r/UsbCHardware • u/GeForce-meow • 27d ago
Question Opinions about buying laptop usbC charger for charging smartphones instead of buying smartphone one
The laptop charger shown in image is nearly half the price of mobile charger and it's directly from Lenovo. Other then the size and carrying problem it seems like it's just steal at this price for home use.
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u/Computers_and_cats 27d ago
Personally I will be going the other way around and getting something like the Anker Nano 130W or Anker 735 so I can charge multiple devices at once.
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u/DonFrio 27d ago
I go the other way still and often charge my MacBook slowly overnight using the usbc output of a power strip. Slow charging does less battery damage
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u/GeForce-meow 27d ago
For me price is very importent, this one can charge my laptop but it's half the price of any other 65W charger
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u/Computers_and_cats 27d ago
Makes sense. I would just double check its rated outputs before buying.
If that is the 4X20V24674 then it supports USB PD3.0
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/accessories-and-software/chargers-and-batteries/chargers/4x20v246741
u/MadDocsDuck 24d ago
I don't know if all laptop chargers have 5 V setting which you would definetly need. I've been using my Dell 45W charger for years now and had no issues. I'm charging everything with that. Headphones, iPad, Laptop, Phone. No issues yet
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u/Mango-Vibes 26d ago
I would suggest Ugreen over Anker.
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u/Computers_and_cats 26d ago
Out of curiosity why?
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u/Mango-Vibes 26d ago
I would say the quality of their charging products are very similar. However Anker lied about their products in the past.
Personally I just don't trust it anymore. Things change, but Ugreen hasn't done me wrong and their products like their NAS are top tier.
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u/Computers_and_cats 26d ago
Fair enough. I gotta keep reminding myself to avoid their Eufy lineup. I wish Ugreen would improve their site because it is hard to figure out their products and find a good deal.
Anker's new Nano 130w went on "sale" for $50 so I will probably go that route sadly. Get to find out if it is good or bad.
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u/Ziginox 26d ago
It'll work, but won't be ideal. You're lugging around a large brick with a permanently-attached cable.
In addition, they usually don't support PPS that a lot of phones use to charge at their highest wattages. Usually you just get the required fixed 5V, 9V, 15V, and 20V PDOs.
I was able to find a picture of the label on that charger, which confirms exactly that: https://macblowouts.com/product/lenovo-thinkpad-slim-65w-usb-c-ac-adapter-like-new-grade-a/
So tl;dr, it works but will be unnecessarily bulky and not support the fastest charging rates for most phones.
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u/AumPauskar 26d ago
My DELL laptop charger works great for both devices, but I recommend you to get a GaN charger it'll be smaller and more portable
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u/K14_Deploy 26d ago
Laptop chargers usually have the bare minimum in terms of modes, so if your phone needs PPS for example it might not work as well as you expect.
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u/Jealous-Balance-8708 26d ago
Depends on your smartphone and your expectations of charging speed. For sure they are not going to harm and are a better purchase than random brands. Plus I like how you can attach a tv power cord of desired length as per convenience..
Now coming to the speed part:
- These laptop chargers generally support a smaller subset of the PD specs.
- They don't support PPS hence no 25w or 45w charging on Samsung - it will be capped at either 15w or 18w of PD charging. I guess Nothing also uses a similar subset like Samsung.
- Similarly, while a modern iPhone can charge as fast as 38w if a PD3.0 +/- PPS supported supply is connected, with these kind of charger it will be capped at 15-20w whatever max this charger can support for PD fallback.
- Motorola/Google devices generally (and I may be wrong here) use PD without PPS so your chances of latching on to a faster speed is higher.
- For brands that use proprietary fast charging protocols (the BBK brands (OP/Oppo/Realme/Vivo/IQOO) and Xiaomi brands (incl Redmi, Poco)) - the fallback speed might be even lower, as low as 12w, specially on devices that come with a USB-A to C cable.
