In the future, one Apple power supply will be able to charge two devices at the same time. However, it also has some disadvantages.
Apple has for the first time included a power adapter in its range, with which you can charge two devices via USB-C at once. The “35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter” should soon be included as standard with the more expensive MacBook Air M2 machines (which cannot currently be ordered), but is now already being offered individually in Apple’s online store.
US version is better
The brand-new dual power adapter looks similar to standard Apple power supplies, but simply carries two jacks instead of just one on the side with the USB-C ports. The variant of the power supply for the American market is clearly more innovative: It comes in a compact form with retractable prongs, but that would probably simply not be feasible due to local safety regulations for electrical devices.
Apple wants to see a whopping 65 Euros for the new device – should it not be included in the purchase of an M2-MBA that costs at least 1849 Euros. That is sporty for 35 watts despite the two ports when you look at competitors like Anker. The relatively low wattage also ensures that devices with higher power requirements (such as more powerful MacBooks) cannot be charged or only very slowly. Even for the MacBook Air M2, the output is tight in combination with an iPhone in fast charging mode, which requires 15 watts: Its standard power adapter supplies the device with 30 watts via a single USB-C port. Accordingly, the MBA and iPhone are likely to slow each other down during charging.
Will fatter power adapters follow later?
Accordingly, one would have hoped that Apple would also have equipped its larger power adapters – they are currently offered with up to 140 watts to supply MacBook Pro variants with a 16-inch display and M1 Ultra – with more than just a USB-C port as well. However, that is not the case so far. Here’s hoping that this will happen with the upcoming new MacBook Pro models expected for fall at the latest.
In the current variant, the new Apple dual power supply is “nice to have” if you get it for free anyway – but as a single purchase, it’s rather something for people who absolutely have to have Apple power supplies. That, in turn, can make sense because they are always tested with Apple hardware as well. A good use case for the dual power supply would also be to use it to power two iPhones with 15 watts each, but the price for this is “mighty huge”. Tests have to show how the specific power distribution between the two ports looks like.
