Feb 10, 2019, 10:52 am
Last edit by: cheltzel
If you want to use USB C for more than charging, then these two posts are useful: 1 2.
When planning your charger loadout, do note the charger your laptop shipped with is not a requirement, a lower one will be fine. For example, https://9to5mac.com/2018/09/25/60w-u...-all-macbooks/ says
On the other hand, most laptops are not built to use higher wattage even if available. It won't hurt your laptop, though.
Buy chargers on Amazon at your own risk, they are known to commingle stock from every third party sellers. But, the chargers here do not have fakes (yet?) so even Amazon might be safe.
The smallest USB C chargers:
Cabling wise, AmazomBasics and Monoprice is your friend. Do not use female USB C to USB A / micro USB adapters, these are explicitly forbidden by the USB C standard. Male USB C to USB A / micro USB is fine.
When planning your charger loadout, do note the charger your laptop shipped with is not a requirement, a lower one will be fine. For example, https://9to5mac.com/2018/09/25/60w-u...-all-macbooks/ says
the 87W charger filled up my 15-inch MacBook Pro battery more quickly than the 60W charger, but not by very much. After an hour and a half, the 87W charger added 76% battery while the 60W charger added 72%.
Buy chargers on Amazon at your own risk, they are known to commingle stock from every third party sellers. But, the chargers here do not have fakes (yet?) so even Amazon might be safe.
The smallest USB C chargers:
- Mu One. 45W. Comes with UK, US, EU folding plugs. 96 x 55 x 14mm, 82g with the UK plug attached. 3.78 x 2.17 x 0.55 inch, 2.89oz. Manufacturer shop, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N1PK1RP https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07N1PK1RP
- RAVPower GaN 45W : 72 x 54 x 14.9mm / 2.83 x 2.12 x 0.59inch, 75g / 2.65oz. This is a similar charger to Mu One only without the nifty plug heads. It is marginally cheaper, but without the unique multi-region folding plugs it isn't as good of an option for international travelers. Manufacturer shop, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H9WMW6N
- Innergie 60C (nee 55CC): 65W 60 x 30 x 30mm / 2.3 x 1.2 x 1.2 inch, 85g. While much thicker than the previous two, when the socket is hidden in a recess this has a much better chance to fit. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GBYVF4Q Also, a cable is available to charge legacy laptops https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GBYL5KZ only compatible with the Innergie 60C. This makes the Finsix Dart fully obsolete, it started as a legacy laptop charger and a USB C cable was planned and reviewed two years ago but never shipped.
- Satechi 75W: USB C 60W, USB C 18W, two USB A share 12W. 4" x 2.63" x 1", 11.14 oz. Manufacturer shop https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078864F15
- LVSUN LS-PD87-2C sold as Hyperjuice 87W charger: two USB C and one USB A all three share 87W. 4.33" x 3.86" x 0.79", 8.32oz Aliexpress Hyper https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KLWDY9C
- Hyperjuice battery: 27000 mAh USB C 100W, USB C 60W, USB A 18W. 7.2" x 3" x 0.84" / 183.2 x 77.1 x 21.3 mm Manufacturer shop (although it goes through indiegogo, it is not crowdfunding, it's just a shop)
- Maru & Masa Kickstarter: Maru is a 82mm/3.23" diameter bagel, 28mm/1.1" thick, 7.4oz, USB C 45W, USB C 18W, two USB A share 15W, three international AC sockets, nifty interchangeable international plugs. Masa is a battery 80 x 80 x 28 / 3.15" x 3.15" x 1.1" , 11.3oz 18000 mAh, USB C 45W, USB C 15W, Qi 7.5W, kickstand. Promised shipping: April 2019 https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...e-yet-powerful
- SuperTank & SuperPort 4 Kickstarter: SuperPort 4 is a 114 x 100 x 24 / 4.5" x 3.95" x .95" charger, weight not disclosed, USB C 100W, USB C 18W, two USB ports share 18W. SuperTank is a 27000 mAh battery w/ lots of features, 4.7" x 2.8" x 1.6", 17oz USB C 100W, USB C 60W, USB A 18W, USB A 15W all ports share 138W Promised shipping: May 2019 https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...ek-recharge-in
- AlsterPlus Kickstarter: 7.4" x 3.28" x 0.85", 20oz / 568gr, 27000mAh battery with 2 x 100W USB-C + 2x 18W USB-A, lots of features. All ports share 156W.
