Remember the GravaStar Alpha65 Fast Wall Charger we told you about? Well, we have gotta our hands on one, and here are our thoughts. The GravaStar Alpha65 Fast Wall Charger (GaN) 65W is a USB charging adapter that leverages Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology to enable fast and efficient charging for up to three devices simultaneously. Before we begin, here’s a rundown of its key features:
- Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology
- 65 W max power output
- 3-port design (2x USB-C + 1x USB-A port)
- USB-C supports QC3.0, PD2.0, PD3.0, PPS, Apple 5V/2.4A, BC1.2, AFC, FCP
- USB-A supports QC2.0, QC3.0, AFC, FCP, Apple 5V/2.4A, BC1.2, Samsung 5V/2A
- 8 real-time protections (overvoltage, overcurrent, short circuit, over-temperature, etc)
And are the max output for each port based on different usage:
Single Port Charging:
1. USB-C 1 (65 W)
2. USB-C 2 (20 W)
3. USB-A (18 W)
Dual Port Charging:
1. USB-C 1 (45 W) + USB-C 2 (20 W)
2. USB-C 1 (45 W) + USB-A (18 W)
3. USB-C 2 + USB-A (15 W Max ea.)
Three Port Charging:
1. USB-C 1 (45 W) + USB-C 2 + USB-A: (15 W Max ea.)
Now that we have gotten the basic specs out of the way, here’s our take on the GravaStar Alpha65 Fast Wall Charger. We take a look at the charger in two key aspects: the aesthetics and functionality, and so here goes:
The Aesthetics
One of the key selling points of this charger is its unusual aesthetics. Instead of a usual block or cube, it is presented as an adorable bipedal mech which makes anyone wants to show it off as opposed to hiding it. The unit we received is a war-damaged yellow which matches the GravaStar Sirius Pro War-damaged Yellow perfectly.
As per GravaStar’s usual styling, the mech is decorated with futuristic labels. If the factory deco isn’t enough, GravaStar has included a bunch of stickers for you to spruce it up further.
The block-ish mech has a pair of foldable legs that will let it stand as a, well, two-legged mech. In addition to the requisite labels, the mech has been given the obligatory mechanical detailings and panel linings that make it even more believable as a mech.
It not only has clear color separation to the details, making the mech look three-dimensional but some of the parts – if not all – are actually separate components. Not going to lie. The Alpha65 does remind me of my favorite game MechWarrior, albeit an adorable version. It is like a cross between a MechWarrior and Wall.E. Absolutely adorable and super cool.
The legs have to be tucked upwards when it needs to be plugged in and when you do so, Alpha65 appears to be squatting over your power outlet which is kind of something you’d expect from a robot of the future. You know, docking to a receptacle to get itself topped.
Over the front, it has a “black screen” with a pair of “eyes” that will light up when the current is passing through. It serves as a visual cue that it is LIVE. Over on the top is where you find a pair of removable, poseable “ears”. These “ears” are magnetically attached to the poles on the device.
Also on the top are the three ports, namely, USB-A, USB-C 1, and USB-C 2. The outermost USB-C port is USB-C 1, btw. It is just about the coolest wall charger anyone can ask for. It will appeal to futurists and sci-fi lovers.
The Construction
One word. Excellent. As far as the build quality goes, it may be better than some collectible toys. Also, you know how sometimes a multi-port USB charger has ports that are too close for comfort? Well, this one definitely does not have an issue with that. The ports are amply spaced apart unless you are using those ridiculous “fun” cables (don’t) with unusually large USB connector casings, the ports should fit most cables just fine.
The Functionality
In the area of functionality, it works as advertised. As mentioned earlier, most power users’ concerns would be if the port or ports deliver as advertised. Now, here’s the thing. I may not own professional equipment to verify the claims but I do have a generic tester that lets us know if the ports are delivering the amount as claimed. But before we get into that, we need to address the plugging in. The charger comes with a flip-out US Type A plug.
The Plug
This means it will “sit” flush with the power strip or wall outlet, and also looked very convincing as a display figure when the prongs are stowed away. But I can’t say the same for the UK or EU plug.
In order to use it with a UK or EU outlet, it will need the included respective adapter, namely, the Type G and Type C plug. But here’s the thing. It will break the illusion of a mech.
You know how it is with the Type G plug. It traded safety for size. The width of the Type G adapter prevents the legs of the adorable charger to extend without stretching them outwards a bit and even if you do that, the three prongs which are longer would not allow this little to stand.
The same goes for the Type C plug. The only way to get back the mech look is to remove the adapter whenever you want it to display like a toy. However, it appears just fine when plugged in. Albeit not flushed like when used with the flip-out Type A prongs.
But that’s for the UK plug. The EU plug, however, will elevate this little guy way up and can look a little awkward.
The Charging
Obviously, the Alpha65 charges. The only question is: how well? That’s what we are going to find out in this section of the review. This little guy can most certainly handle three devices simultaneously. However, as noted in the above specifications, you will not get the most out of each port if three devices are used at the same time.
The USB tester revealed that the 65 W port aka the USB-C 1 does indeed deliver around 65-66 W at about 20V/3.29A to my MacBook Pro 14 M2 Pro 10-core. When the USB-A port is used to charge the GravaStar Supernova and the laptop, the USB-C 1 is putting out 45 W at around 20V/2.24A to the MacBook Pro 14 which is consistence with the claimed specs.
The 65 W port peaks out at 44-45 W when sharing power with the Supernova and the iPhone 14 Pro. At this point, USB-A is providing around 10-11 W at around 5V/2.11A while the USB-C 2 puts out 4-5 W at about 5V/0.8A to an almost topped iPhone.
Meanwhile, charging an 80% charged Pixel 7 on the USB-C 1 sees the port delivering 10-11 while a 77% topped Samsung Galaxy is yielding 13-ish W output from the same port.
The Omission
Unfortunately, we were not able to test the overloading and obviously, other claimed features.
The Safety Marks
Here are some bonus observations. The USB charger has a bunch of symbols on it and it includes CE, FCC, ETL, RoHS, indoor use symbol, double insulated symbol, et cetera.
CE stands for Conformité Européenne. It is a marking that verifies that it is safe for sale and use in the European Economic Area (EEA). FCC mark is a voluntary mark for electronics sold in the U.S. indicating that the electromagnetic radiation from the device is below the limits set by the Federal Communications Commission.
ETL mark (now Intertek) is proof of product compliance with North American safety standards.
RoHS mark means it has been tested for 10 banned substances by an independent authority, and the tests confirmed levels of the substances below the RoHS threshold.
There is also a Chinese RoHS recycling indication which is represented by a 10 in a double arrow circle. The number basically indicates the “Environment-Friendly Use Period” by the year. In this case, it is safe for up to 10 years that the contained substances will not leak out.
However, it does not have the US Department of Energy power efficiency marking.
The Verdict
For:
- Fun and compact form factor
- Doubles as a display figure
- Multiple USB ports
- 8 real-time protections
Against:
- No stow-away prongs for UK and EU plug types
Overall, the GravaStar Alpha65 is a super fun USB charger that provides fast charging for most of today’s devices. It may not offer super fast charging under full load but it will be useful to get your devices topped when you are not pressed for time. Hey, it may be a good thing for your gadgets’ battery health too.
What I love most about is no doubt the aesthetic. It is definitely a conversation starter but most importantly for me, it doubles as a display figure when not in use. However, it will be nice if the UK plug could be built into it somehow, so it could be used without the need for an adapter.
The GravaStar Alpha65 Fast Wall Charger is available now for US$42.45.
Images: Mike for Mikeshouts.com.