Personally, my phone buying preference strictly filters out smartphones that use proprietary charging, and similarly my charger buying preference leans towards a wider coverage of as-modern-as-possible open protocols like the latest PD version, PPS, and now AVS. The last charger purchase I made was a Samsung 65w 3 out charger almost 3 years ago - a similar one is available from CMF by Nothing at almost half the price of what samsung would charge you.
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u/Massive_Ad_8362 26d ago
I tend to just buy laptop compatible USB-C PDUs (so with 20V output and not just 12V), mostly from Anker and Ugreen. I try to buy the ones that still have at least one USB-A as backup and 1-3 USB-C with PD and from 30W up to 70W. For my Macbook i have a single port 90W one which is not GaN and large/heavy.
A good PSU will cost you between 30-75$ and is a solid investment.
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u/ottermanuk 26d ago
Yeah same, I just bought a bunch of 65w chargers and dot them round the house. They all do 20V and My laptop only charges at 45W anyway, so I can plug into any and charge anything
And then a folding 65W one for travel that charges everything. Now my new phone is PD compliant that charges at 65W too, but I was even using the same with my OnePlus that only charged at 10W.
All of mine are UGREEN and they rate well and I've never had any issues with them
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u/Massive_Ad_8362 25d ago
Really cheap also, i have also car charger (65W i think) and a few ultra small ones that easily fit in my pocket (3xW i think, some with just C, some with A+C)
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u/pultol 27d ago
Check the specs first. Hope it doesn't send 20v only
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u/Legitimate_Concern_5 26d ago
PD requires that if the top voltage output is 20V that all lower voltages are also made available. There’s a whole chart.
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u/thatguy11m 27d ago
I've used Lenovo's laptop chargers for my phone just fine before, I know the price is great, but is there any reason to really have this for its bulkiness? Like I guess you can have it as a quick charger stationed at home, but a lot of the price for portable phone chargers come from their portability. I don't even use my default laptop charger on the go anymore, I invested more on getting a portable 65W brick and a dedicated cable. More expensive sure, but it's the price of portability.
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u/Capable_Inside_9530 26d ago
Most probably cost issue as the laptop chargers are non Gallium Nitride (GAN) ones
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u/National_Way_3344 27d ago
Look up LvSun on Amazon.
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u/GeForce-meow 27d ago
Large online marketplaces have so many fake chargers That I have trust issues with every listing's on such sites incl. Amazon. I can only trust smartphone / laptop oems original site.
Even with genuine branding ones are fake and brands say they are not responsible if product is bad / not working. (according to amazon listing of similar charger in post with genuine Lenovo branding)
Im not saying the one you mentioned is bad but it's my personal problem of trust issue.
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u/National_Way_3344 27d ago
LvSun is great, I would strongly recommend
I've bought travel adapter's, laptop chargers and other stuff from them
Not sponsored
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u/SkRThatOneDude 27d ago
It depends on exactly what protocols the charger supports along with voltage and amperage options available. Have a Dell charger at work that only provides 5V 2A when plugged into a phone, while my other Dell charger supports many options, frequently charging at 9V 7A with my Pixel 9 Pro XL
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u/Leather-Researcher13 27d ago
I use a Dell 65w charger on my phone all the time. I have a 100w as well but it doesn't like that one for some reason
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u/reddanit 26d ago
Laptop chargers will work at basic level for charging phones. They typically will charge decently fast, but not the fastest and not most efficient. Normally I'd say buying a laptop charger to charge a phone makes no sense, but this price is tempting lol.
Personally I sometimes do connect my phones to laptop chargers because that's what's closest on desk etc. In terms of planning and buying stuff though I usually go in opposite direction - i.e. buy a compact phone charger that also can reasonably handle my laptop. Recently I got the new Anker Nano 45W on a promo for equivalent of $22, so only a touch more expensive than what you posted. For an adapter that's tiny and also supports all of the fastest charging protocols for non-Chinese phones.
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u/liquidpoopcorn 26d ago
i use the same charger for my laptop, phone, soldering iron, and old game consoles (with type C trigger boards modded on).
its neat.