- Anker Atom PD4. Two USB C, two USB A all share 100W, USB A per port is 12W max. 4.1" x 3.3" x 1.3", 13.5oz. https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Chargin.../dp/B07VSMK849
- MagicFox PD180. This is a DC-DC unit, it takes 12-28V 180W via a 5.5mm x 2.5mm jack or 100W max via USB- C input and provides three ports: USB C 100W, USB C 40W, USB A 40W. Size 3.15" x 2.76" x 0.53", 3.44oz. Possible interesting AC-DC choices: Lenovo 4X20Q88542 at 135W either from Encompass with very long ship times or from Japan via Rakuten, Lenovo-to-5.5mm plug adapter here. 4.65" x 3" x .83", 15.24oz. If that's not enough Razer has a 180W which, AFAIK has the right plug. Notably light at 14.82oz, 5.98" / 152mm x 2.87" / 73mm x 0.93" / 23.5mm. The MagicFox PD180 itself is, so far, China only, I had good experiences with Superbuy as proxy so https://www.superbuy.com/en/page/buy...832086035.html While the MagicFox PD180 itself is cheap, high wattage, quality, lightweight AC-DC adapters are anything but.
Cabling wise, AmazomBasics and Monoprice is your friend. Do not use female USB C to USB A / micro USB adapters, these are explicitly forbidden by the USB C standard. Male USB C to USB A / micro USB is fine.
Outfitting your travel kit for USB-C
Jan 28, 2019, 6:01 pm
#136
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,304
Belkin does 2 USB-C, 2 USB-A all 3.0 but it isn't PD and doesn't work for displays. Peripherals only. Cord tucks in for compact storage
https://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F4U090/
I use this with a 4 USB-C port MBP so I can plug in directly: power, eth, thunderbolt 3->2, hub. Into the hub: USB-A keyboard, USB-A mouse dongle, and a USB-C yubikey. I also use it with a USB-A SD card reader & SSD enclosure with a smartphone to backup photos but need a short USB-A 3.0 extension for the SD Card reader to get it to read properly. It can be found for a decent price on eBay when people figure out it isn't for monitors or PD.
2 USB-C, 1 with PD
Kensington Nucleum PD 60W https://www.kingstongo.com/us/hub/nu...usb-type-c-hub
Anker USB 7-in-1 PD 100W
ETA: For those who need to power up to 100W via PD & 2 USB-C, 2 USB-A ports w/ 1 BC 1.2 for 1.5 A without SD/HDMI
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=34179 10G
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=34178 5G
The smallest USB-C to 2 port USB-A 3.0 hub I've found is from Moshi https://www.moshi.com/en/product/usb.../titanium-gray though I might also consider the Anker Premium 5 in 1 with ethernet & HDMI as those can be useful. No extra USB-C PD on either.
Last edited by freecia; Jan 28, 2019 at 6:26 pm
Jan 28, 2019, 7:19 pm
#137
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Bay Area
Programs: DL SM, UA MP.
Posts: 12,729
Sort of. I haven't seen a multiport USB-C which supports USB-C 4k display but have seen some for peripherals
Belkin does 2 USB-C, 2 USB-A all 3.0 but it isn't PD and doesn't work for displays. Peripherals only. Cord tucks in for compact storage
https://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F4U090/
I use this with a 4 USB-C port MBP so I can plug in directly: power, eth, thunderbolt 3->2, hub. Into the hub: USB-A keyboard, USB-A mouse dongle, and a USB-C yubikey. I also use it with a USB-A SD card reader & SSD enclosure with a smartphone to backup photos but need a short USB-A 3.0 extension for the SD Card reader to get it to read properly. It can be found for a decent price on eBay when people figure out it isn't for monitors or PD.
