When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn't affect our editorial independence.
If you’re wondering why your laptop will happily charge from some USB plugs but not others, the answer is found in the confusing world of USB Power Delivery (USB PD). Fear not, we’ve rounded up some great examples of USB laptop chargers that will actually work, and which you can buy right now. Power Adapter PD120W Foldable GaN Charger
It’s not quite as simple as searching for a charger with Power Delivery support, however. While some smaller laptops will charge from a 30W adaptor, others require significantly more power. The USB PD specification maxes out at 240W, but accessory speeds can vary, and we’ve found charging accessories that operate as low as 18W and as high as 200W. To find a compatible device you really need to know what is required by your particular model of laptop.
Later in this article we discuss how much power your laptop requires, but as a standard guide, 30-45W will be sufficient for a small laptop, 65W for mid-sized and 90W for most larger laptops. Top-end laptops can support 140W chargers, so look for the right wattage when choosing a laptop charger.
If you’re looking to fast-charge a smartphone that promises charging of, say, 65W, do note that many third-party USB PD chargers will not support protocols such as PPS (Programmable Power Supply) or SCP (Super Charge Protocol) that is required by proprietary fast-charging standards. You can expect 18W charging from such devices, regardless of the theoretical output of the USB-C port.
While there are undoubtedly cheaper chargers out there, picking a trusted or premium brand may reduce the safety risks associated with overheating. Some of our favorites include Anker, Ugreen, Satechi, Hyper and Syncwire.
With 65W potential, this ultra-compact USB-C wall charger can power most mid-sized laptops, although larger notebooks may require a more powerful 100W charger.
It has two USB-C PD ports, and when using both it can power at 45W and 20W so could fast-charge your phone while keeping a laptop ticking. It supports Power Delivery 3.0, PPS, and Quick Charge 3.0 so is speed-ready for most devices. Owners of phones with an old-style USB-A charging cable may need to buy a new cable with USB-C at one end.
It’s also competitively priced for a 65W charger, supports international voltages and, because it uses GaN tech, it’s a diddy little thing for such a powerful device, especially the UK version.
Unless you need additional USB ports or 100W, we really can’t see how you’d be better served by another Power Delivery charger—although the Acefast GaN Smart PD Charger Hub, reviewed later, includes an integrated mini USB and HDMI hub, although at a higher price.
This UGreen device is a powerful 100W laptop charger.
The UK three-pin model, which has a different design to those available in the US and EU—necessarily so, because the elongated design and sheer weight (268g for the UK model) of this thing would likely have trouble staying attached to the wall without that third prong to steady itself. The 8.29oz (235g) US model has a taller, more rectangular design, with folding plugs to make them more compact for travel, but the core specs are otherwise the same.
We like the design, and it feels much better made than some cheap plasticky chargers. There are no angular edges here, with every line smoothed out and rounded to soften its appearance. The outer casing is a matte gun-metal grey, and all the necessary tech specs are hidden out of sight where the adaptor plugs into the wall. It’s not overly bulky, despite its weight, thanks to the GaN tech inside.
But it’s really not about what it looks like; it’s about what it does—and this UGreen GAN X 100W adaptor has some serious power behind it.
There are four USB ports in all—three USB-C and one full-size USB-A—two of which support a 100W output, with the other two rated at 22.5W. There’s a maximum power output of 100W, which means when you use more than one port the power rating will be reduced, but it’s still possible to get up to 65W on either of those two 100W USB-Cs.
This UGreen adaptor supports multiple charging protocols, including Power Delivery 2.0 and 3.0, Quick Charge 4+ and PPS, and it will work with pretty much any device that charges over USB.
Note that you can purchase this adaptor with or without a USB-C cable. If you are buying one separately or providing your own, you’ll need to make sure it is capable of carrying up to 100W.
Anker is perhaps one of the best-known names in charging tech, and this single-port PD charger is attractive to us for several reasons.
Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology has made chargers a fraction of the size of silicon-based models only a couple of years old, and once considered small themselves.
Anker’s new Nano II chargers utilise next-generation GaN II tech that transmits energy more efficiently and operates at twice the frequency of the first generation of GaN—making these chargers even smaller.
We haven’t seen PD chargers this small before. They are tiny—about the size of Apple’s weedy 5W iPhone charger but over 10x more powerful. The 65W Nano II charger weighs just 132g and comes in at 41.7-x-36-x-44mm. The US version features neat foldable pins.
Moreover, they support not only Power Delivery, Quick Charge and Anker’s own PowerIQ smart charging, but also PPS. This means it stands out among other third-party adaptors in its ability to fast-charge smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S20 that require the Super Fast Charging protocol for their proprietary charging standards.
On the downside, there is only one output, which means you can charge only one device at a time and it’ll need to support USB-C.
There are also smaller, cheaper 30W and 45W options are available in the US and UK Anker stores.
This compact 30W Power Delivery charger from Ugreen keeps things simple with a single USB-C output for charging your phone, tablet or—potentially—laptop.
