RAVPower 36W Dual Port Type-C/USB Wall Charger Review: The Charger That Should Have Come with the MacBook

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Posted By: Judie Lipsett Stanford

The new MacBook comes with a 29W power cube that serves its purpose well enough, but there are no bells and whistles like, oh, say, an extra USB charging port or a way to wrap the long USB Type-C power cord neatly. With that in mind, the RAVPower 36W Dual Port Type-C/USB Wall Charger comes awfully close to perfect.

1-RAVPower 36W Dual Port Type-C:USB Wall Charger

No, it doesn’t include built-in prongs for wrapping the power cord (wouldn’t that be lovely), but it does have something that Apple should have included — an extra 5V 2.4A max USB port. Sweet!

2-RAVPower 36W Dual Port Type-C:USB Wall Charger-001

Available in black or white, the 36W RAVPower Type-C charger is slightly larger than the 29W Apple charger, but the benefit of the dual charging ports outweighs the slightly larger size. As you’ve probably guessed, this charger can recharge your MacBook at full 29W speed. RAVpower says that this cube can also charge any other Type-C reliant devices as their full 20V 1.5A, 15V 2A, 9V 2A , and 5V 3A max speeds.

3-RAVPower 36W Dual Port Type-C:USB Wall Charger-002

The RAVpower uses iSMART technology to automatically detect the optimal charging current for whichever device you’ve plugged in.

4-RAVPower 36W Dual Port Type-C:USB Wall Charger-003

iSMART technology allows you to “safely recharge your devices thanks to the built-in protections to prevent over-heating, high current, and voltage-surge.”

I’ve replaced my 29W Apple power cube with the RAVpower wall charger; it’s perfect for travel, and I feel that it is the charger that Apple should have included with our MacBooks. Oh, and it costs $20 less than the Apple version, too. 😛

The RAVPower 36W Dual Port Type-C/USB Wall Charger retails for $29.99, and it is available from Amazon.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: 36W can charge MacBook at full power and speed as well as another USB device at the same time; Did you catch that? Built-in USB port above the Type C port!

What Needs Improvement: If it had a built-in cable winder, it would be perfect — but it’s close!

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She started in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie is best known for her device-agnostic approach, deep-dive reviews, and enjoyment of exploring the latest tech, gadgets, and gear.

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3 Comments on "RAVPower 36W Dual Port Type-C/USB Wall Charger Review: The Charger That Should Have Come with the MacBook"

  1. Mitchell Oke | August 27, 2016 at 1:36 am |

    This looks great! Only thing that would make it better for me is if that USB port was a passthrough to the computer so you could connect USB devices without an adaptor. Needing that rubbish av adaptor Apple sells for a stupid amount is a pain.

  2. Judie Lipsett Stanford | August 28, 2016 at 2:07 am |

    I totally agree that making the USB port pass-through would be even better! Maybe the next version, one can hope! =)

  3. Joel McLaughlin | August 30, 2016 at 8:35 pm |

    It’s not a pass-through? Bummer. That would be awesome.

    Don’t have a MacBook yet but my next laptop will likely have USB-C and my Moto Z Force has it.

    Looking for USB-C accessories….

Comments are closed.