2 USB-C, 1 with PD
Kensington Nucleum PD 60W https://www.kingstongo.com/us/hub/nu...usb-type-c-hub
Anker USB 7-in-1 PD 100W https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HMLTCPL?_encoding=UTF8
ETA: For those who need to power up to 100W via PD & 2 USB-C, 2 USB-A ports w/ 1 BC 1.2 for 1.5 A without SD/HDMI
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=34179 10G
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=34178 5G
The smallest USB-C to 2 port USB-A 3.0 hub I've found is from Moshi https://www.moshi.com/en/product/usb.../titanium-gray though I might also consider the Anker Premium 5 in 1 with ethernet & HDMI as those can be useful. No extra USB-C PD on either.
Belkin does 2 USB-C, 2 USB-A all 3.0 but it isn't PD and doesn't work for displays. Peripherals only. Cord tucks in for compact storage
https://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F4U090/
I use this with a 4 USB-C port MBP so I can plug in directly: power, eth, thunderbolt 3->2, hub. Into the hub: USB-A keyboard, USB-A mouse dongle, and a USB-C yubikey. I also use it with a USB-A SD card reader & SSD enclosure with a smartphone to backup photos but need a short USB-A 3.0 extension for the SD Card reader to get it to read properly. It can be found for a decent price on eBay when people figure out it isn't for monitors or PD.
2 USB-C, 1 with PD
Kensington Nucleum PD 60W https://www.kingstongo.com/us/hub/nu...usb-type-c-hub
Anker USB 7-in-1 PD 100W https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HMLTCPL?_encoding=UTF8
ETA: For those who need to power up to 100W via PD & 2 USB-C, 2 USB-A ports w/ 1 BC 1.2 for 1.5 A without SD/HDMI
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=34179 10G
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=34178 5G
The smallest USB-C to 2 port USB-A 3.0 hub I've found is from Moshi https://www.moshi.com/en/product/usb.../titanium-gray though I might also consider the Anker Premium 5 in 1 with ethernet & HDMI as those can be useful. No extra USB-C PD on either.
as it turns out, there is a roundup of hubs, including some high end ones.
but they tested speed throughputs so their picks may be worth trying out.
https://arstechnica.com/features/201...d-usb-c-docks/
Feb 2, 2019, 11:07 am
#138
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: FLL/MIA
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 138
Thought you all may find this interesting:
'There’s also a lot to look forward to: if today’s silicon USB-C chargers are any indication, better GaN chargers could bring things like more ports, higher wattages, and different form factors. Anker has already announced a few, with a 60W, two USB-C port PowerPort Atom PD 2 charger and a 100W four port (two USB-C and two USB Type-A) PowerPort Atom PD 4 charger planned for later this year. '
from:
https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/1/30/18203879/gan-chargers-anker-powerport-atom-pd-1-ravpower-45w
'There’s also a lot to look forward to: if today’s silicon USB-C chargers are any indication, better GaN chargers could bring things like more ports, higher wattages, and different form factors. Anker has already announced a few, with a 60W, two USB-C port PowerPort Atom PD 2 charger and a 100W four port (two USB-C and two USB Type-A) PowerPort Atom PD 4 charger planned for later this year. '
from:
https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/1/30/18203879/gan-chargers-anker-powerport-atom-pd-1-ravpower-45w
Feb 5, 2019, 3:02 pm
#139
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,304
Anker Atom PowerPort PD 4 100W GaN charger with 2 x USB-C, 2 x USB-A is coming. Seems heavy at 13 oz? PowerPort Atom 1 30W is 1.9 oz... If you don't need to charge a larger laptop while running, the Satechi 60W PD + 18W PD USB-C + 2 USB-A might be a better option for 7.5oz https://satechi.net/products/75w-dua...travel-charger
Spotted here: https://old.reddit.com/r/anker/comme...zr&sh=1a3f9f37
Spotted here: https://old.reddit.com/r/anker/comme...zr&sh=1a3f9f37
Feb 10, 2019, 12:53 am
#140
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: YVR
Programs: Aeroplan, AAdvantage
Posts: 2,100
There are a few dual USB C PD chargers and batteries now. Let's sum them up, this will be fun.
