MacBook Pro 16 charging

[kovami06]

So I have my new Macbook Pro for a few days and I am enjoying it greatly so far. The only downside is the when I am having a long day I end up needing to carry a charger and I have been wondering one thing. Is it safe to charge it with 60W charger? At the local apple store, they had been telling me no and to only use the original charger, which is currently out of stock.

Because let's be honest the original apple charger is bit unwieldy and heavy. So I have been looking for alternatives, but most of the locally available ones have lower wattage. Like ankers offering only 60W PD or this one https://www.alzashop.com/alzapower-power-charger-pd60c-white-d5493495.htm.

But the internet gave me conflicting answers about the safety and to be honest with you folks all I am a bit confused.

So my question is this is it safe to use a charger with lower wattage?

Also is there a safe way to swap two keys on the keyboard I need to swap Y and Z keys as my keyboard is qwertz and I am used to using qwerty and it confuses me terribly.

With regards Milan

 

[ejin222]

Wow, I had this SAME question. I've been using the 60W charger from my 13" MBP because I like to keep my things new when I resell. Is it safe to use a lower wattage charger with the 16"?

 

[Royksöpp]

Wow, I had this SAME question. I've been using the 60W charger from my 13" MBP because I like to keep my things new when I resell.

You need to use the supplied charger, especially with the 16 inch. It has one of the biggest batteries ever in an Apple laptop. You're going to see substantially slower charge times for sure. And in terms of reselling the laptop, no one will care if the charger is new or not. As long as it's not all ratty and frayed you shouldn't have to worry about something silly like that. It WILL NOT make a difference price wise when you resell it. The condition of your laptop will dictate its value.

 

[matram]

When lightly loaded the MBP draws only 10W. In such a scenario the 60W charger is more than adequate.

Peak load can be up to a 100W in that case the battery will discharge in about two hours.

I generally travel with a 60W charger and have had no issue. But I can typically run a whole working day on batteries only so my load is not heavy

 

[Tommy Hewitt]

So my question is this is it safe to use a charger with lower wattage?

Simple answer: Yes!

I used the iPad Pro's 18W charger quite a few times for my MacBook Pro too, haven't had any problems until today

 

[ejin222]

When lightly loaded the MBP draws only 10W. In such a scenario the 60W charger is more than adequate.

Peak load can be up to a 100W in that case the battery will discharge in about two hours.

I generally travel with a 60W charger and have had no issue. But I can typically run a whole working day on batteries only so my load is not heavy

I also saw that it draws so little power. That’s why I used my 60w. To be honest, if Apple made a 16” MacBook non Pro, I would’ve purchased that instead. I just need the bigger screen for my eyes. And so, I don’t do intense things and therefore the power draw is never high.

Maybe I’ll put the 100w charger back in the box lol

 

[ISKOTB]

You should use the supplied charger, I have been using this adapter with all my devices and I have no issues.

 

[ejin222]

You should use the supplied charger, I have been using this adapter with all my devices and I have no issues.

Wait, you tell me to use the supplied charger and yet you use a non-Apple brand charger? Find that kind of funny. ?

 

[ISKOTB]

I am sorry if you missed my point. The apple charger should be the safest to use. If you buy the adapter I am using you may have an issue with it. I leave the OEM apple adapter in the office since it is way too BIG for me and I carry around the smaller one.

Wait, you tell me to use the supplied charger and yet you use a non-Apple brand charger? Find that kind of funny. ?

 

[salamanderjuice]

You can use it, I've used a 60W charger with my 15" MBP. You run into problems at full load though. It's not enough power to run the MBP at full tilt so the battery will drain to depletion. If you're doing nothing or doing a light task it'll charge, albeit slower. I think they don't recommend using it because it can't run it at full tilt but I don't think it'll kill the battery or be harmful if you just use it charge over night while on a trip or something. If it was truly unsafe I'd expect them to have locked it from working in the firmware.

 

[iMacDragon]

60w charger is perfectly fine for charging or light use.

 

[ejin222]

My second question is: I added the extension cord to my power brick. Will that be ok too, or is there any difference in power draw between the extension cord and the brick? Thanks

 

[iMacDragon]

zero difference. Or near enough zero to be negligeable, anyway.

 

[Ken.Chuang]

For those of you using a MacBook Pro 16" did you realise that the AC charger info states 60w even if you are using a 96w charger?

is this normal? if so then would a 60w/ 85w charger be enough?

 

[iMacDragon]

For those of you using a MacBook Pro 16" did you realise that the AC charger info states 60w even if you are using a 96w charger?

is this normal? if so then would a 60w/ 85w charger be enough?

I'm guessing you're not using the original Apple cable to charge with? Cables specs will usually say something like 100W PD support in specs, needing an e-mark chip to confirm support, a non chipped cable can do max 60w.

 

[jmussman]

For some of you reading this the answer may not be so clear, and/or it may not be your specific situation. The bottom line for all MacBooks is that the power adapter needs to supply enough power for for your current situation, which includes running the computer your load, and maybe charging the battery. The optimized battery charging feature may simply not charge your battery if the adapter doesn't have enough power, or it may charge it at a reduced rate. The real issue is can the power adapter provide enough to run the MacBook or is it going to have to fall back on the battery even though it's plugged into a charger? If it can't you're never going to recharge while you are working and eventually you'll run out of battery.

You may be fine on the road with a smaller charger, especially if you don't use the battery and/or let it charge in your hotel overnight. I wouldn't go with a small one from an iPad or an iPhone, but many reputable companies like Anker make excellent chargers from 60-100 watts that are smaller than Apples and may fit your needs. I have no relationship with Anker.

Regardless, I would highly recommend that you invest in iStat Menus from the App Store because among other things it will allow you to look at your current power usage and also your history. From that you can determine what your true power requirements are and that will help you make decisions about what you need. Again, I have no relationship with the the provider but this is how I monitor my computer.