My MagSafe needs to last another month. What’s the over/under? — Seth Weintraub (@llsethj) So what to do? Typically I’d buy a new. But clearly Apple has some redesigned coming and they will likely be charged via USB-C, at least in some cases. So that means I only need MagSafe to power this 2013 MacBook Pro for at least a few more weeks before it gets relegated to backup machine, kid’s computer or sold off when I get Apple’s new OLED/USB-C creation. So I thought I’d get a little creative and save a few bucks at the same time. As I was looking for options on Amazon, I came across an interesting product: The.
For less than half the price of a this includes 5 USB ports and gets solid 4.3/5 star reviews. What the heck, I’ll give it a try. A week in, all is well.
It shipped quick in easy to open packaging and the product feels solid. My 2013 15″ Retina MacBook Pro charges just as fast as it did with the Apple MagSafe 2 adapter and I’m able to keep a number of USB devices plugged at the same time or when my MacBook isn’t around. Keep in mind that this thing only directs 4.5A of power to the USB section which means even though this thing has 5 ports, you will only be able to fast charge (2A) about 2 USB devices at a time. The MacBook charger which plugs in via a dedicated 4.5A x 19V = 85.5W port doesn’t slow down and is on a different circuit from the USB ports. It has worked well so far.
L Replacement 60w Charger Adapter With Usb Port For Macbook Pro
When you charge a bunch of things, like the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro at the same time (image below), things get a little warm – but if I recall not any warmer than the power adapter it replaced. For me, this is just to tide me over for a few months while I wait for Apple’s new MacBook Pros, but I could see using this as a secondary or travel MagSafe Adapter. The catch is that obviously this isn’t an Apple approved MagSafe implementation and therefore I must add that this could burn your neighborhood down or something. Originally Apple protected its MagSafe products pretty vigorously even though it is a dumb charging port standard, unlike Lightning for example. Apple even went so far as to sue battery maker Hyper for making a MagSafe battery which forced them into a complicated workaround (interestingly, the MagSafe cable included here works with the excellent Hyperjuice batteries!).
Lately however, tons of Magsafe adapters have been showing up on Amazon and elsewhere. It isn’t clear why Apple has stopped threatening all of these unlicensed third party makers of MagSafe power adapters, but perhaps. That would be a shame because the technology has saved a few of my Macs from being thrown onto the floor. To summarize: Yes, this is an awesome solution for charging not just a MacBook Pro but a bunch of USB things like iPads and iPhones, but maybe you shouldn’t buy it because Apple might be getting rid of MagSafe and it isn’t “MagSafe Compliant” – nothing not made by Apple is. If these are indeed the last days of MagSafe, I’m going out in style with this.
Apple’s will juice up all MacBook and MacBook Pro models at full speed. But notably, it’s the device that determines the amount of power to draw, with the number on the charger itself just representing the maximum output. That’s why it’s safe to use Apple’s 30W, 61W,. I thought it would interesting to see how a more affordable and versatile option like ( $38 with exclusive deal below) stacks up against Apple’s 87W charger that’s priced at $80. Even if just as a backup charger, could it be the best option for any MacBook? 60W charger vs. 87W charger Because charging times aren’t as important when you’re not using your MacBook, all tests were done during normal work days here at 9to5Mac on my 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro running macOS High Sierra.
That includes eleven open apps, Safari with 4-6 tabs open at a time, TweetDeck with streaming on, and brightness set to 75%. I used to measure output and started the clock with the battery at 10% for all tests. This power meter is limited to measuring up to 65W, but it was only used to spot check output. As shown below, in my testing, even the 87W Apple charger and original Apple USB-C cable didn’t output over 60W.
MacBook Pro Charger, Satauko Mac Charger 60w Magsafe Power Adapter Cord with L-Tip, MacBook Charger 60w Replacement for MacBook Pro/Air 13 Inch (Mid2012 Before). Magsafe L-tip Power Adaptor Charger Replacement with 2-Port USB for Apple Mac Book Air 11 inch and 13 inch 4.0 out of 5 stars 9. Buy USB Type-C 60W Laptop Adapter, 2-Port AC Power Charger for Apple MacBook Pro 2015/2016, HP Spectre, Chromebook, Galaxy iPhone iPad at Walmart.com. Auto Replacement Parts. USB Type-C 60W Laptop Adapter, 2-Port AC Power Charger for Apple MacBook Pro 2015/2016, HP Spectre, Chromebook, Galaxy iPhone iPad.
The results below are the average of two tests for both the Aukey 60W charger and Apple 87W charger. As you can see, 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%. When plugging in with battery at 10% here’s a look at the power output of the two chargers: In my testing, Apple’s 87W charger put out around 57W. Of course this number isn’t static, but it was interesting to see my 15-inch MacBook Pro requesting less than 60W while in use. The r put out around the same 57W, for the most part keeping up with the 87W power adapter.
But of course, after an hour and a half the 87W charger offered 4% more battery, meaning the average output was a bit higher than the 60W charger, but was still lower than I expected. Both the 60W and 87W chargers were outputting around 40W of juice after 90 minutes. Variables and considerations As with results from tests like this go, your mileage may vary. I’m by no means a power user, but my MacBook still handles a decent workload. For those regularly working with 4K video, doing 3D modeling and rendering, crunching big data sets, or other similar intense tasks, the 87W charger should offer greater output with the 15-inch MacBook Pro models than shown in my testing, and be the best fit. Conclusion For 12-inch MacBook or 13-inch MacBook Pro users, I think is a great alternative to Apple’s charger, whether that’s as a replacement or as a backup option. For 15-inch MacBook Pro owners, if you’re not a power-user, it’s also likely a solid choice.
In addition to being $20 less than Apple’s 61W option and $30 less than the 87W charger, you also get another 12W of output from two standard USB ports with ($38 through this weekend).