One of the underrated features of the new MacBook Pro is its charging capabilities. In addition to bringing back the magnetic MagSafe charger, Apple also introduced fast charging for the first time on a Mac. According to Apple, you’ll be able to fill up 50 percent of the battery in 30 minutes, which would theoretically deliver more than 10 hours of use on the 16-inch MacBook Pro.
But to get that ultra-fast charging on the 16-inch MacBook Pro, you’ll need to use MagSafe. Apple confirmed to the Verge that while fast charging is available over Thunderbolt on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, you’ll need to use both the MagSafe-to-USB-C cable and the bundled 140-watt power adapter for the 16-inch model.
While you can charge the laptop using any of the ports, charging will be slower due to Thunderbolt 4 topping out at 100W. That’s not the case with the 14-inch model since fast charging is enabled with the 96W power adapter due to the smaller battery (70-watt-hour vs 100-watt-hour).
However, the 140W power adapter that ships with the 16-inch MacBook Pro will be able to fast charge other things. The Verge reports that the charger is USB-C PD 3.1 compliant so it’ll be able to charge laptops, tablets, and phones using the same power delivery standard. It’s also Apple’s first gallium nitride charger, which allows higher speeds in smaller sizes. Apple hasn’t listed dimensions for the new charger, but it’s likely that it’s similar in size to the previous 96W charger Apple provided with the Intel-based 16-inch MacBook Pro.
While we wait for more 140W charging options, you can find out more about the best 16-inch MacBook chargers in our reviews roundup.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor
Michael Simon has been covering Apple since the iPod was the iWalk. His obsession with technology goes back to his first PC—the IBM Thinkpad with the lift-up keyboard for swapping out the drive. He's still waiting for that to come back in style tbh.