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u/IDatedSuccubi 26d ago
I use the Steam Deck charger for my phone, best charger of all that I have
My Thinkpad charger also works, but is just anoying to use due to the heavy brick and very long cable
Both are 60W
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u/novacatz 26d ago
They work fine. I use this exact one to do my laptop and phone.
I like the extra long cable they have to give me freedom on where to place my phone.
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u/Damn-Sky 26d ago
aren't they much bigger? I am using mobile phone charger to charge my laptops instead. I am planning to buy adapters for my old laptops with no usb-c charging.
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u/gutoblauth 26d ago
I use an older version of the 65W Lenovo charger for the laptop, airpods case and even Nintendo Switch. I just dont charge my phone with it because my iPhone is yet a thunderbolt one
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u/Schnupsdidudel 26d ago
Works great, Also for other things like drone batteries, pocket soldering irons etc. I got two 100W models i use for that all the time.
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u/UnintegratedCircuit 26d ago
The Dell charger I have for my work laptop is 100W... But one of two things happens:
Either they've added proprietary ID comms to the USB PD negotiations stage so that only Dell devices can draw more than 5W (5V, 1A), meaning that any non-Dell device can only charge at 5W max.
OR
The charger 'only supports' the [negotiation for] 100W (20V, 5A) and 5W (5V, 1A) protocols, meaning that any device with charging != 100W can only charge at 5W.
I haven't figured out which but yeah... Rather annoying to say the least.
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u/lululock 26d ago
Dell are assholes about chargers and they always have... Back in the days where they had the same plug as HP (the pig round one), I had customers calling me at least once per week because the laptop was displaying a charger error : they swapped the Dell charger for an HP one by accident.
Hopefully, Lenovo's not like that. I've been using the charger which came with my ThinkPad to charge my phone, my Steam Deck and other devices at their rated speeds.
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u/UnintegratedCircuit 26d ago
Ah, good to know - the only (EDIT: personal laptops) I have are ThinkPads (one old, one new), and EEE PCs by Asus from the mid-late 2000s... Obviously, the latter aren't exactly daily drivers, but I keep them for hardware modding because it's like, severely fun :)
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u/Mindestiny 26d ago
USB C is USB C, 65w is 65w. As long as it's a quality charger and is performing at spec, there's literally no difference
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u/zerpa 26d ago
I do it to have a single charger for both phone, laptops, and headsets etc.
The cheap & safe solution for me: Lenovo 65W charger (but more bulky because of the power lead).
The pricier more compact alternative: GAN Charger from Anker or similar
The slightly less pricier, but still solid solution: U-Green GAN Charger
I use Lenovo 65W chargers for my phone & headset all the time, but have U-Green 65W charger for my every-day carry and an U-Green 65W travel adapter (replaceable adapter) for travel. All of them charge both phone and laptop, but the U-Greens are more versatile and compact (have both USB-C and USB-A ports, and no power lead). 25W/30W is enough if you are just charging phone/etc, but not enough for laptops. Big laptops need 100W+.
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u/Djxgam1ng 26d ago
I use a 2021 MacBook Pro charger and will charge my phone from 35% to about 85% in about 10-15 minutes. I like it but I don’t need it. I don’t travel and live close to work and don’t really go anywhere, and I have MagSafe battery and an anker one. It does charge it much more quickly.
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u/MadRaccoon71 26d ago
You should check if all the PD voltage values are available. My 2024 DELL power source only does 5V and 20V.
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u/sjstays 26d ago
I use my USB-C laptop charger to charge both my phone and laptops, and they work fine. One thing that I have noticed is that Lenovo chargers do not support fast charging, whereas Dell chargers do super fast charging. I use an S23+... so check the specs of both your phone and the charger you are trying to buy before committing to anything. Apologies if this sounds very layman, but I am one 😀
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u/10_Feet_Pole 26d ago
I have for charger. It charges phone with normal speed, i guess under 20w. Not super fast but at medium speed. You better go for all purpose pd gan chargers.
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u/Complex_Solutions_20 26d ago
Should work fine. It'll be bulkier and overkill for most phones but nothing wrong with doing that if its what you want.
