RAVPower recently introduced a new 45W USB-C Power Adapter that uses eGaNFET circuitry allowing for an ultrathin design more portable than traditional USB-C power adapters.
Made from white plastic, the power adapter measures in at 2.8 inches long, 2.1 inches wide, and 0.56 inches thick. Compared to the 29/30W USB-C chargers for the MacBook and the MacBook Air, it's longer, but thinner.
The thinner design allows the power adapter to fit easily in a pocket, bag, or backpack. It's not as oddly square-shaped as Apple's own chargers, which makes it more convenient to carry. RAVPower does not ship this power adapter with any cables, so you're going to need to supply your own USB-C to USB-C cable or USB-C to Lightning cable.
Since this is a 45W charger, it's ideal for the MacBook Air or the MacBook, but won't really work for the 61W 13-inch MacBook Pro or the 85W 15-inch MacBook Pro.
It is, however, also useful paired with a USB-C to Lightning cable to charge an iPhone or with a USB-C to USB-C cable to charge one of Apple's new iPad Pros more quickly.
Design wise, this is a nice looking power adapter. The aforementioned white plastic is unblemished aside from a RAVPower logo at the top, and there's a single USB-C port at one side.
RAVPower's adapter next to 29W power adapter from Apple
At the back, there's a set of prongs for plugging it into an outlet, which fold down when the power adapter is not in use. This also allows it to be pocketed or tucked away in a small pouch in a backpack.
At 45W, the RAVPower charger enables fast charging with the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, XS Max, and XR when paired with one of Apple's Lightning to USB-C cables. Fast charging charges your iPhone to 50 percent in a half hour, and with the RAVPower charger and the required cable, my iPhone XS Max charged from 1 percent to 52 percent in a 30-minute time period.
When using the 45W RAVPower adapter, I was also able to charge the new USB-C 11-inch iPad Pro faster. With the standard 18W charger it ships with, the iPad Pro charged to 45 percent from 1 percent over the course of an hour.
With the 45W RAVPower adapter, the iPad Pro charged from one percent to 66 percent during the same time period. As a caveat, though, faster charging is available with 29W/30W chargers too, as I was also able to reach a 66 percent charge in one hour using a standard 29W MacBook power adapter. The same goes for iPhone fast charging - 45W offers no benefit over 29W/30W.
On my MacBook, the standard 29W charger charged it to 62 percent over the course of an hour, which is the exact same result I got with the 45W charger, so there's also no benefit using 45W over 29W/30W with a MacBook.
45W is overkill for charging a MacBook, MacBook Air, 11-inch iPad, or iPhone, but it's not enough power for a 13 or 15-inch MacBook Pro under a heavy load (technically you can charge either of these machines with the 45W adapter, but it's not going to be enough when using a lot of power), which makes RAVPower's adapter kind of an odd choice for Apple devices.
I don't really have much else to say about the power adapter. RAVPower makes good products, and the new ultrathin USB-C power adapter is no exception.
It's portable, offers faster charging for the iPhone and iPad Pro, and works well with Apple's MacBook and MacBook Air. It has a foldable plug, and with its thin body, it's ideal for travel because it's not going to take up much space.
Unfortunately, RAVPower has priced its new USB-C power adapter rather high, charging $55 for it. That's more expensive than the $49 power USB-C 30W Power Adapter direct from Apple, and more expensive than many non-ultrathin ~30W USB-C power adapter solutions.
RAVpower's power adapter is nice, but it doesn't seem worth the premium over other 30 and 45W power adapters just to save a bit of space. There are many more affordable charging options on the market, and for Apple devices, 30W seems to be the sweet spot for fast charging the 11-inch iPad Pro, iPhone, and the MacBook and MacBook Air so why shell out extra money for RAVpower's solution?
RAVPower does often discount its products, though, so if you're in the market for a pocketable 45W USB-C charger, keep an eye out for a sale before picking this one up.
The 45W USB-C ultrathin charger from RAVPower can be purchased from Amazon for $54.99.
Note: RAVPower provided MacRumors with a 45W power adapter for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
Made from white plastic, the power adapter measures in at 2.8 inches long, 2.1 inches wide, and 0.56 inches thick. Compared to the 29/30W USB-C chargers for the MacBook and the MacBook Air, it's longer, but thinner.
The thinner design allows the power adapter to fit easily in a pocket, bag, or backpack. It's not as oddly square-shaped as Apple's own chargers, which makes it more convenient to carry. RAVPower does not ship this power adapter with any cables, so you're going to need to supply your own USB-C to USB-C cable or USB-C to Lightning cable.
