iPad Pro Still a 20W charger even for 1TB model?

[smirking]

I guess what I’m also kinda complaining about is why is Apple‘s 20W charger so HUGE! Look at the small-size that Anker has/had provided for 30W;

Two possible reasons. Apple may be sitting on a huge pile of those chargers. The small ones Anker sells are newer GaN (Galidium Nitride) chargers that can be made denser.

My MBP uses a 96W charger, but when I travel I only bring a single 20W charger. Thats really all I need (when I’m not doing more intense stuff) to keep both my laptop and iPhone charged up.

20W should work fine for an iPad. If you feel like you need the more powerful one, I think that’s an upgrade option.

 

[Andrey84]

My guess is they’ve got a pile of 20Ws hanging around, and once they sell all those off (and the economies of scale make it just as cheap) they’ll start replacing them with smaller GaN chargers like the 35W one you can get with the MacBook Air.

This is my thinking also. I had the same query with my new iPhone 16 Pro. It can take up to 25W, but the best brick Apple provides is just 20W.
With the iPad Pro, the difference is more stark, 30W charging capability vs 20W brick.

@msackey, are you actually having problems because of this though? I.e. do you have to wait for your iPad to charge?
iPhone 16 Pro charges VERY FAST with a 15W Apple MagSafe charger, so I assume 20W charging for the iPad Pro shouldn't be too bad.
In the worst case scenario, buy a Belkin 45W or faster charger dual- or triple-port. The dual-port version costs just £30 in the UK.

 

[TechnoMonk]

Either you’re being sarcastic or you meant “trivial” as opposed to “non-trivial”.

Either way, it is baffling, I think, that the charger is so large when smaller ones can be made even if just for 20W.

Sure it’s trivial, but so are many things. And Apple could do better. Or heck, why bother. Just throw in those 5W cube charger that Apple used to include for phones and call it a day. 5W can charge an iPad after all, as long as it’s asleep and in low power mode. 🤷🏻

You don’t like the charger, don’t use it. You can always return the iPad Pro if it is a deal breaker and you can’t get a smaller one. If the charger isnt enough for iPad Pro, it would be a wide spread issue. Heck what good is iPad Pro if charger wasn’t working. Go for a walk, enjoy life. Nitpicking isn’t good for mental health. I can complain about every little device/person I interact with if I want to nitpick.

 

[TechnoMonk]

Two possible reasons. Apple may be sitting on a huge pile of those chargers. The small ones Anker sells are newer GaN (Galidium Nitride) chargers that can be made denser.

My MBP uses a 96W charger, but when I travel I only bring a single 20W charger. Thats really all I need (when I’m not doing more intense stuff) to keep both my laptop and iPhone charged up.

20W should work fine for an iPad. If you feel like you need the more powerful one, I think that’s an upgrade option.

Pretty much what I do. My 16 MBP has 140 W mag safe charger. But I use a 20-30W car charger if MBP is plugged in on long drives. I use the 20 W iPad Pro charger if I am on the move for MBP, holds the charge well. Not sure what OP is doing the 20 W isn’t enough for iPad Pro.

 

[msackey]

The amount of storage included in the iPad doesn't have much to do with how much power the device needs to charge.

Thanks, I didn't think it would but just in case it does, I included the information. As I had noted earlier in a different reply (to someone else, I think) I was quite surprised to find out that the current iPad Pro M4's RAM, and number and kind of cores actually differ whether you have the 1Tb vs. those with less storage than that. I would not have guessed that AT ALL.

 

[msackey]

Also, the iPhone 11 Pro/Max included an 18W fast charger. This was the only iPhone model to include a fast charging power adapter, well above the garbage 5W blocks of old, and then Apple stopped including adapters with iPhone 12.

I guess those cube 5W blocks weren't so bad for the earlier devices, but they did soon become pretty garbage for later models.

That said, I have to say I LOVE the compact size. I think for me, I want a compact charger that a) doesn't block other outlets on the wall (many compact chargers the size of a flat square do block), and b) provide ample wattage so that the device can fast charge.

 

[msackey]

You don’t like the charger, don’t use it. You can always return the iPad Pro if it is a deal breaker and you can’t get a smaller one. If the charger isnt enough for iPad Pro, it would be a wide spread issue. Heck what good is iPad Pro if charger wasn’t working. Go for a walk, enjoy life. Nitpicking isn’t good for mental health. I can complain about every little device/person I interact with if I want to nitpick.

Hmm...ok.

 

[tonykariotis]

I'm not sure why the chosen storage capacity would be relevant to the included power supply wattage at all.

This.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Ok, this sounds really nutty. So Apple is still providing a 20W charger with an iPad Pro M4 1Tb model? Am I just not reading correctly or is Apple kinda insane? Furthermore, the 20W brick is rather large, especially these days for a 20W. WTH Apple?

