Apple’s new 140W USB-C Mac Power Adapter remains offensively huge

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Apple's very thick 140W Charging block
Apple's solution to fast-charging your new MacBook Pro is a Fiat-sized charging block.
Graphic: Apple / Ian Fuchs

Apple Unleashed event bug Along with the reintroduction of MagSafe in the new MacBook Pro lineup, Apple released a new 140W (!!!) charger Monday to enable faster charging. And while getting 50% battery in a mere 30 minutes sounds impressive, the charging block that enables it looks comically large.

The 140W charger, which comes with all the new 16-inch MacBook Pros rolled out Monday during Apple’s “Unleashed” event, continues that trend.

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Apple 140W charger looks beefy

Apple’s charging blocks have never been particularly compact, but ever since switching to USB-C, Apple’s massive charging blocks have seemed excessively large.

Take, for example, the company’s 61/67W charging block. At roughly 3 inches deep and 3 inches tall, it’s larger than nearly every third-party 60-67W charging block on the market.

And now, with the insanely fast 140W charger, Apple is proving that when it comes to portability, the charger’s not included. And while the crazy-quick charger isn’t as deep as the 96W charger, it’s significantly taller than the company’s previous offerings.

Check out the size comparison below to see just how huge the new 140W USB-C Power Adapter looks compared to Apple’s previous charging bricks.

Charger compatibility

Apple charging block lineup: From left to right: 140W USB-C Power Adapter, 96W USB-C Power Adapter, 67W USB-C Power Adapter
From left to right: 140W USB-C Power Adapter, 96W USB-C Power Adapter, 67W USB-C Power Adapter.
Images: Apple

For now, you’ll likely need Apple’s new 140W charger ($99 retail) and the 2-meter USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable ($49) to achieve that insane 50% battery bump in just 30 minutes. As third-party accessory-makers double down on high-powered, compact GaN chargers, the new MacBook Pros should be able to take advantage of faster charging on those aftermarket blocks as well.

The good news is, MacBook Pro owners will still be able to charge over the Thunderbolt 4 ports as well, meaning existing third party USB-C chargers will work.

Another bonus point for Apple’s 140W charger: It isn’t proprietary to Apple. The beefy 140W block instead uses the USB-C PD 3.1 standard. This means any device that uses USB-C charging standards can take advantage of up to 140W of charging power using Apple’s charger. Charging speeds will vary based on the device and cable being used, but that’s a topic for another time.

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