USB Type-C Power Upgraded To 240W; Might Soon Replace Your Laptop Charger

Though most smartphones and thin-and-light laptops now come with a USB Type-C port for charging, most of the high-performance laptops still use proprietory charging connectors, where, each brand has its own charging pin. This is because of the fact that USB Type-C won't be able to handle more than 100W of power.

Thanks to the new USB standards, where, they have finally approved USB Type-C with up to 240W of power delivery. Do note that, not all USB Type-C cables can deliver this sort of power, and only specially designed cables will be able to do so.

According to the latest standards set by USB Implementers Forum, the new USB Type-C standard, capable of delivering up to 240W of power will be known as Extended Power Range (EPR) and products with EPR is likely to hit the market by the end of 2021. This update is a part of USB PD Version 3.1 and is backward compatible.

USB PD Version 3.1 New Specifications

A 100W USB Type-C charger uses 20V and 5A current, while the 240W USB Type-C cable can deliver up to 48V of voltage, again with 5A of current. It is also important to note that a 240W USB-PD charger can be used with devices rated for 100W or above and is not advisable to be used with products that require less than 100W of power.

Hence, a 240W rated USB Type-C charger should be able to deliver 100W, 140W, 180W, and even 240W of power. Hence, a single charger should be capable of charging multiple products, especially those, which are designed to work with USB-PD certified chargers.

Use Cases Of 240W USB Type-C Charger

Most gaming laptops require more than 150W of power, and they come with a proprietary charging connector pin. With USB PD version 3.1, laptop makers can easily incorporate a compact USB PD charger, especially if they are incorporating gallium nitride technology, which brings down the size of the charger to a huge extent. This means the next-generation gaming laptops with the top-tier CPU and the top-tier GPU are likely to come with a USB Type-C charger rather than a proprietary connector pin.