Some of these units are somewhat pointless as multiple Mu One or Innergie 60C chargers will be physically smaller and lighter, provide more power and more versatility. Biggest drawback, of course, is the price for this solution and the necessity for multiple AC plugs, however Sanwa has things like the TAP-AC10BK/TAP AC-5BK which solve this problem again in a very slim and compact way (or even the Sanwa RW47 aka Road Warrior Universal Power Strip). The lack of USB A is easily remedied with a
When planning your charger loadout, do note the charger your laptop shipped with is not a requirement, a lower one will be fine. For example, https://9to5mac.com/2018/09/25/60w-u...-all-macbooks/ says
On the other hand, most laptops are not built to use a higher wattage even if that's available.
I myself backed Maru & Masa and also backed and already got the Mu One (which has proven to be even better than planned because it apparently supports 12V).
- Satechi 75W: USB C 60W, USB C 18W, two USB A share 12W. 4" x 2.63" x 1", 11.14 oz.
- LVSUN LS-PD87-2C sold as Hyperjuice 87W: two USB C and one USB A all share 87W. 4.33" x 3.86" x 0.79", 8.32oz
- Maru & Masa Kickstarter: Maru is a 82mm/3.23" diameter bagel, 28mm/1.1" thick, 7.4oz, USB C 45W, USB C 18W, two USB A share 15W, three international AC plugs. Masa is a battery 80 x 80 x 28 / 3.15" x 3.15" x 1.1" , 11.3oz 18000 mAh, USB C 45W, USB C 15W, Qi 7.5W, kickstand.
- SuperTank & SuperPort 4 Kickstarter: SuperPort 4 is a 114 x 100 x 24 / 4.5" x 3.95" x .95" charger, weight not disclosed, USB C 100W, USB C 18W, two USB ports share 18W. SuperTank is a 27000 mAh battery w/ lots of features, 4.7" x 2.8" x 1.6", 17oz USB C 100W, USB C 60W, USB A 18W, USB A 15W but all ports are 138W max.
- Anker Atom PD4. Two USB C, two USB A all share 100W, USB A per port is 12W max. 4.1" x 3.3" x 1.3", 13.5oz.
- MagicFox PD180. This is a DC-DC unit, it takes 12-28V 180W via a 5.5mm x 2.5mm jack or 100W max via USB- C input and provides three ports: USB C 100W, USB C 40W, USB A 40W. Size 3.15" x 2.76" x 0.53", 3.44oz. Possible interesting AC-DC choices: Lenovo 4X20Q88542 at 135W (from Japan, search Rakuten for it), Lenovo-to-5.5mm plug adapter here 135W is enough for charging a Macbook Pro and an iPhone at top speed with 18W to spare for the USB A port (ordinary USB A tops out at 5W 2.4A = 12W). 4.65" x 3" x .83", 15.24oz. If that's not enough Razer has a 180W which, AFAIK has the right plug and at 14.82oz it almost defies the laws of physics. The MagicFox PD180 itself is, so far, China only, I had good experiences with Superbuy as proxy so https://www.superbuy.com/en/page/buy?nTag=Home-search&from=search-input&url=https%3A%2F%2Fitem.jd.com%2F36832086035. html While the MagicFox PD180 itself is cheap, high wattage, quality, lightweight AC-DC adapters are anything but.
Some of these units are somewhat pointless as multiple Mu One or Innergie 60C chargers will be physically smaller and lighter, provide more power and more versatility. Biggest drawback, of course, is the price for this solution and the necessity for multiple AC plugs, however Sanwa has things like the TAP-AC10BK/TAP AC-5BK which solve this problem again in a very slim and compact way (or even the Sanwa RW47 aka Road Warrior Universal Power Strip). The lack of USB A is easily remedied with a
When planning your charger loadout, do note the charger your laptop shipped with is not a requirement, a lower one will be fine. For example, https://9to5mac.com/2018/09/25/60w-u...-all-macbooks/ says
the 87W charger filled up my 15-inch MacBook Pro battery more quickly than the 60W charger, but not by very much. After an hour and a half, the 87W charger added 76% battery while the 60W charger added 72%.
