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iabm

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 25, 2017
79
13
Hi,

I've just noticed my 2017 and 2020 MBP have come with 61w power bricks but the Apple website don't have them and only have 67 with (new) on the item. It says they're compatible with 2016+ laptops but I wondered, was there any specific reason to stop doing the 61w bricks?

Curiosity more than anything :)

Thanks,
B.
 

mk313

macrumors 68020
Feb 6, 2012
2,084
1,155
No idea officially, but I would guess that some of the beer models required 67’s and it’s just simpler to carry one item vs 2
 
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iabm

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 25, 2017
79
13
No idea officially, but I would guess that some of the beer models required 67’s and it’s just simpler to carry one item vs 2
Makes sense I suppose. I was looking to get a spare for work to keep in the office and noticed there was no 61w - I assume a 67w one won't do any harm to my laptop?
 

Phil77354

macrumors 68000
Jun 22, 2014
1,927
2,036
Pacific Northwest, U.S.
The 13" MacBook Pro (M1, 2020) still ships with the 61W power adaptor. The newer models (other than the Air) have slightly larger batteries and ship with the newer / larger power adaptors as well (67W, 96W). It's possible that Apple made some internal / circuitry improvements in the newer power adaptors when they were developing them to go with the new laptops. And with the new laptops now released there would be no reason to continue to offer the 61W power adaptor (although you might be able to purchase one from Apple if you contacted them, as a 'replacement part' that is probably still available even if not listed on their website. But why get that one if you can get one of the newer ones?)

With all that said, if you want to purchase a new / additional power adaptor for your MacBook then get one of the new and greater capacity ones. Either 67W or 96W will work fine with your MacBook. Even the 140W would be fine. The MacBook will only charge at the rate that the battery is suited for (the bigger ones may be more than what you need now, but who knows what you might have in the future?)

If you want to be absolutely sure, check on one of the following pages under 'Compatibility':



 

Sikh

macrumors 6502a
Mar 8, 2011
548
320
The one thing apple is REALLY good at is power. You dont have to power about using a beefier / bigger power brick at all. The power management chip inside the macbooks are done really well and will only accept as much power as they need.

If you are curious, you can find the difference between a aftermarket magsafe 1/2 power adapter and a Apple one. There's a in depth explanation at whats different besides the hardware. It does a great job explaining why when people used "15 inch" chargers on their 13" in the past, it didnt do any damage to the battery.

I would do what phil suggested and get the 96 or 140 and future proof yourself.
 
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