Mobile Phones Segment Is Demanding Fast Charging

We all have lamented over our mobile phones not charging completely on time when we need them the most. There is a unanimous consensus over the desire to charge our smartphones quicker and to functionally use them for hours on end. This quest for faster charging and prolonged battery life has contributed to the fast-charging trend of the Global Power Supply Market, particularly the segment dedicated to external power adapters and chargers.

Based on Wired & Wireless Technologies (WAWT)’s, ‘Global External Adapters and Chargers Market Report’, power supplies for mobile phones have an one-third share of the shipments in 2023. Even though the market expects the revenue share of smartphones in the total mobile phones adapters to decline, its influence over the market trends cannot be ignored. This is besides other application segments which have been pushing for it too.

Now quick charging technologies are highly sought-after in the market. As the industry ventures into technological advancement for fast charging, while keeping the costs low, it is imperative to include Gallium Nitride in the narrative. This is considering the maturity of GaN technology, its wider acceptance and a drop in costs in the last couple of years.

How to enable fast charging?

Fast charging typically involves increasing the voltage supplied to the device to speed up charging without significantly raising the current. This higher voltage allows the transfer of more power to the battery per unit of time, hastening the charging process. Increasing voltage can lead to a trade-off: while it facilitates faster charging, it also increases the risk of heat generation and potential damage to the battery. This necessitates careful consideration and implementation of fast charging strategies to optimize both speed and safety. Hence, there’s a balance to strike while higher voltage can accelerate charging, it also heightens the risk of overheating and potential battery damage.

Benefits of Enabling Fast Charging using GaN

Therefore, faster charging must be achieved within safe limits to ensure battery health and overall safety. In this context, GaN has some inane benefits:

• GaN can withstand higher voltages before breakdown compared to silicon-based devices. Having the same means that it can handle these higher voltage levels more effectively without risking breakdown or damage to the charger or even the battery.
• GaN’s high voltage breakdown also implies that the charger can maintain stable voltage levels even under high load conditions, providing consistent and reliable power to the device being charged. This helps to minimize fluctuations in charging speed and ensures a smooth charging experience.
• GaN transistors can also switch on and off more quickly than silicon transistors, reducing switching losses during fast charging. This has a significant impact on the heat generated by the charging while fast charging.
• With the higher electron mobility and ease with which electrons can move through a material in response to an electric field, GaN allows for faster movement of charge carriers, resulting in lower conduction losses. It is understood that the switching power capabilities of GaN are far greater than silicon-based solutions.
• GaN also has a small form factor which only adds to its merits in integrating it in mobile phone power adapters. It miniaturizes the charges making it very compact.

GaN Beyond Mobile Phones Into EV Fast Charging

Hence, we could speculate a trend inclining towards GaN chargers becoming more ubiquitous over prevailing Power Delivery chargers. This could extrapolate from the mobile phones segment to more emerging and high-power applications like EV charging. The more fundamental concern with fast EV charging calls for higher power density. This is because EVs have higher energy requirements and the task of fast charging only increases the requirement of the power density.  The ability to deliver high power densities is crucial for fast charging as it allows the transfer of large amounts of energy to the EV battery in a short period.

GaN-based chargers, with their higher power densities, can deliver the necessary power levels required for fast charging while maintaining smaller form factors. GaN’s high electron mobility and low electrical resistance can enable the creation of such compact and efficient EV charging solutions.

The task is to make GaN chargers cheaper

But the bigger task would rather be to make Fast Charging cheaper. It is not cheap to integrate GaN into power electronics as the material itself is expensive. But this is changing as the GaN technology matures and adoption increases in depth and width across applications. GaN chargers require advanced manufacturing processes due to the unique properties of GaN semiconductors. This complexity can lead to higher production costs. OEMs/Consumers could pay a premium for the faster charging speeds and smaller form factors provided by GaN chargers. But, being a relatively new material in power electronics, the lower adoption increases the production costs.

An added advantage of GaN-based adapters is it is becoming a universal adapter which can charge multiple devices needing a range of power levels.

WAWT in its recent research has seen growth in development and demand for universal adapters using GaN and USB – Type C with Power Delivery protocol and used for mobiles (5W-80W), wearables (<5W), tablets (10-30W)as well as laptops (up to 100W and even more).

Summary

To summarize, the demand for faster charging and longer battery life drives a significant trend in the global power supply market, with GaN chargers emerging as a promising solution. GaN offers benefits such as higher voltage tolerance, stable power delivery, reduced heat generation, power switching, and smaller form factors. This positions GaN chargers to potentially surpass traditional silicon-based chargers, not only in mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops) but also in emerging high-power applications like EV charging. However, the challenge ahead lies in making fast charging more affordable. As technology evolves, GaN innovation promises exciting prospects for faster, safer, and more accessible charging solutions. WAWT research confirms wider adoption of GaN technology, sooner rather than later.

About Wired and Wireless Technologies (WAWT)

Wired and Wireless Technology (WAWT, a strategic technology analyst and consultancy firm, specializes in the wireless power and power supply industry. Its comprehensive report, titled “AC-DC and DC-DC Merchant Power Supply Market” and “External Power Adapters and Chargers Market”, offers critical market data, insights, and market intelligence. It provides market size estimates and forecasts for the power supply market, catering to companies across the power supply ecosystem. The report analyses various application sectors, product segments/devices, regional segments, and power classes. It also includes a detailed analysis of power supply vendors’ market share/ranking across industry sectors. Furthermore, it includes the adoption of USB-Type C technology across relevant applications.

WAWT’s reports are an invaluable resource for businesses seeking to understand the power supply landscape, make informed decisions, and stay competitive in this dynamic industry.

Do reach out to our subject matter experts (SMEs) at analyst@wawt.tech and follow our LinkedIn page (WAWT) for the latest market trends and updates on power supplies and allied technologies.

Image Source: Xiaomi-Mi-9T-Pro-Battery-Fast-Charging