Since this is a 45W charger, it's ideal for the MacBook Air or the MacBook, but won't really work for the 61W 13-inch MacBook Pro or the 85W 15-inch MacBook Pro.
It is, however, also useful paired with a USB-C to Lightning cable to charge an iPhone or with a USB-C to USB-C cable to charge one of Apple's new iPad Pros more quickly.
Design wise, this is a nice looking power adapter. The aforementioned white plastic is unblemished aside from a RAVPower logo at the top, and there's a single USB-C port at one side.
At the back, there's a set of prongs for plugging it into an outlet, which fold down when the power adapter is not in use. This also allows it to be pocketed or tucked away in a small pouch in a backpack.
At 45W, the RAVPower charger enables fast charging with the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, XS Max, and XR when paired with one of Apple's Lightning to USB-C cables. Fast charging charges your iPhone to 50 percent in a half hour, and with the RAVPower charger and the required cable, my iPhone XS Max charged from 1 percent to 52 percent in a 30-minute time period.
When using the 45W RAVPower adapter, I was also able to charge the new USB-C 11-inch iPad Pro faster. With the standard 18W charger it ships with, the iPad Pro charged to 45 percent from 1 percent over the course of an hour.
With the 45W RAVPower adapter, the iPad Pro charged from one percent to 66 percent during the same time period. As a caveat, though, faster charging is available with 29W/30W chargers too, as I was also able to reach a 66 percent charge in one hour using a standard 29W MacBook power adapter. The same goes for iPhone fast charging - 45W offers no benefit over 29W/30W.
On my MacBook, the standard 29W charger charged it to 62 percent over the course of an hour, which is the exact same result I got with the 45W charger, so there's also no benefit using 45W over 29W/30W with a MacBook.
45W is overkill for charging a MacBook, MacBook Air, 11-inch iPad, or iPhone, but it's not enough power for a 13 or 15-inch MacBook Pro under a heavy load (technically you can charge either of these machines with the 45W adapter, but it's not going to be enough when using a lot of power), which makes RAVPower's adapter kind of an odd choice for Apple devices.
Bottom Line
I don't really have much else to say about the power adapter. RAVPower makes good products, and the new ultrathin USB-C power adapter is no exception.
It's portable, offers faster charging for the iPhone and iPad Pro, and works well with Apple's MacBook and MacBook Air. It has a foldable plug, and with its thin body, it's ideal for travel because it's not going to take up much space.
Unfortunately, RAVPower has priced its new USB-C power adapter rather high, charging $55 for it. That's more expensive than the $49 power USB-C 30W Power Adapter direct from Apple, and more expensive than many non-ultrathin ~30W USB-C power adapter solutions.
RAVpower's power adapter is nice, but it doesn't seem worth the premium over other 30 and 45W power adapters just to save a bit of space. There are many more affordable charging options on the market, and for Apple devices, 30W seems to be the sweet spot for fast charging the 11-inch iPad Pro, iPhone, and the MacBook and MacBook Air so why shell out extra money for RAVpower's solution?
RAVPower does often discount its products, though, so if you're in the market for a pocketable 45W USB-C charger, keep an eye out for a sale before picking this one up.
How to Buy
The 45W USB-C ultrathin charger from RAVPower can be purchased from Amazon for $54.99.
Note: RAVPower provided MacRumors with a 45W power adapter for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.
20 comments
Disney's annual D23 Expo kicked off in Anaheim on Friday, and the company has revealed more details about its upcoming streaming service, Disney+.
According to CNET, Disney+ will cost...
Apple has suspended the grading program that used contractors to listen to Siri recordings for quality control purposes, but in a new report, The Irish Examiner (via The Verge) gives some additional...
Samsung recently released its latest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy Note 10 and the Galaxy Note 10+, which will be two of Apple's main competitors for the upcoming 2019 iPhones.
The new...
Apple added new features and new functionality to most of its built-in apps, including Health and Activity, both of which have either changed significantly or have major new features worth noting.
...
Dutch brand ZENS today unveiled a wireless charging mat with 16 overlapping coils, allowing two devices to be charged anywhere on the mat.
The ZENS Liberty will be able to charge any...
Update: On schedule, the HomePod has now launched in Japan and Taiwan.
Original story follows.
Apple's HomePod is set to launch in Japan and Taiwan next week, on Friday, August 23,...
Ahead of the launch of iOS 13, iPadOS, and macOS Catalina, Apple has updated its iCloud.com beta site with a fresh look and a new Reminders app (via Federico Vittici).
The beta version of...
Bose today announced the launch of a new speaker, the Bose Portable Home Speaker, which is designed to work with Apple's AirPlay 2 protocol.
The Bluetooth-enabled Portable Home Speaker is...