I myself backed Maru & Masa and also backed and already got the Mu One (which has proven to be even better than planned because it apparently supports 12V).
Last edited by chx1975; Feb 10, 2019 at 2:00 am
Mar 25, 2019, 9:28 am
#144
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Cleveland, OH
Programs: UA-GS 1MM), Hertz Pres Circle, Starriott Titanium)
Posts: 1,966
Question for the brain trust. I saw in the WIKI that the Ravpower GAN PD 45w charger isn’t recomended. Why is this? Is there a problem with the unit? Or is the non-recommend purely out of spite as it is similar to the Kickstarter unit?
Mar 25, 2019, 7:54 pm
#145
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: YVR
Programs: Aeroplan, AAdvantage
Posts: 2,100
Spite? You mean trying to protect real innovative small companies from Chinese blatant knockoffs these days is called "spite"? https://images.indiegogo.com/file_at...jpg?1423051721 here you can see some of the early timeline. It all started with a folding UK plug ten years ago... I wrote the wiki and stand by it. Hurray for innovation! Shame on the sniveling governments allowing China to get away with blatant IP theft!
And yes, I am aware Navitas provided both of them with the platform https://www.ganfast.com/products/ but this doesn't change the facts above. Like, why it's 14mm? Because the Mu Plug is 14mm...
And yes, I am aware Navitas provided both of them with the platform https://www.ganfast.com/products/ but this doesn't change the facts above. Like, why it's 14mm? Because the Mu Plug is 14mm...
Last edited by chx1975; Mar 25, 2019 at 8:00 pm
Mar 25, 2019, 9:19 pm
#146
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Cleveland, OH
Programs: UA-GS 1MM), Hertz Pres Circle, Starriott Titanium)
Posts: 1,966
Spite? You mean trying to protect real innovative small companies from Chinese blatant knockoffs these days is called "spite"? https://images.indiegogo.com/file_at...jpg?1423051721 here you can see some of the early timeline. It all started with a folding UK plug ten years ago... I wrote the wiki and stand by it. Hurray for innovation! Shame on the sniveling governments allowing China to get away with blatant IP theft!
And yes, I am aware Navitas provided both of them with the platform https://www.ganfast.com/products/ but this doesn't change the facts above. Like, why it's 14mm? Because the Mu Plug is 14mm...
And yes, I am aware Navitas provided both of them with the platform https://www.ganfast.com/products/ but this doesn't change the facts above. Like, why it's 14mm? Because the Mu Plug is 14mm...
Firstly. The Ravpower plug is 15mm thick.
Secondly, the two products have Only 2 things in common:
1. They feature the same GAN charging technology. You can’t claim “IP theft” when Ravpower LEGALLY licensed the tech from the same provider that MU did.
2. Folding plugs. The Ravpower uses the standard/ commonly found folding american plugs that every single travel device I’ve had since 1981 has. The MU, is more of a “univeral” adapter concept with removeable plugs... something the Ravpower doesn’t have, nor does Ravpower’s device claim to be a universal plug adapter (Which is MU’s claim to fame).
---
Next,
I took a look at the indigogo and the timeline you’ve provided, and it looks like Mu’s claim to fame is their innovative approach to folding prongs for a charger. The timeline has NOTHING to do with GAN based USB C- PD charging technology as you rightly pointed out was licensed to multiple vendors by Navitas... MU wasn’t even the first one.
Heck even they only claim they are the world’s thinest “UNIVERSAL” charger. Ravpower’s unit is a US only spec,
Sorry, but I really feel like you are grasping @ straws here. But to each his own. Just ordered 2 of the Ravpower Units because I have no need for the innovative prongs. Furthermore, I’ve used tons of Ravpower PD chargers including their fantastic battery pack and their other wall chargers. I’ve found them to be market leading and on par (quality wise) with Aukey etc. It is VERY disingenuous IMO to imply they are some “IP stealing” chinese copycat company.
