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by nextaccountic 1142 days ago
What about laptops that charge from USB-C?
1 comments

They generally use PD which they negotiate up to 20V. Theoretically they should also charge off lower voltages as well, not sure if they bother.
My macbook charges on 9V phone chargers. Slooowly.
I love the “new” MagSafe charger on my MacBook Air but also love that I can grab a charge from any random USB-C charger and cable if I need to. I regularly charge from a little 18w charger that I use for my phone.

It’s enough to keep the thing going without draining the battery and will charge it overnight fully. It’s pretty great having the option.

USB-C has been great, I now daily carry a 30w pd charger that's basically the same size as those old 5w iphone ones. Works great as a fallback option in a pinch.
You can even charge a MacBook from another MacBook if you happen to find yourself in a situation where you forgot the power adapter but not a USB-C cable.
How do the devices negotiate who gives the charge and who gets charged? I’ve never tried it - I imagined it wont work at all!
I have no idea, but the device that was plugged into mains power was very happy to pass some of it on to my laptop.