Are there battery packs for 2016 MBP?

B

BiteSizeThumb

macrumors member
Since the 2016 MBP's now use USB-C to charge, are there any portable battery packs that can charge the 2016 MBP? I know there are some on Amazon that will charge the MacBook Retina, but I don't think it's powerful enough for the 2016 15" or 13". Anyone have any idea? Wouldn't mind buying one for traveling.
 
I have an Anker 20100 USB-C charger, yes, it works on my MacBook 12". It won't charge a 15" for sure...however, I have a 13" sitting here with me. I'll plug it and report back shortly :)
[doublepost=1481094747][/doublepost]Update: 7 minutes on the Anker charger. Started at 59%, ended at 59%. I provides enough power to "maintain" while working. I may try it when it's in sleep mode. It's not like with the MB12" which works like a normal charger. Anker link at Amazon. They updated the description to state "MacBook Compatibility: In addition to standard functionality, USB-C port makes it compatible with the new MacBook 2015/2016 (not MacBook Pro), charging at 5V/3A"

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BiteSizeThumb said:
Since the 2016 MBP's now use USB-C to charge, are there any portable battery packs that can charge the 2016 MBP? I know there are some on Amazon that will charge the MacBook Retina, but I don't think it's powerful enough for the 2016 15" or 13". Anyone have any idea? Wouldn't mind buying one for traveling.
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Agreed. I was looking for one on Amazon. I just did not know which one to get. It is a tad confusing.
 
So your Macbook's battery doesn't go up or down when the Anker is plugged in, right?
How long does the power bank last?
 
kwandrews said:
I have an Anker 20100 USB-C charger, yes, it works on my MacBook 12". It won't charge a 15" for sure...however, I have a 13" sitting here with me. I'll plug it and report back shortly :)
Click to expand...

Are you saying that it won't charge the new MBP while using it, or it won't charge it at all (while sleeping). I've heard reports that it will charge the new MBP overnight.

I'm looking for solid input before buying the Anker 20,100 USB-C charger later today. I have a late-2016 15" MBP and I often work out in the field (literally in the wild) with no power outlets. It looks like the Anker 20,100 would be the best portable device to give me an extra full charge. I'm ok if it only charges it while sleeping or if it just extends the existing battery life while using the MBP....I just need some positive feedback that it will work as I'm describing. Otherwise, are there any better solutions out there?

Thanks!
 
kwandrews said:
I have an Anker 20100 USB-C charger, yes, it works on my MacBook 12". It won't charge a 15" for sure...however, I have a 13" sitting here with me. I'll plug it and report back shortly :)
[doublepost=1481094747][/doublepost]Update: 7 minutes on the Anker charger. Started at 59%, ended at 59%. I provides enough power to "maintain" while working. I may try it when it's in sleep mode. It's not like with the MB12" which works like a normal charger. Anker link at Amazon. They updated the description to state "MacBook Compatibility: In addition to standard functionality, USB-C port makes it compatible with the new MacBook 2015/2016 (not MacBook Pro), charging at 5V/3A"

51fnTObd24L.jpg
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Thank you for the update. I was just about to purchase this to power my MacBook 15" but I guess it definitely doesn't power/charge it. I guess I'll have to keep looking. Hoping there's something out there similar. Wouldn't mind my MacBook charging slowly, just want an alternative for when my battery dies.
 
Theres a kickstarter project with a extra battery that is also a dock for older ports and have same aluminium finish and color as the macbook and is designed to put under it and also have extra fans to keep the macbook cooler :)
 
BiteSizeThumb said:
Thank you for the update. I was just about to purchase this to power my MacBook 15" but I guess it definitely doesn't power/charge it. I guess I'll have to keep looking. Hoping there's something out there similar. Wouldn't mind my MacBook charging slowly, just want an alternative for when my battery dies.
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I am guessing we are a couple months for the battery tech to catch up and match the 13/15 Pros. I am sure they are toiling away working on it.
 
BiteSizeThumb said:
Thank you for the update. I was just about to purchase this to power my MacBook 15" but I guess it definitely doesn't power/charge it. I guess I'll have to keep looking. Hoping there's something out there similar. Wouldn't mind my MacBook charging slowly, just want an alternative for when my battery dies.
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As a heads-up, I’m hearing that it does charge the new MBP...it’s just not strong enough to run the MBP and gain an increase in the battery charge at the same time. In other words, you’re slowing down the discharge if you have it hooked up while you are using the MBP. And if it is plugged into your MBP while the MBP is sleeping, then it will charge the battery. From what I’ve gathered so far, it should be enough for one full recharge.

However, this is what I’ve gathered in bits and pieces and was hoping that someone here could confirm or give us more info...
 
konnyaku said:
So your Macbook's battery doesn't go up or down when the Anker is plugged in, right?
How long does the power bank last?
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It WILL go down eventually if under a heavier load. But it goes down much more slowly than battery only. It appears to be charging at 15w vs. the required 60w.
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Bryan Bowler said:
Are you saying that it won't charge the new MBP while using it, or it won't charge it at all (while sleeping). I've heard reports that it will charge the new MBP overnight.
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I had a 15" and it's not worth getting for that power requirement. I left it on overnight with my 13" (about 6 hours) and it charged about 25% and the battery pack was about drained. It's great for a 12", iPads and iPhone, charging my Sony cameras, etc....but I don't plan on it for any MBP.
 
