‘Tinkering Review’ — The Performance Prince: A Brief Review of the ELECJET X21 Charger
Translated from the Chinese original.
Introduction
Electronic gadgets now occupy every corner of our lives, so not having a few decent charging products for daily use is unrealistic. I always carry a high-performance, safe, universally compatible charger in my bag. A 65W gallium nitride fast charger has become indispensable for me, and I’m sure most of you have seen one in some form.
I had wanted to get an ELECJET charger for a while, but production delays meant I only got one now. After seeing one brand face an overheating controversy and another offer just one port, I finally got this new ELECJET model in September. Here’s a brief hands-on overview.
Appearance
I’m sure this design looks familiar to everyone. The ELECJET X21 GaN charger uses a one-piece molded body in elegant black. Honestly, my first reaction when I picked it up was: what the heck is this material, and why does it feel so good? The transitions around the entire charger are exceptionally smooth, with a comfortable, premium feel. Compared with the sharp edges on the SHARGE 65W GaN charger I reviewed earlier, this is a major improvement.
It also comes with built-in 90° foldable prongs. The prongs sit slightly higher than the body, which makes them easier to open and fold.
Hands-On Experience
Let’s look at the output specifications of the ELECJET X21 GaN charger.
For fast-charging protocol support, the ELECJET GaN charger supports APPLE2.4A, QC2.0, QC3.0, AFC, FCP, SCP, PE, ChargeTurb, and other fast-charging protocols.
For power, it delivers up to 65W from a single port, 45W+18W from two ports, and 45W+15W from three ports. Whether you’re charging a phone, tablet, or laptop, it matches well.
The ELECJET X21 may be the smallest three-port GaN charger I’ve reviewed. I compared it with the SHARGE charger, also 65W and Apple’s original 87W charger.
Of course, it still had to face a real-world test. I used a Samsung S9+, whose charging interface is USB-C. While charging the phone, it displayed “Fast charging” and reached the maximum power.
Using PD fast charging to charge an iPhone 11 from 30% to 80% took a little over 27 minutes. The charging rate was much faster than Apple’s stock power adapter, and it also successfully triggered the PD3.0 protocol.
Key Takeaways
“Pros”
- The finish feels exceptionally smooth and comfortable; the matte texture really matters.
- Both the C1 and C2 ports can deliver 65W regardless of which one you use.
- Protocol support is especially comprehensive, including 20W Dash/VOOC fast charging.
- It supports a high current of 5A, making it more compatible with some proprietary high-current protocols and laptop charging.
- Temperature control is good, with none of the overheating problems that brand had.
“Cons”
- The build quality is still disappointing: the charging ports are slightly crooked, and the bottom is not flat enough.
- Supported protocols do not always trigger reliably; you may need to try several times.
- A bit of charging voodoo: the C2 port seems to have better protocol compatibility than C1.
Editor’s note: With a 5A cable, it can basically support every protocol. Overall, if I didn’t need multiple ports, I might choose Xiaomi or Anker. Conversely, if I were buying for protocol compatibility and the matte finish, I would choose the ELECJET X21.