ACEFAST GaN3 65W Transparent Charger Review (A45/A46/A47).

introduction

ACEFAST currently has an entire line of transparent products in production. There are power banks, Crystal (2) Earbuds T8, which we recently checked out, Crystal T6 and now the company’s transparent charger has arrived in the office too.

The charger doesn’t have a particularly catchy name like most products in the category. It’s easy enough to recognize, of course, but you’ll have to look for the model name A45 for the European variant, A46 for the Chinese one, and A47 for the US one. This review is based on the A45 EU variant, which we have in all four of its colors: Cherry Blossom, Mica Grey, Mountain Mist and Purple Alfalfa. It doesn’t appear to be available on Amazon, but the retail price is around $60.

Let’s look at some specifics first. The A45 is a compact 65W charger as it is based on GaN3 technology. It offers three ports for excellent versatility.

ACEFAST Transparent GaN3 A45/A46/A47 65W Charger Specifications Overview:

• Body: 96×54.5×33.5mm, 162g; Fireproof PC; Purple alfalfa, mountain fog, cherry blossoms, mica gray colors.
• Entrance: AC100-240V, 50Hz/60Hz, EU, CN and US plugs available.
• Production: USB-C: 3.3V-21V at 3A (PPS), 5V at 3A, 9V at 3A, 12V at 3A, 15V at 3A, 20V at 3.25A ( 65W max) (support for PPS, PD3.0, PD2.0, QC4+, QC3.0, QC2.0, AFC, FCP, SCP, DCP1.5A, iP 2.4A, SAM 2A); USB-A: 5V at 3A, 9V at 2A, 12V at 1.5A, 10V at 2A (20W max) (support QC3.0, QC2.0, AFC, FCP, SCP , DCP1.5A, iP 2.4A, SAM 2A).
• Technology: GaN3 (third generation gallium nitride), AI 2.0 temperature control, over-current protection, over-voltage protection, over-load protection, short-circuit protection, over-power protection, magnetic field protection, electrostatic protection, over-temperature protection, lightning.

There’s not much to do in terms of unboxing here. Simply put the charger in a very sturdy box, and that’s it. No extra accessories.

Project

Clearly, the design is a big selling point for the ACEFAST GaN3 65W Transparent Chargers. The review units certainly caught the attention of the GSMArena office, so ACEFAST may be on to something with this new transparent trend. The magazines are not completely transparent but rather “strategically” transparent, with a total of three “viewing” windows: one at the top and two on the narrower sides of the unit. The other two sides are still opaque. The Mica Gray color, in particular, is quite hidden and blends well with any environment.

The other three color options, especially Purple Alfalfa, are more playful and therefore great if you like an extra visual pop to your electronics.

Regardless of your color choice, you should know that the clear plastic “crystal” surface on chargers will definitely scratch and dent over time. It’s simply inevitable.

While not the most compact charger out there, this is still a very reasonable size for its power output and number of ports. It measures 96×54.5×33.5 mm and it weighs 162 g, which is perfectly pocketable if you ever need to go that way. The use of third generation gallium nitride (GaN3) technology certainly helps in this regard. It also allows the unit to be more efficient and stay cooler during use. Even when drawing the maximum current of 65W for an extended period of time, the charger never gets uncomfortably hot.

Overview of specifications and features

The two USB Type-C ports on the charger have identical outputs and protocol support making them essentially interchangeable. You don’t see this on every charger out there and it’s appreciated.

You are most likely using Power Delivery on a modern device and the charger supports it at 5V, 9V, 12V, 15V and 20V up to 65W. The last of these voltage ratings is crucial for charging laptops . It also has a wide PPS (programmable power supply) range from 3.3V up to 21V.

Quick Charge is also very well supported, with versions 4+, 3.0 (5V, 9V, 12V) and 2.0 all on the list. While not on the list, Quick Charge 5 is also supported via PD, as per our tests. You also get support for more proprietary charging protocols for various phone manufacturers. The list includes Samsung’s AFC (Adaptive Fast Charging) (5V, 9V, 12V) and the simpler Samsung 2A standard. The Huawei FCP (Fast Charge Protocol) (5 V, 9 V, 12 V) and SCP (Super Charge Protocol) (3.3 – 12 V up to 20 W) protocols are also present.

The ACEFAST charger also does BC1.2 standard USB DCP (dedicated charging port) charging at a maximum of 1.5A. And last but not least, there is Apple’s charging standard of 2.4A. So there’s no shortage of important standards on the list, which is really nice to see.

The USB Type-A port on the ACEFAST charger is limited to 20W output and does not support the same charging standards as the Type-C ports. Obviously there is no Power Delivery. You still get QC (Quick Charge) 3.0 (5V, 9V, 12V) and 2.0 support. Same standards as Samsung AFC (adaptive fast charging) (5V, 9V, 12V) and Samsung 2A. Additionally, there is Huawei’s FCP (Fast Charge Protocol) (5 V, 9 V, 12 V) and SCP (Super Charge Protocol) (3.3 – 12 V up to 20 W). The same goes for the USB DCP (dedicated charging port) standard 1.5A and the Apple standard 2.4A. All in all, a pretty versatile list here too.

Of course, it’s not possible to get full power from all charger ports at the same time. Each of the two Type-C ports can reach up to 65W alone, and the USB Type-A alone can reach up to 20W. Using the first Type-C port at the same time as any other port on the charger reduces its power to 45 W. The second Type-C port can deliver 20 W together with the first Type-C, while the Type-A can deliver 18 W together with the first Type-C. Using the second Type C and Type A together appears to further limit the output of these two ports to a maximum of 5V at 3.6A. Here’s a graph to illustrate all of this.

Final thoughts

The ACEFAST GaN3 A45/A46/A47 65W Transparent Charger is a versatile, seamless charger. It offers broad charging protocol support and is suitable for everything from your phone to your laptop and console, such as a Nintendo Switch or Valve Steam Deck.

Thanks to GaN3 technology, the charger is also quite compact, efficient and does not heat up excessively during use. It comes in a number of fun colors with a see-through look that’s kind of a standout feature but is also strangely unobtrusive.

The charger doesn’t appear to be listed on Amazon yet, but as far as we know, its MSRP is $60. It’s not the most competitive price for a charger of this caliber out there, but it’s also not too far from alternative offerings from brands like Anker, UGREEN or Baseus.

If you’re looking for a solid, modern and versatile charger, then the ACEFAST 65W Transparent GaN3 A45/A46/A47 should be right up your alley.