USB-C is so far the closest thing to a universal connector tech has seen, able to power everything from earbuds, to phones, to laptops. But despite its increasing ubiquitousness, there are limits to its utility.
For instance, USB-C Power Delivery has been capped at 100W for a while now and while that’s enough for most devices, some powerful laptops are still forced to use traditional power connectors that can handle higher wattages.
Now that concession may soon be a thing of the past. As reported by Android Central, the latest revision to the USB-C cable and connector specification — revision 2.1 — will allow USB-C cables to transmit as much as a whopping 240W of power.
The USB Implementers Forum (also known as USB-IF) revised the specification to 2.1 which was announced on Tuesday. This new ability to charge at 240W is called EPR, or Extended Power Range. This means the USB charging standard will now be able to power several large devices that have much heavier power requirements.
That’s enough for all but the most obscene laptops like the Razer’s 17-inch Blade laptop with an Nvidia RTX 3080 which comes with a 230W charger.
In the future, all cables that support charging devices at a maximum of 240W will have to display a specific icon to show users that it is capable of these blistering fast charging speeds. They could potentially be enough to power very power-hungry devices like gaming laptops, 4K monitors, laser printers, large power banks – or even e-bikes.
According to Android Central, the advent of the new revision means that there will soon be new USB-C cables on the market that are labeled ‘Extended Power Range,’ replacing the old top-notch ‘Standard Power Range.’ These cables are theoretically safer too.
All this is good news for those of us who have been dreaming of being able to use one charger for all sorts of devices. Since USB-C arrived, I can’t count how many times I’ve used a laptop charger to charge my phone — and sometimes even used a phone charger to power a laptop. Who knows, maybe by 2030 we’ll be able to charge our electric cars with USB-C too.
Via Android Central
