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Any better USB-C power adapter for the MacBook Air 15" than the 70W one from Apple?

H

hajime

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jul 23, 2007
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Hi, I found the 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter to be slow in charging. Anybody knows why Apple requires us to customize in order to get the 70W USB-C Power Adapter?

Are there other charger charging the Air 15" faster than the 70W one perhaps also lighter and smaller?
 
hajime said:
Hi, I found the 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter to be slow in charging. Anybody knows why Apple requires us to customize in order to get the 70W USB-C Power Adapter?

Are there other charger charging the Air 15" faster than the 70W one perhaps also lighter and smaller?
Click to expand...
35w charger is not slow, as long as only 1 (one) cable is attached. If 2 cables are attached (even though it’s not used) the wattage will be around 12-15w only.
 
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I only used one cable. If I recall correctly, when I noticed that it was running out of power, I connected the Air to the 35W adapter. Then, continued to use it mainly for browsing. It took quite a long time to fully charge the Air. Can the 70W one get the job done in half the time?
 
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Take a look at Amazon Basics 65w single port, saw some good review about it on youtube, and it's also smaller/lighter/cheaper than Apple 70W
 
Have you checked in system info, that it really charge at 35w. Probably issue on charger.

Yes, but it will also introduce slight warm on the laptop (slightly negative impact to the battery). I use Anker Nano 65w single port occasionally too.
 
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Isamilis said:
Have you checked in system info, that it really charge at 35w. Probably issue on charger.

Yes, but it will also introduce slight warm on the laptop (slightly negative impact to the battery). I use anker nano 1 port 65w occasionally too.
Click to expand...
All is correct. According to math, full charge takes around 4-4.5 hrs with slow charger from 0 to 100. While 70w does the same in around 2 hrs.

Some people are always plugged in so in this case it would not really matter.
 
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I doubt there will be much difference (time wise) using a 60W charger compared to the 70W apple charger...

Charger recommendations...a 60W and above charger from:

* Anker
* Amazon Basic
* Baseus
* Ugreen

Personally I'd buy a charger with multiple charging ports (ie 2 USB C, or a USB A and USB C port). It gives you the ability to charge multiple devices simultaneously.

Another useful feature (for those who travel overseas) is replaceable power plug adapters...which allows you to use the charger in different countries. For example, swap from the type A (used in the US and Japan) to the Type C (used throughout Europe) or to the Type G (used in the UK, Ireland, Middle East and parts of Asia).

I've used a 65W GAN charger for several years to charge multiple devices (laptops, phones, earbuds, headphones, tablets etc). It's been great...scratch that, it's been fantastic, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another GAN charger. The only upgrade I'd like is to increase the power output to 100W, which gives you the ability to charge a single device faster, or simultaneously charge multiple devices faster.
 
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hajime said:
Hi, I found the 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter to be slow in charging. Anybody knows why Apple requires us to customize in order to get the 70W USB-C Power Adapter?

Are there other charger charging the Air 15" faster than the 70W one perhaps also lighter and smaller?
Click to expand...
70W is the fastest the 15” Air will charge, per testing from ChargerLab on YouTube.
 
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cargobrian said:
The 70W apple charger is actually pretty good, only wish it had two usb-c ports.
Click to expand...
Although I strongly advocate first-party Apple chargers, Amazon has a 2-port 65w Belkin GaN charger on sale today for $29. It will max out at 65w for the 15" Air (negligible vs. 70w) on a single port, but has that extra port for when you need it.
 
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BeatCrazy said:
It will max out at 65w for the 15" Air (negligible vs. 70w) on a single port, but has that extra port for when you need it.
Click to expand...
Agree. My 65W charger is often used to charge 2 devices simultaneously. My charger actually has 3 ports (1 x USB A, 2 x USB C), but it's pretty rare I'll charge 3 devices simultaneously (and I'd be quite happy to buy a 2 port charger).