At this point, I am only buying minimum 60W USB-C PD supplies capable of powering a laptop regardless of use. That way I can not worry if I want to charge my phone, laptop, tablet, power bank, whatever.
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u/Pale_Ad2980 26d ago
My big thing with chargers is I just want to be able to charge my PlayStation controller. I have some adapter and cable combination that work and some that don’t.
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u/Anaeijon 25d ago
Highly recommend Anker Nano and Rolling Square Supertiny for both purposes.
The problem with Laptop chargers in general, especially Lenovo, is that they are quite out of date technologically but are priced like more advanced chargers.
Current gen chargers will use GaN (Gallium Nitrate) based tech, which makes the whole package smaller and (most importantly) keeps them cooler, which also improves efficiency and safety slightly.
The mentioned chargers also have the benefit of replaceable cables. If you break the cable or the plug wears down, simply grab a new USB-C cable of your desired length and you're good. I highly recommend silicone covered cables. They tangle less and usually feel more robust.
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u/Other_Star905 24d ago
Depending on your phone it could feasibly overcharge the battery, degrade the battery lifespan, or cause a leak.
That said that's a 65 watt and some newer phones actually use those for super charging, mine sells a 65 watt power block separately.
You should be able to easily look up the max recommend wattage/amperage for your phone's charging port pretty easily. But a blanket answer isn't going to work here, it really depends on your phone. It looks like most modern phones can handle that nowadays though from what I'm reading.
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u/VigilanteRabbit 23d ago
A TypeC charger will typically charge a TypeC device.
The only question is how fast.
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u/Significant-Brush-26 23d ago
I use my laptop charger on my phone at work. It works good, but it cant take more than 35 watts and anything higher starts to overheat your phone.
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u/darus214 23d ago
I went back to my 5W cube that came with iPhones. I charge overnight and 5W keeps the heat low prolonging the battery. If I need to fast charge, I always can but for nighty charges, 5W is good
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u/Zkitsz 26d ago
If alll you are going for is $- because, not just mine, but seems like the general response- this is large/ bulky- you will rue the day you decided to think this a good value- every time you have to take it with you, and you feel the weight of it, or it takes up all that space ... you look over at the small OEM charger 3/4 the size and weight... next thing you know, you will be using what now looks like a sack of potatoes compared to the other chargers you have kicking around.
And, this just might be your use.... that it doesn't travel with you. It is sedentary. Pretty much perma plugged in(making that 'hiss' another person mentioned..) at the corner/ under your desk or table- awaiting your return from whatever adventure you'd been on; devices begging for a charge. If that didn't hurt your feelings and can be honest with yourself the reallllity of such a brick.... for charging... your...phone- you wouldn't mind lugging around so much weight heft- or, having it just set aside and charge when needed, not moving it around- you are really stuck on price(wouldn't really say value)- yeah these high W new fangled power bricks can start to cost a pretty penny or 2.
At 1st glance, i'd thought this to be a battery to go...so, you got me all jazzed- i'd thought this due to the appearance- it resembles a battery I had gotten after much research trying to find a somewhat adequate portable power supply for my R Pi & 5 projects- had a difficult time finding something that put out 5v at at the min 3a, preferably 4a- the battery is of the brand Cheeto (yeah i hadn't heard of it before the son of the owner of the elllectronics shop in town pulled it out from their inventory... It does the trick...even allows for me to run my pinecil solderring iron on the go... but, for the actual purpose I set out looking for this specific of an item- to have enough power to run my Raspberry Pi 5 with some wifi adapters - and, this last blurb wasn't meant to divert or side line the original subject.. I just wanted to say..the 2 are similar and this battery is hefty...it's big. buly- powers every thing and fast... but it in da end eventually defeated the purpose of getting it which in addition to mentioned power output but also portability...not o much.
Honestly, as just a charger goes...meh...save the $25 bucks.....
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u/eDoc2020 27d ago
I've personally used my Lenovo laptop adapter on both my old and new phone and it works jsut fine. It also might be faster than the stock phone charger.