High-Powered USB-C Chargers that can Fully Charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro are Now Available

Here are a few possibilities if you need a charger other than Apple's.

The 16-inch models of the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pros that Apple announced last year included a new type of USB-C charger that can supply up to 140W of power to the MagSafe 3 connector. That's because Apple's largest MacBook Pro charger complies with the USB PD 3.1 protocol, which exceeds the previous USB-C port's 100W power limit.

Although the USB Promoter Group released the most recent Power Delivery specification in May of last year, accessory producers are only now releasing products that support it. It's also about time, since 16-inch MacBook Pro owners who rely on fast charging have been forced to utilize the non-travel-friendly brick that comes with the device that has just one USB-C connector. You can now buy ones with numerous ports, allowing you the choice to share all that power with the MacBook Pro as well as a phone, tablet, or even another laptop.

Although we haven't tested them yet, two USB PD 3.1 multiport charger options costing $129.99 and $149.99, respectively, are the HyperJuice 140W and the Ugreen Nexode 140W. Both of these chargers include two USB-C ports and one USB-A port for greater versatility, however they only offer a combined maximum power of 140W from one port and a maximum power of 100W from the other. The Nexode and Hyper each have a maximum output of 22.5 and 30 W for USB-A ports, respectively.

Even though the Nexode costs $20 more than the HyperJuice, they appear to be similar goods on the surface, but when you connect in more devices, they function very differently. For instance, the HyperJuice may give up to 100W to the first device but only 20W to the second if you connect in two laptops. However, the Nexode will distribute the power equally, providing up to 65W of electricity to each laptop.

When using all three ports, the HyperJuice will continue to output 100W from the first port but will now share a meagre 20W pool with the USB-A and second USB-C ports. That's acceptable if your secondary and tertiary devices are lower-power tablets, phones, or accessories, but if you're using an old Apple Watch charger and an iPhone MagSafe charging puck, like I do, your iPhone might not be able to fast charge wirelessly.

The charger made by Ugreen divides the joules in three distinct ways: 65W goes to the USB-C port, 45W goes to the second port, and up to 22.5W goes out of the USB-A port. The HyperJuice option can be preferable if your main laptop consumes more power despite the fact that this split is undoubtedly more adaptable.

Like Apple, Anker also produces a 140W USB PD 3.1 charger, although it only has one USB-C connector. The Anker 717 costs $100, which is the same price as the official one from an Apple store, but even while it doesn't employ the company's marginally more efficient GaNPrime tech, it is at least a little bit more compact. The PowerCore 24K portable battery bank from Anker is another option. It can draw up to 140W of power from its cells, but it cannot be plugged into a wall or draw AC power on its own.

The era of small, multiport chargers is just getting started. Only if there are more devices that need the power will they continue to get smaller and more powerful. The USB-C PD 3.1 specification, version 2.1, can handle up to 240W of power, so perhaps the next devices to exceed that limit will be power-hungry gaming laptops.