USB-C Power Delivery Spec Gets Boosted to 240 Watts, Enabling Charging of Power-Hungry Devices

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USB-C will soon be capable of charging gaming laptops and other power-hungry devices without the need for separate barrel jacks and power bricks. As revealed by the USB-IF’s latest revisions to the connector standard (Release 2.1), USB-C’s power delivery specification is getting boosted from 100 watts to 240 watts, which is more than enough to power and charge the majority of mobile devices and peripherals on the market. The specification will be accompanied by new “Extended Power Range” cables that must support up to 5 Amps and 50 Volts.

With the change, you can also expect a new look for lower-power cables, called Standard Power Range. “For USB Power Delivery, each cable assembly is identified as being either only usable for Standard Power Range (SPR) operation or usable for both SPR and Extended Power Range (EPR) operation,” the specification says. Today’s higher-power cable products, which can carry current up to 5 amps, will be replaced by EPR cables.

Sources: USB.org, CNET, The Verge

Tsing Mui
News poster at The FPS Review.

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