Framework has announced the upcoming arrival of 180 watt USB-C chargers dedicated to its future Framework Laptop 16, announced in the spring. A first which is really only the beginning: the 240 watts on USB-C would indeed very soon be a reality according to the boss of the Californian start-up.
Framework and its upgradeable laptops will, presumably, be the first to switch to 180-watt-plus USB-C chargers. A great advertisement for the young brand, which has the luxury of taking a lead on certain flagships of the market such as the Apple MacBook Pro 16, limited to 140 watt mains units at most.
Up to 240 watts with a USB-C charger…
The Californian start-up has indeed announced the upcoming arrival of 180-watt USB-C chargers in its catalog. Dedicated mainly to the new Framework Laptop 16, expected at the end of 2023, these should then coexist with even more powerful third-party chargers, capable of going up to 240 watts still in USB-C.
In detail, we learn that this 180 watt charger will be delivered with the Laptop Framework 16, and that it will be based on the USB-C PD 3.1 standard. Framework further explains that this power block will be designed in partnership with the Taiwanese equipment manufacturer Chicony, and that it will be compact: only twice the size of the 60-watt block that we knew for the Framework Laptop 13, i.e. 116, 6×58.2×27 millimeters just. Compactness made possible by the use of GaN (gallium nitride).
As a reminder, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) announced in May 2021 its desire to increase the USB-C standard to a maximum of 240 watts (compared to 100 watts previously) for the supply of more powerful electronic devices. . With Framework, we are therefore on the verge of moving from theory to practice, on a large scale, and on a product intended for the general public.
… for more power and practicality
” We’ve yet to see other 180-watt and 240-watt USB-PD 3.1 power adapters announced, but since the components needed to run them are now available, we expect device brands launching soon “, moreover commented Nirav Patel, founder and CEO of Framework, interviewed by The Verge.
In the case of the Framework Laptop 16, the start-up specifies on the other hand that the 180 watt charger provided initially will not be quite sufficient to supply the device at full power, at least when a modular GPU is there. installed. In this context of use, the device will draw its energy from the charger but also from the battery, both at the same time. The most advanced users will therefore have every interest in quickly attaching themselves to the services of 240-watt USB-C chargers when they become available.
Note that the arrival of these very powerful USB-C chargers is excellent news for many models. For example, we can imagine that some creative and gaming laptops, currently equipped with proprietary chargers, will soon be delivered with much more convenient USB-C chargers that can be used with other devices.
We also know that, on smartphones, some internally designed USB-C chargers go up to 300 watts (at Xiaomi, for example). Sufficient charging power to supply, theoretically, certain particularly energy-demanding machines. It remains to be seen when… the manufacturers of gaming devices were currently fond of proprietary connectors. There are as many at Razer as at MSI, Acer or ASUS to name a few.
Sources: The Verge / framework
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