MacBook Cables With Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C Port, Be Careful To Use The Right Ones

MacBook cables with USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 port (USB-C plug) must be the right ones and you must use not only the correct power supply but also the appropriate cable. The 12 ″ MacBook charges using its 29W USB-C power adapter; i MacBook Pro 13 ″ 2017 with 61W USB-C power supply and MacBook Pro 15 ″ 2016/2017 with 87W power supply, the latest 16 ″ MacBooks charge with a 100W power supply.

The power supplies are theoretically interchangeable (with the 87W and 100W ones intended for MacBook Pro it is possible to charge MacBooks as well) but obviously, those that supply fewer watts will take longer to charge the machine and in some cases may not even charge the battery (or do it very slowly).

Apple recommends using not only the right power supply but also the correct version of its USB-C charging cable. The original Apple cables can be recognized by the abbreviations shown on them: if the first three characters of the serial number are C4M or FL4, the cable is designed to be used with the Apple 29W USB-C power supply. three characters of the serial number are DLC or CTC, the cable must be used with Apple 61W or 87W USB-C Power Adapter.

USB-C Charging Cable: To charge your MacBook Pro, simply connect one end of the USB-C charging cable to any Thunderbolt 3 port on your MacBook Pro and the other end to the 61W power adapter (for models 13 ”MacBook Pro) or 87W (for 15” MacBook Pro models).

A standard USB-C cable offers up to 3 amps or 60W at a voltage of 20V (the maximum in USB-C). A specific USB-C cable for charging supports 5 amps or 100 W. It is essential to use quality USB-C cables. Badly made cables do not modulate the amount of current that passes from one device to another with the risk of creating irreparable damage, if not with a service repair. To avoid problems, do not use cheap generic USB-C cables and if necessary buy USB certified and guaranteed ones (usually the logo of the USB consortium is on these). Low-quality cables do not follow certain standards and do not contain components capable of limiting the current required to the device.
On Mac, you can get information about the charging device from the System Profiler. Just open the Apple menu, select “About this Mac” and click on “System Report”. From the utility in question it is possible to select (on the left) “Energy”: on the right various information appears, including details on the Power Supply and the charging device (including wattage).

Speaking of Apple’s USB-C power adapters, the good news is that newer iPhones can be charged fast using this accessory. iPhone 8 and iPhone support fast charging, which allows you to charge your device up to 50% in 30 minutes. You can use Apple USB-C Power Adapters (29W Model A1540, 61W Model A1718, or 87W Model A1719) to do this.

Apple offered up to iPhone 11 a standard 5W power supply but those who already own a MacBook with USB-C can take advantage of the computer’s power supply in combination with a USB-C to Lightning cable (one end to be connected to the USB-C port or Thunderbolt 3 on the Mac, the other on the iPhone).

To find a list of the best power supplies for iPhone and iPad alternatives to those of Apple, we refer you to this page.

The House of Cupertino explains that it is possible to combine the USB-C / Lightning cable with an Apple USB-C 29W, 61W, or 87W power supply to charge your iOS device and to use the fast charging function of iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. In practice it can be done with the power supply of any MacBook 12 “, MacBook Pro 13” – Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), MacBook Pro 15 “- with the Thunderbolt 3 port (USB-C) 21.5 ″ iMac – Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) and with the 27 ″ iMac Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port.
The original Apple USB-C charging cable with a length of 2m costs about € 25 on Amazon.

Also Read : How To Exchange Office Documents Between Mac, PC, iPad, And iPhone?