I'd guess any company that makes battery packs for their own USB-C laptops with quadcore and any sort of graphics cards will work (like the Dell Power Companion).
 
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kwandrews said:
It WILL go down eventually if under a heavier load. But it goes down much more slowly than battery only. It appears to be charging at 15w vs. the required 60w.
[doublepost=1481165729][/doublepost]

I had a 15" and it's not worth getting for that power requirement. I left it on overnight with my 13" (about 6 hours) and it charged about 25% and the battery pack was about drained. It's great for a 12", iPads and iPhone, charging my Sony cameras, etc....but I don't plan on it for any MBP.
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Cool, thank you for the solid info! You just saved me the trouble of buying it only to find out is doesn’t work well enough. Much appreciated!
 
Clint_Barton said:
would anybody be willing to purchase one of these to test it https://www.amazon.com/Dell-94TR3-P...01B48YESU/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
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It has the XPS15 listed on Dell's site as compatible. That has a 120W max draw vs the MBP15's 87W max draw, so it's fine in that department.

However, doesn't that change via the Dell power port? I can't see if that USB-C port outputs 20V.

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dfo&sku=451-bblz
 
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So why doesn't anyone talk about this one? I guess it can get up to 20 watts which seems good for a battery (the other Anker looks like it gets 15 watts).

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Portable-Double-Speed-Recharging/dp/B01JIWQPMW/ref=sr_1_7?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1481170681&sr=1-7&refinements=p_89:Anker

That dell does depend on the power jack. Looks like that power jack gets 40 watts but the normal outputs get 10 watts.

This dell has one half the overall capacity though at 12,000 mAh vs 26,800 mAh for the Anker. So sounds like the Dell would charge faster but the Anker would charge more. I think capacity would be more important to me so that Anker 26800 would maybe be a good bet. Even if it doesn't charge the laptop it would probably significantly slow the drain which is still good. May be better to wait to see what they come out with in the next couple months though if you can.
 
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Karnicopia said:
So why doesn't anyone talk about this one? I guess it can get up to 20 watts which seems good for a battery (the other Anker looks like it gets 15 watts).

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Portable-Double-Speed-Recharging/dp/B01JIWQPMW/ref=sr_1_7?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1481170681&sr=1-7&refinements=p_89:Anker

That dell does depend on the power jack. Looks like that power jack gets 40 watts but the normal outputs get 10 watts.

This dell has one half the overall capacity though at 12,000 mAh vs 26,800 mAh for the Anker. So sounds like the Dell would charge faster but the Anker would charge more. I think capacity would be more important to me so that Anker 26800 would maybe be a good bet. Even if it doesn't charge the laptop it would probably significantly slow the drain which is still good. May be better to wait to see what they come out with in the next couple months though if you can.
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The output voltage on that Anker would not charge a MBP 15. The laptop would charge the battery pack though ;)

There's very little available that will for the 15. There have been laptops with a real graphics cards and quadcore (ie need higher output voltage) and theoretical USB-C charging out for 18 months - with little luck.
 
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I remember seeing a kickstarter project with a power bank able to output 60W, which means it will be able to charge the macbook while using. I can't recall the project name or link tho, a quick google didn't find what I was looking for.
 
This is one of the great things about the switch to USB-C. Instead of having to get a special battery pack with a custom plug, and USB-C charger will work.

As has been mentioned in this thread, the question is how fast will it charge. The MBP 15" has a 75 W/hr battery (I don't know what that translates to in Milli amps). The charger is also 87 Watts. To get a decent charge, you would need an external battery that charges at 60 watts. Lower ones will work, but will likely only maintain the use, or work slowly (overnight).

The bigger the battery, the more charge it will provide to the MBP. The ones that can do a full charge are also likely very expensive.
 
Mobster1983 said:
This is one of the great things about the switch to USB-C. Instead of having to get a special battery pack with a custom plug, and USB-C charger will work.

As has been mentioned in this thread, the question is how fast will it charge. The MBP 15" has a 75 W/hr battery (I don't know what that translates to in Milli amps). The charger is also 87 Watts. To get a decent charge, you would need an external battery that charges at 60 watts. Lower ones will work, but will likely only maintain the use, or work slowly (overnight).

The bigger the battery, the more charge it will provide to the MBP. The ones that can do a full charge are also likely very expensive.
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That's not how it plays out: these batteries are fine for tablets and 13inch laptops, but few (none?) have output voltages per port to make more demanding laptops charge. That 60watts is total all ports combined, not individually.

People have been testing solutions for the XPS 15 for 18 months (similar needs to the MPB). Without much luck. It's only USB-C charging solution at the moment is the new Apple 87W. No USB-C battery option (hence it's OWN battery also has a Dell power plug on it)

It's really the opposite of what you said: it underlines what a mess USB-C currently is.
 
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