It’s worth pointing out that 30W is not enough to charge all laptops, so do check your spec to see if it’s appropriate before you buy. It should be plenty for a 13-inch MacBook Air, but not some of the larger, more powerful laptops.
If it’s powerful enough for your needs, this is a really appealing device—significantly more affordable than other devices in our round-up, and thanks to GaN tech it has a sleek, compact design that is easily portable.
Both the U.S. and U.K. models feature folding plug prongs.
Some modern large laptops support chargers rated at higher than 100W, which was the maximum for PD 3.0. PD 3.1 can support up to 240W but at the moment 140W is the sweet spot.
Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro is one such laptop, and can fast-charge using Apple’s own 140W charger. Sadly, Apple blocks third-party chargers from fast-charging using even certified PD 3.1 cables, favoring its own USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable.
But third-party chargers such as Ugreen’s Nexode 140W charger are better than what you get with the laptop as they boast multiple ports and are often also smaller. This one has two USB-C ports (one at 140W and the other at 100W) and a USB-A at 22.5W for smaller devices. The maximum output is 140W, so using more ports will spread that power between devices.
The OneWorld 65 looks like any international adapter but boasts a built-in 65W PD Charger and can charge up to six devices simultaneously.
Built with the latest Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology that packs in all the required electronics in a tiny package without overheating, it’s only a little bigger than a standard pin-sliding travel adapter.
It features one side-mounted 65W USB-C PD port, one 20W USB-C PD port , another USB-C charging port and two USB-A charging ports. Quick Charge and PPS are supported for phone fast charging.
Maximum power output is 65W so if you are charging a mid-sized laptop in full use, there won’t be much spare juice for the other devices. However, if the laptop is just having a battery top-up, there should be enough power to be spread about.
What’s handy is that in addition to all these USB ports you can also use this as a travel adapter. Sliding connectors will fit into US, European, Australian/Chinese and British wall sockets so covering over 200 countries, and you can plug a similar range of plugs into the OneWorld 65 from the other side.
Now, as with all travel adapters, you just have to remember to pack it on your next trip rather than realise you’ve left it at home as soon as you get to the airport or hotel.
International pricing at the OneAdaptr store is calculated on current US $ rate at time of purchase so prices may vary to our stated cost at the time of writing.
Alogic’s Rapid Power 67W Multi-Country GaN Charger is interesting for two key reasons: first, it has three outputs (one 67W USB-C PD, plus another USB-C and a USB-A port that can share 15W between them; maximum charging of all three is 67W), which makes it versatile; and, second, supplied in the box are interchangeable plugs for the UK, Europe, and AU that fit over the built-in US plug, making it an excellent travel charger.
Using all three ports at the same time, reduces the main USB-C port to 47W and the other two ports to share the 15W.
This is another GaN charger, which means it is delightfully small (5cm long and weighing just 110g) for a device that is potentially going to be consuming suitcase room. Even better, it comes in a rather lovely fabric hard-shell travel case with a moulded-foam interior that fits all the plugs and the included braided USB-C cable, with a little extra space available for more cables or other tech gear.
This USB-C charger has something special hidden up its sleeve: it’s also a mini USB hub with USB-C (60W to device), 10Gbps / 5W USB-A and a 60Hz 4K HDMI port. The inclusion of the fast 10Gbps USB-C makes the 4K at 60Hz possible, compared to more basic 5Gbps versions.
If you just want to charge your laptop, Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck and connect to an external display—be it monitor or TV—then this charger may be all you need. In this way, it beats the other charge-only devices reviewed here.
It’s available in both black and white, but sadly there’s no Type G plug (UK) version available yet.
This is a slightly different breed of charger than those we’ve discussed so far in this group test, and is what we call a desktop charger. Rather than hugging the power socket, it has a 2m extension cable that lets you plug it into the wall but bring the USB outputs themselves up to a more accessible area on the desk.
The Ugreen Nexode 200W USB-C charger allows you to charge six devices at the same time, and so avoid having to plug in multiple chargers for the task and free up space on your desktop. While it’s too heavy to be truly portable, it is a super-compact size for so many ports.
Boasting four USB-C ports and two USB-A, it can supply up to 200W of power (maximum 100W per port as it’s PD 3.0), and therefore could charge three mid-sized laptops, a couple of phones, and your headphones simultaneously.
The charging options are too numerous to list here, but with six devces charging at the same time, you could have one at 65W, two at 45W, one at 20W, and the two USB-A ports sharing 20W.
It is compatible with both iPhone and Samsung Fast Charging.
Like the Ugreen Nexode 200W USB-C charger, this desktop charger boasts six PD ports. Unlike that one, all the ports on the Satechi are USB-C.
The top two ports are USB-C PD 3.1, so can power at up to 140W. The other four ports support USB-C PD 3.0, with a maximum 100W.
When all six ports are used at the same time, the port hierarchy is 65W/45W/20W/20W/20W/20W.
