Want to buy a second power supply for your MacBook and save some money? There are a few alternatives that even come with a cable.
Many will think “A cable, of course, it’s a power supply”, but that’s no longer a matter of course at Apple: If you buy a new USB-C power supply in 30, 61 or 87 watts, there’s only one thing in the box: the power supply (with the plug for the socket, so there’s no extension cable. But you can use the ones from the old MagSafe power supplies). A USB-C to USB-C cable to connect the power supply to the MacBook is not included.
This is good for the environment of course, because you can exchange both separately if a part should break, but it also makes the thing a bit more expensive: so comes to the price of the Apple power supply again about 20 euros for the USB-C cable on top.
But since Apple thankfully uses the industry standard USB-C for the current MacBook generation, you can simply buy another power supply. Remember that Apple’s power supplies are a miracle of technology: they’re very small for the power they deliver, so the price is reasonable. So if you’re looking at an alternative that’s less expensive, the alternatives will inevitably be a little bigger and heavier – but you don’t have to worry about that at home, you’ll just take the original one with you. So the tradeoff is price against size and weight. You should keep away from power supplies that are as big as the Apple original and promise the same performance at a lower price: it was almost certainly saved on security. And don’t forget that there’s only a small power supply between you and the mains voltage!
Alternatives for the Apple USB-C Power Supply with 30 Watt
There are many 30 watt alternatives, most of the time the power supplies have even more power and besides the USB-C port they also have a USB-A port. This saves another adapter and a second power supply and you can even charge two devices at the same time, without the power supply being much larger than a model, which only one device can charge.
A beautiful specimen of this genus comes from Aukey and we looked at it some time ago. We advise you to buy it from a well known manufacturer and not to reach for the bottom of the shelf.
alternatives for the Apple USB-C power supply with 61 Watt
Apple’s 61 Watt power supply is an excellent power supply for all Apple users: it also charges smaller 12″ and 13″ MacBooks and larger models (15″ models load a little slower or don’t load at all under full CPU load) and is therefore a good choice if you charge your devices overnight or only surf with the 15 inch model anyway and don’t use graphics and processor to full capacity. Then you have to carry a little less weight compared to the larger 87 Watt power supply.
There are alternatives in this performance class, as well as in the 30 Watt models with further charging ports in USB-A form, so that you can charge several devices at the same time. For example, about 60 watts are available at the USB-C output and 12-15 watts at the USB ports. Very practical for on the go.
Alternatives for the Apple USB-C Power Supply with 87 Watt
With alternatives to Apple’s 87 Watt power supply, the choice is somewhat limited. Two models are currently available: a 90 watt power supply with USB-C cable from Dell and one from CYD, which is also sold elsewhere under the Nekteck label. What both have in common is that the power cable is firmly connected to the power supply. They are also larger than the Apple original. But for the use at home at the desk this should not be very important.
The price saving is already more important: at half the price (extra cable included with Apple’s model) and at home irrelevant disadvantages you get a good USB-C power supply, if you always have the original in your pocket to take it with you.
Buy on Amazon: USB-C Power Supplies
