicon-based chargers.

apple 140w power adapter
Without the use of GaN, the 140W power adapter likely would have been fairly larger given its wattage. Many other brands like Anker and Belkin have introduced GaN-based chargers over the last few years for use with Apple products.

Apple also confirmed that the 140W power adapter supports the USB-C Power Delivery 3.1 standard, meaning that it can be used to charge other devices that support that standard. It also means that those who buy the new 16-inch MacBook Pro can use compatible chargers from third-party brands to charge the notebook if they prefer.

We continue to learn smaller details about the new MacBook Pro models that Apple didn't mention during its "Unleashed" event, including that fast charging is only possible with the MagSafe port on the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, whereas the 14-inch model can be fast charged using either MagSafe or any of the Thunderbolt 4 ports. This shouldn't be a big deal given that the MagSafe port has no other use than charging, but it's worth knowing.

Key features of the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro include Apple's next-generation M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, the return of an HDMI port and SD card slot, mini-LED displays with a ProMotion adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, up to 10 hours longer battery life, and more. The notebooks can be ordered now and launch on Tuesday, October 26.

Apple's new 140W power adapter is included with the new 16-inch MacBook Pro and it is also sold separately for $99.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Wednesday January 15, 2025 7:16 am PST by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the "ultra-thin" device. Overall, the "iPhone 17 Air" is shaping up to be a mixed bag. Due to its thinness, the device is expected to have some limited specifications compared to the iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, only a single speaker, no SIM...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple Expected to Launch 20+ Products This Year: Here's the Full List

Friday January 17, 2025 5:30 am PST by
2025 promises to be quite a big year for Apple, with the company rumored to be planning more than 20 product announcements this year. Apple's rumored smart home hub will be its second all-new product to launch in as many years, following the Apple Vision Pro headset last year. And of course, we will get several new iPhone and Apple Watch models, like every year. Beyond that, Apple could...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Horizontal Single Feature

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Major Thermal Design Upgrade

Friday January 17, 2025 4:33 am PST by
The iPhone 17 lineup will feature a vapor chamber heatsink to improve thermal performance, according to a new report. The news comes from Chinese tech news site MyDrivers, which claims that the entire iPhone 17 lineup, consisting of the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, will adopt the improved thermal heat spreader. Vapor chamber technology is already used...

Top Rated Comments

alee Avatar
43 months ago

Then why does it look so dang big? My HyperJuice (100W) is the size of a credit card and has 2 100W USB-C and 2 18W USB-A ports...
You’re a victim of marketing here.

The Hyperjuice is a 100W device. That power is divided between the 4 ports. So if you have 2 USB-C devices in the Hyperjuice, it’s 65W + 30W, not 100W + 100W.

If all 4 ports were in use, the max spec is 45W + 30W + 12W + 12W, not 236W.

The Apple GaN is 140W. It would need to be 1.4x the size of the Hyperjuice by volume.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cnnyy20p Avatar
43 months ago
I would be great if there are multiple usb-c ports on this brick. Lost potential.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
frumpy16 Avatar
43 months ago
$99 for a power adapter but no cable (another $49!!!). ? This is next level trolling with a single USB-C port.

But but but... it uses GaN!
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
darinzook Avatar
43 months ago
Then why does it look so dang big? My HyperJuice (100W) is the size of a credit card and has 2 100W USB-C and 2 18W USB-A ports...
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iBluetooth Avatar
43 months ago

Then why does it look so dang big? My HyperJuice (100W) is the size of a credit card and has 2 100W USB-C and 2 18W USB-A ports...
It's a balance between safety and heat dissipation. They need to be large to keep separation between the power plug high voltage and the low voltage for the USB-C Power Delivery. Then there are also additional safety measures.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kkspire Avatar
43 months ago
Someone please make the 45 years of startup sounds video on YouTube a ringtone I can download. I love it.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)