The charger supports PD 3.1/3.0, QC 4.0+, and PPS.
It can rest on its flat base or sit in the included stand if you prefer a vertical orientation.
This is a monster desktop charger that can pump out 300W via a mix of USB-C and USB-A ports, but it’s surprisingly compact—about the same size as the Satechi 200W desktop charger—with no need for an external power supply.
While the Satechi desktop charger reviewed above has two 140W ports it is still limited to 200W total output. This charger can supply 140W of power to a large laptop, plus 100W to another and still have enough power for a mid-sized laptop or a bunch of tablets and phones.
If you choose to use all the ports, the power is distributed as follows: 140/65/45/20/22.5W.
This desktop charger from Nektek has a shorter (1m) extension cable than the Ugreen Nexode desktop charger, and it has some limitations but it does offer great value for money.
It has four USB outputs in all, making it an ideal device if you have multiple devices to charge. However, not if you have multiple laptops to charge…
There are one 65W USB-C Port, one 30W USB-C port and two 12W USB A ports for simultaneous charging of laptop, tablet, phones and other devices. Four of these five ports are full-size USB-As, rated at 12W. The device’s maximum output with all ports in use is 107W, which means you can’t run them all at full power at once.
Yet we are drawn to the versatility of this desktop charger, with its 65W output enough for most mid-sized laptops. We’re impressed to find a 100W USB-C cable is provided in the box, as this will be required to fully utilise that output.
Sadly, this particular model is not currently available in the UK, where we would recommend the Satechi 108W Dual USB-C PD Charger (see below) or more powerful Satechi 108W Pro USB-C PD Desktop Charger.
This Satechi’s desktop charger has two USB-C Power Delivery ports and two USB-A ports—especially useful if you’re travelling with more than one power-hungry USB-C device or a mix of USB-C and USB-A.
However, do note that one of the USB-C ports will charge at the full 90W and the other at a more sedate 18W (more than fine for a phone, but unlikely to be enough to power a laptop).
The two USB-A ports are handy as most of us still have devices that require a charging cable connection into this old standard. Each can handle 12W charging but that capacity is shared between the two ports so will be lower if both are in use. This is fine if you are charging one phone or two lower-powered devices such as headphones or watch.
At 14.7oz (417g) it isn’t super-lightweight but is a desktop charger so will probably not be travelling with you.
A more mighty model, the Satechi 165W USB-C 4-Port PD GaN Charger, is a real power beast. For $119 / £119, it has two 100W-capable USB-C ports and two that can reach 60W—although max output is 165W, it’s the highest of any of the chargers we have tested here. You can charge a large laptop and a mid-sized laptop at the same time. Interestingly, being GaN, it’s actually lighter (12oz or 340g) than the 108W version, although it is priced higher.
USB-C and USB PD are often confused, but the important thing to remember is that USB-C is a reversible connection type, while USB PD is a power delivery specification, overseen by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) and often expressed simply as ‘PD’. With version 3.1 of the specification, Power Delivery is able to carry up to 240W of power plus data over USB-C (previously limited to 100W on PD 3.0), but devices that support Power Delivery can range from 18W right up to 240W.
The easiest way to find out how much power is required to charge your laptop is to inspect the charger that was sold with it, if you have that to hand. Alternatively you can look for its specification on the manufacturer’s website.
You’re looking for a figure in watts, although it may be expressed in volts and amps. If so, simply multiply these two numbers to get the figure you need. For example, a device that requires 12V/2A to charge will need a 24W USB-C PD charger (12 x 2 = 24).
Once you know what power rating you’re looking for, finding a USB-C PD charger for your laptop or console is easy. Sometimes it can pay to get one a little faster than you need—it may be more expensive, but you’ll be pleased you bought it if you later decide to upgrade your laptop.
Yes. There is no need to worry about plugging devices into chargers that are capable of delivering more power than the device is able to accept, since USB devices will draw only the power they need. However, the cable you use to join the two is crucial, and using a low-quality or under-specified cable with the charger could lead to problems with your device. Read more about the differences in USB-C cables before you buy.
Although USB PD can go as high as 240W, actual speeds supported by chargers can vary—it’s possible that your third-party adaptor is not powerful enough to charge your laptop.
The adaptor itself is only one piece of the puzzle, and the cable with which it is combined must also be capable of delivering the required amount of power. Read more about the differences in USB-C cables before you buy.
GaN is short for gallium nitride. It requires fewer components than traditional silicone chargers, which means devices that use the technology can be less bulky and more efficient.
We’ve put together a range of articles to help you choose the best charging tech for the mobile devices you carry everywhere. You’ll also like:
Portable Magnetic Wireless Power Bank 10000mAh Simon was Editor of Macworld from the dark days of 1995 to the triumphant return of Steve Jobs and the launch of the iPhone. His desk is a test bench for tech accessories, from USB-C and Thunderbolt docks to chargers, batteries, Powerline adaptors and Fitbits.