Ultrafine 5K charges 16' MBP only at 60W most of the time

[otakustay]

I have a first generation Ultrafine 5K display, the 16' MBP drives it perfectly except the charging power, most of the time this display charges MBP only at 60W, in this case battery drops when MBP opens some power consuming apps.

I suppose the old Ultrafine 5K should charge my MBP at 85W like it for older MBPs, is there any solution to adjust charging power?

 

[jerryk]

I have a first generation Ultrafine 5K display, the 16' MBP drives it perfectly except the charging power, most of the time this display charges MBP only at 60W, in this case battery drops when MBP opens some power consuming apps.

I suppose the old Ultrafine 5K should charge my MBP at 85W like it for older MBPs, is there any solution to adjust charging power?

What does the manual for this display say for the rated USB-C power. A lot of monitors are rated at 60W.

Also, check your cables. Many are only rated for 60W, or better stated are not electronically marked to support 100W. You might try plugging the cable you are using between the monitor and MBP 16, between the 96W charger that came with the MBP 16" and the MPB 16". See if it delivers the full 96W or is limited to 60W.

The USB-C Power Delivery specs have change over the years.

From https://www.testandmeasurementtips.com/whats-new-in-usb-power-delivery-3-0-faq/

"USB PD is a specification for handling higher power on USB and allows a range of devices to charge quickly over a USB connection. It facilitates negotiation between two devices for a power contract, so they can determine how much power can be pulled from the charger. Power Delivery starts at the 5-V setting and is configurable up to 20 V. Using a standard USB-C cable, it can handle up to 60 W and will go up to 100 W using a full-featured USB Type-C (ECMA) cable. "

 

[otakustay]

What does the manual for this display say for the rated USB-C power. A lot of monitors are rated at 60W.

Ultrafine 5K can previously charge my 13' MBP at 85W, so I suppose it should charge my 16' MBP at the same power.

 

[jerryk]

Ultrafine 5K can previously charge my 13' MBP at 85W, so I suppose it should charge my 16' MBP at the same power.

Ok. The fact that you are showing 60W is highly suspicious since that is the upper limit for many USB-C connections and cables as the document I linked to states. Make sure the cable you are using supports 100W. The Apple cable that came with the 16" MBP does. Best of luck troubleshooting your issue.

 

[chrfr]

I have a first generation Ultrafine 5K display, the 16' MBP drives it perfectly except the charging power, most of the time this display charges MBP only at 60W, in this case battery drops when MBP opens some power consuming apps.

I suppose the old Ultrafine 5K should charge my MBP at 85W like it for older MBPs, is there any solution to adjust charging power?

Have you checked the display for firmware updates, and have you tried a different Thunderbolt cable?

 

[randomshelf11]

Have you been having any problems with brightness control?

I have a 2.4 GHz i9, 5500M 8GB, 16" MacBook Pro and frequently when I plug it into my UltraFine 5K I can't change the brightness of the monitor. I am wondering whether anyone else has the same issue (so that it will hopefully be fixed by a software update), or whether there is something wrong with my MacBook hardware-wise.

Sorry if this is a little off-topic, I just don't know anyone who uses this set-up.

 

[poorcody]

Interesting, I just noticed my Ultrafine 5K is also charging my 16" at 60W, even though it charged my old 2016 MBP at 87W.

Can anyone verify that their Ultrafine is charging at 87 W according to "Apple Menu ➡ About This Mac... ➡ System Report ➡ Power" ?

I have the original Ultrafine (first batch sold) and the original cable connected.

 

[lgleasain]

I'm experiencing the exact same thing. The only solution seems to be to use the power brick, which is not a great solution IMHO.