USB - C was prepare as a full-bodied multi - function banner that would finally countenance a single industry - support jack leave gamey - electric power index and super - fast data . In the ado about the conversion from USB Type - A and Apple ’s original MagSafe and MagSafe 2 magnetised laptop computer charging scheme , the delight of a exclusive cable may be lose .

A hallmark of USB - C is that you’re able to stop up any USB - C plug into any USB - speed of light tar . The Jack-tar on two devices negotiate what they have in common . Sometimes , this is dire , like 480Mbps with active Thunderbolt 3 cables and USB - C charge cables rather of 10 to 40Gbps ! Other time , it ’s great , such as not worrying about the electrical power of cable , chargers , or laptop computer when plug them all together .

All Thunderbolt 3 and 4 cables connected between two Thunderbolt 3 or 4 larboard can pass up to 100 Isaac Watts . With USB 3.x or USB4 on either conclusion , the maximum could be 60W , but it calculate , as with everything .

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Regular USB-C charging

Apple has released laptop computer with USB - C starting in 2015 that can take a maximum of anywhere from 29W to 100W over received USB - C.

It ’s crucial to note :

The only variable in this equation is the cable itself . In the early years of USB - C , some cables were made cheaply by largely nameless companies at a fourth dimension USB - snow cable were quite expensive and in short supplying . Now , I ’d argue sticking with a well - known name , like Belkin or Other World Computing , that have a make love fabrication report and can be reach in the event of a problem .

MagSafe 3 charging

Apple muddy the water slightly with the 2021 introduction of its 14 - inch and 16 - inch MacBook Pro model with MagSafe 3 , the replacement for its early laptop options . MagSafe 3 cables have Apple ’s latest proprietary connecter at one end and USB - hundred on the other . Those models of MacBook Pro , as well as the 2022 MacBook Pro , either occur with a high - wattage adaptor or you may upgrade to one with lower - close models : that ’s 67W for the MacBook Air , 96W for the 14 - in MacBook Pro , and 140W for the 16 - in MacBook Pro .

If you use a 96W adapter , whether with a MagSafe 3 or USB - C - only transmission line with a 14 - column inch MacBook Pro or 2022 MacBook Air , it engages a fast - charging modal value that Apple says can take your Mac to 50 pct charge in no more than 30 minutes . ( To avoid gazump the lithium - ion battery , this degraded charging throttles at 50 percent charge . )

With a 16 - inch MacBook Pro , you must have both an Apple 140W charger and a MagSafe 3 cable television to achieve debauched charging . In any other scenario , turn on maxes out at 100W.

This Mac 911 article is in response to a question submitted by Macworld reader Nicholas .

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