If anything all three companies “stole” the idea of a tiny laptop charger from DART https://store.finsix.com/
Anyway, I’d respectfully request you edit the fantastic Wiki you wrote to make it clear as to why you don’t recommend the Ravpower unit. The current text makes it read like quality or safety issue rather than a personal opinion.
Last edited by LordHamster; Apr 9, 2019 at 9:21 am Reason: Added Note about the thickness of the ravpower.
Mar 27, 2019, 11:51 am
#148
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Denver, CO
Programs: UA Silver, Bonvoy Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 21,540
If anything all three companies “stole” the idea of a tiny laptop charger from DART https://store.finsix.com/
I love my Dart chargers; unfortunately, you can pretty much consider them shut down. I bought four on major clearance from Staples over a year ago in hopes they would be able to manufacture more USB-C cables. I still have two unopened packages. Their Facebook page has been inactive for almost two years now.
I see some tiny 65W USB-C chargers on Amazon, but they always give me pause due to questionable quality and fake reviews.
Mar 27, 2019, 11:46 pm
#149
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: YVR
Programs: Aeroplan, AAdvantage
Posts: 2,100
Yes, the first Dart C review was over two years ago and it never shipped with the Inergie 60C replacing them in that physical format. Also, the Zolt disappeared too. Apparently, SiC came and went and GaN, as improbable and vapourware-y it seemed a few years last year came to market very solidly and shows every sign of healthy progress with initial reports of 1200V MOSFETs happening.
Last edited by chx1975; Mar 27, 2019 at 11:57 pm
Mar 31, 2019, 9:05 am
#150
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Cleveland, OH
Programs: UA-GS 1MM), Hertz Pres Circle, Starriott Titanium)
Posts: 1,966
Just got back from Costa Rica, and my Amazon order of two RavPower GaN chargers had arrived. They are super light and thin. I also received the Anker Atom I ordered, which is also quite small, but the cube shape with non-foldable prongs makes it less "travel friendly."
Anyway, I decided to test the Ravpower units with my Macbook Pro 15" model. I hooked it up, and let the laptop play youtube videos continuously for 3 hours. I never dipped under 100%. So fo me, this will work quite well. If it can keep the laptop at steady charge while i'm using it, and charge it while I'm not... it is plenty good for me. I've thrown both units into my goruck gr1 now to replace the old Nekteck (60W PD + 3 USB A) unit I carried before.
My travel kit now consists of:
Stock images showing the second receptacle this extension adds.
Edit: The Anker Atom PD1 did a fantastic job of fast charging my iPad Pro and my iPhone XS, but it could not keep up with the 15” macbook pro playing youtube videos. I let it run for 1 hour and it lost 4% while plugged into the Anker Atom. Which is to be expected as the anker unit is only 30W.
Anyway, I decided to test the Ravpower units with my Macbook Pro 15" model. I hooked it up, and let the laptop play youtube videos continuously for 3 hours. I never dipped under 100%. So fo me, this will work quite well. If it can keep the laptop at steady charge while i'm using it, and charge it while I'm not... it is plenty good for me. I've thrown both units into my goruck gr1 now to replace the old Nekteck (60W PD + 3 USB A) unit I carried before.
My travel kit now consists of:
- 2 RavPower GaN 45W chargers (I could probably get away with just 1, but I don't like traveling without a backup unit of some sort)
- 1 USB C to USB C cable
- 2 USB C to Lightning Cables (1m and 2m respectively)
- 1 Ravpower Battery Back (USB C + 2 USB A ports) - Can use this to charge my USB A based Bose headphones
- 1 USB C hub (HDMI, 3x USB A, Ethernet)
- Kikkerland Universal Power Adapter
- 6 Inch Extension cord
Stock images showing the second receptacle this extension adds.
Edit: The Anker Atom PD1 did a fantastic job of fast charging my iPad Pro and my iPhone XS, but it could not keep up with the 15” macbook pro playing youtube videos. I let it run for 1 hour and it lost 4% while plugged into the Anker Atom. Which is to be expected as the anker unit is only 30W.
Last edited by LordHamster; Mar 31, 2019 at 5:34 pm