Nomad 130W GaN Power Adapter review: Plenty of USB-C power for 3 devices
Andrew O'HaraNomad 130W GaN charger
Nomad 130W GaN Power Adapter
4.5 / 5On Thursday, Nomad released the all-new 130W GaN Power Adapter, equipped with a trio of USB-C ports to power up your iPhone, MacBook Pro, and iPad, quickly and at the same time.
The just-released charger follows a similar design aesthetic to the brand's growing line of charging peripherals. It has a dark finish, contrary to Apple's stark white adapters.
There's a black front with just the smallest amount of shimmer and dark grey sides that wrap around the back. Simple black Nomad logos are on each side, and the top, fastest USB-C port has a blue mark on the inside.
Nomad uses gallium nitride (GaN) technology in this charger, the successor to the more common silicon-based chargers. It's complex, but in short, GaN technology in chargers is beneficial because it allows higher wattage with less heat, resulting in smaller chargers.
It's plastic, but the inside feels very dense. If you've picked up a cheap charger and noticed that they feel almost hollow, you'll know what we were watching for and hoping to avoid.
The wall-facing side of the adapter has a standard set of prongs to fit into an outlet, and they collapse, making it better suited for travel.
Nomad 130W GaN Power Adapter — Lots of power at home and away
All USB ports combined, the new Nomad charger can output up to 130W of concurrent power. How much through each outlet will depend on what devices you have connected.
If you have a large device and a small device, the big device will draw up to 100W with 30W for the secondary device. When three are connected, your largest device will take 70W while the other two will each get 30W.
At times, this kind of power math can be confusing and is a common problem in the charging space. What you essentially need to know is that the charger will automatically allocate power as necessary and if you want the most power on a big device, don't connect anything else.
Nomad uses the USB-C PD 3.0 spec on this charger, which has a maximum output of 100W. That's why even though the total is 130W, individual ports get capped at 100W.
In our testing, these limits were borne out, with little variance.
Not many devices use more than 100W, but Apple's 16-inch MacBook Pro can. It includes a 140W power brick, allowing fast charging via the bundled USB-C to MagSafe 3 adapter.
Apple's 140W charger uses the USB-C PD 3.1 spec, which has a higher output cap but only has a single output port. It's also larger than Nomad's charger.
Nomad 130W GaN Power Adapter — Should you buy it?
The Nomad 130W GaN Power Adapter is a solid choice to add to your kit with very few compromises. Assuming you aren't looking to fast charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro, 130W is a ton of power that can fast charge multiple other devices.
The compact size, thanks to the GaN tech, makes it a great choice to toss in your gear bag for on the road. We charged our MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and powered a multi-charger simultaneously with this single adapter.
If you have an older house sporting outlets that have frustratingly-weak hold, the heft of this charger may be too much, but that will always be the case with high-output adapters.
As the speed requirements of our devices continue to grow, chargers that offer more wattage are increasingly necessary — and Nomad is here to help you out.
Nomad 130W GaN Power Adapter — pros
- Compact design
- Collapsible prongs
- Three Type-C outputs
- Up to 130W of power
- GaN tech on the inside
Nomad 130W GaN Power Adapter — cons
- Weight is too much for old outlets
- Individual ports limited to 100W
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Where to buy Nomad 130W GaN Power Adapter
You can find the new Nomad 130W GaN Power Adapter on the company's website for $110 in carbide grey.
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7 Comments
Nomad adapter is decent at 130W, multiple USB-c ports but you can find similar cheaper from UGREEN(140W for under $80), Anker(150W for under $90),etc. and they have legacy USB-A port besides multiple USB-C PD ports.
Not to be too boring, but please think about replacing old outlets. It is a very easy DIY project, and Youtube videos will point out any common mistakes to avoid.
An infrared camera would show that these loose outlets generate a lot more heat than ones that are not worn out. At least a 130W power adapter is unlikely to draw enough power to cause a fire. Likewise you might notice in time to prevent your house from burning if high draw appliances like a hairdryer or vacuum cleaner overload the outlet. On the other hand space heaters or air conditioners plugged into an outlet that hardly holds a plug however are extremely dangerous.
These new GAN chargers all have the same design flaw: they’re too heavy and easily slip out of the power socket. There should be a small cord between the brick and the outlet to prevent that from happening.