That's why (in the future if my current charger fails) I'd like a multi-port 100W GAN charger (ideally the same size as my current charger). Gives you the flexibility to charger 1 device at 100W, or 2 devices at different charge rates (ie 60W to charge a laptop, and 5-40W to charge a phone/tablet/headphones/earbuds/another laptop etc).
 
cargobrian said:
The 70W apple charger is actually pretty good, only wish it had two usb-c ports.
Click to expand...
There are two USB-C ports on M2 MBA. I used a single USB-C charger connected to the MagSafe on the MBA, then connected two USB-C cables to the MBA to charge my phone and watch. This was on a trip to Europe where I wanted to reduce my payload as much as possible. The scenario described worked and my watch and phone both charged without issues in less 5 hours. I see no reason when traveling to carry a charger bigger than necessary and a single USB-C port on the charger is about as small as it gets.
 
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Did you order it from Apple? If so, contact them and see if they could swap the power adapter. Otherwise, I would return and place another order with the 70W. I am still undecided which one is better for me. Why can't the 70W have 2 ports :rolleyes:
 
BeatCrazy said:
70W is the fastest the 15” Air will charge, per testing from ChargerLab on YouTube.
Click to expand...
I can confirm that. Using my 140w charging brick from the 16" MBP, the 15" MBA can only charge up to 71w, but mostly stayed at 69w to 70w. A more powerful adapter wouldn't help.

But if you are not in a hurry, charging a battery at slower speed is generally better for battery health due to less heat.
 
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cargobrian said:
I am picking up this:

Anker USB C 736 Charger (Nano II 100W), 3-Port Fast Compact Wall Charger for MacBook Pro/Air, Google Pixelbook, ThinkPad, Dell XPS, iPad Pro, Galaxy S22/S20, iPhone 13/Pro, and More

Usually carry two different chargers in my backpack when traveling.
Click to expand...
They are convenient, but here's a warning:

If you're trying to charge your MacBook Air at 70w, you can't have anything else (even just a secondary cord!!) plugged into the second USB-C port. Once another cord is detected, this type of charger in particular will knock down the laptop charging to 45w.

Now you may not care, but if you're trying to really get some juice in a hurry, you need you use these as single-device, only.
 
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BeatCrazy said:
They are convenient, but here's a warning:

If you're trying to charge your MacBook Air at 70w, you can't have anything else (even just a secondary cord!!) plugged into the second USB-C port. Once another cord is detected, this type of charger in particular will knock down the laptop charging to 45w.

Now you may not care, but if you're trying to really get some juice in a hurry, you need you use these as single-device, only.
Click to expand...
Hardly a warning - just RTFM and it's all there.
 
I do not understand the need for high speed charging. I charge my machine at night, it is good for all day in most cases. For those few times I run short on power I am never far from an outlet. I also have a 110V outlet in my vehicle that I can use to charge. Whether a charger is 35 watts or 70 watts seems academic. Even on the long flight to and from Europe I was able to use the power outlet on the plane to charge my M2 Air without difficulties. People complain about wanting longer lasting batteries, then search for high speed charging. I doubt there are many users that are requiring 18 hours of usage between charges. A smaller charger, with less weight, does not need as much support in an outlet (those big Anker boxes have a tendency to droop in the outlet), just seems to be more practical. Whether my machine charges in 5 hours or 2.5 hours has never been an issue.

To each their own.
 
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raythompsontn said:
I do not understand the need for high speed charging. I charge my machine at night, it is good for all day in most cases. For those few times I run short on power I am never far from an outlet. I also have a 110V outlet in my vehicle that I can use to charge. Whether a charger is 35 watts or 70 watts seems academic. Even on the long flight to and from Europe I was able to use the power outlet on the plane to charge my M2 Air without difficulties. People complain about wanting longer lasting batteries, then search for high speed charging. I doubt there are many users that are requiring 18 hours of usage between charges. A smaller charger, with less weight, does not need as much support in an outlet (those big Anker boxes have a tendency to droop in the outlet), just seems to be more practical. Whether my machine charges in 5 hours or 2.5 hours has never been an issue.

To each their own.
Click to expand...
Agreed.
 
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