A cheap charger that won't fry your computer

Michael Hession

Nick Guy

A great laptop charger should charge your machine fast, well, and safely—and do it all without a price tag that will send you looking for a fainting couch. Our favorite replacement laptop charger does all that and more.

The Nekteck 60W USB-C GaN Charger can charge any MacBook or MacBook Pro (other than the 14-, 15- and 16-inch models), plus most PCs, the iPad Pro, and even non-USB-C–based devices at full speed.

If you wanted to buy a full setup from Apple—the charging brick and cable—it would cost around $80. Nekteck delivers the same high-quality charger, bundled with a cable, in an even smaller package, for less than one-third the price (which is a somewhat new development).

It used to be that this charging tech was proprietary to Apple, and third parties weren’t allowed to make their own versions. So even if you found a cheaper knockoff, you couldn’t trust it not to fry your computer or start a fire.

The move by Apple and most other laptop chargers to use USB-C charging ports has eliminated this concern—as long as you shop smart. USB-C is a standard governed by the USB Implementers Forum (PDF) industry trade group. This means that no one manufacturer owns or controls it or can limit access to the physical hardware and underlying technology.

This has freed up accessory makers to create their own legitimate USB-C charging products, often undercutting the original equipment manufacturers’ prices by significant amounts. Count Nekteck among them. The small-but-expanding power company makes our favorite replacement laptop charger, the 60W USB-C GaN Charger, which blends excellent value, great performance, and certified safety—a combination few others can compete with.

One of the main factors that sets this Nekteck charger (and many of the company’s products) apart from other affordable USB-C charging products is the USB-IF certification. This voluntary process ensures that a product adheres to the necessary standards, and, most importantly, that it will be safe to use. It’s a certification relatively few companies pursue. But Nekteck CEO James Lin said he’s proud that all of his company’s USB-C chargers are USB-IF certified. We’re glad they are too.

Also, this charger is much smaller. That’s thanks to “GaN,” or gallium nitride, a material that’s quickly replacing silicon as the main conductive element in chargers. Because of its unique chemical properties, it allows for more-powerful chargers in even smaller packages. (Our favorite phone chargers use GaN, too.) At just under 2 square inches, the Nekteck charger is about an inch shorter and narrower than Apple’s model, and about the same thickness. This makes our pick’s overall volume about half that of the first-party model.

Nekteck’s 60W USB-C GaN Charger provides the peace of mind that if you (or your cat) destroy your laptop’s charger, or you want to get a backup, you can pick one up for a reasonable price and know you’re not sacrificing quality.

After testing dozens of USB-C chargers over the past several years, we’ve found that the Nekteck 60W USB-C GaN Charger—a pick since 2020—is the best USB-C laptop and tablet charger. Here are some reasons why:

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• It provides the same power as Apple’s 61W charger for a much lower price, and it even comes with a cable.

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• Nekteck’s products, including this one, are usually USB-IF–certified, so you can trust they’ll be safe.

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• Compared with Apple’s charger, this model is half the volume.

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Read more in our guide to the best USB-C laptop and tablet chargers.

We see lightning deals pretty regularly, but the deepest cuts have been around Prime Day and Black Friday/Cyber Monday.

Be sure to remove the charger from the wall by pulling on the plastic body, not the cable. This will help prevent damage to both. As with an extension cord, with a cable we recommend coiling it when you’re packing it up, and you should consider using a Velcro tie to hold the shape.