There’s little difference in charging speed between 20W and 30W for the iPad Pro.

Ultimate Guide to iPad Charger Wattage - Jackery

Charging an iPad will depend on its wattage consumption and how often you need it. This Jackery article reveals everything about iPad charger wattage and how to choose the best one to charge different sizes of iPad.

www.jackery.com

The iPad Pro can get to 100% 30 minutes faster with 30W.

 

[Crow_Servo]

It’s definitely odd that Apple only includes a 20W charger with the iPads across the board, and I agree it does seem physically larger than it has to be, but it’s also a little surprising they still include one at all.

Maybe they include a charger with the iPad (and not the iPhone) because non-iPhone (or even non-smartphone) users still sometimes choose the iPad over an android tablet, and Apple sells less iPads than iPhones, so it’s not as costly to include them.

 

[msackey]

There’s little difference in charging speed between 20W and 30W for the iPad Pro.

Ultimate Guide to iPad Charger Wattage - Jackery

Charging an iPad will depend on its wattage consumption and how often you need it. This Jackery article reveals everything about iPad charger wattage and how to choose the best one to charge different sizes of iPad.

www.jackery.com

The iPad Pro can get to 100% 30 minutes faster with 30W.

Thank you for the helpful information.

 

[JapanApple]

I own an M4 pro-iPad 1 TB. I bought mine While in the US. It supplies enough power for the 20-watt to the M4. Very Happy with it

 

[Thisismattwade]

I had hoped Apple would offer the 35W compact dual usb-c charger as purchase option on at least some of the new iPad Pro configurations, similar to what they do with the MacBook Air. I have one of those chargers, and it's really slick for my use - Watch and iPhone, and an iPad or MBA if necessary. They're also super convenient for travel.

(Another part of me wonders if they're gonna update that charger for more wattage with the new MagSafe charging rating.)

 

[msackey]

I had hoped Apple would offer the 35W compact dual usb-c charger as purchase option on at least some of the new iPad Pro configurations, similar to what they do with the MacBook Air. I have one of those chargers, and it's really slick for my use - Watch and iPhone, and an iPad or MBA if necessary. They're also super convenient for travel.

(Another part of me wonders if they're gonna update that charger for more wattage with the new MagSafe charging rating.)

Ditto! Ditto! Ditto!

I have similar lines of thought. For one thing, the iPad Pro at the 1Tb option already is quite expensive and it wouldn't seem to be a bad idea to offer the option of a 35W charger at NO ADDITIONAL COST. It's one way to sweeten the deal, I'd think. (And yes to those readers who said storage options does not affect wattage; I hear you.)

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I’m in USA and the “included” chargers are just cluttering my junk drawer. Who has just one device that needs charging?? All of my chargers are multi-port for iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods, Kindle, etc. and for some, my MacBook Pro as well.

 

[msackey]

@msackey, are you actually having problems because of this though? I.e. do you have to wait for your iPad to charge?
iPhone 16 Pro charges VERY FAST with a 15W Apple MagSafe charger, so I assume 20W charging for the iPad Pro shouldn't be too bad.
In the worst case scenario, buy a Belkin 45W or faster charger dual- or triple-port. The dual-port version costs just £30 in the UK.

To me, it’s less about having a problem.

The question, to me, is this: if Apple were to include a charger for iPad Pros (in the US), which it does, why include a 20W charger when something of a higher wattage provides faster charging and thus makes use of a capability the iPad Pro has. And it’s not as if Apple has to design a new charger for such a purpose. One already exists: the Apple 35W charger, for instance.

It would be different if Apple did not include a charger AT ALL. That would be a different equation and different query.

To put another way: I don’t have the same question iPad Pros sold in Europe as they do not include a charger at all. But I do have this question for iPad Pros sold in US (Canada too??) because they do include a charger.

 

[Crow_Servo]

To me, it’s less about having a problem.

The question, to me, is this: if Apple were to include a charger for iPad Pros (in the US), which it does, why include a 20W charger when something of a higher wattage provides faster charging and thus makes use of a capability the iPad Pro has. And it’s not as if Apple has to design a new charger for such a purpose. One already exists: the Apple 35W charger, for instance.

It would be different if Apple did not include a charger AT ALL. That would be a different equation and different query.

To put another way: I don’t have the same question iPad Pros sold in Europe as they do not include a charger at all. But I do have this question for iPad Pros sold in US (Canada too??) because they do include a charger.

35W would be perfect and would’ve saved me from buying a faster charger (45W, which is overkill for the iPad). I know, I know. Nobody made me buy the faster charger, but knowing the iPad Pro can charge above 30W prompted me to get the best charger for it that I could.

 

[msackey]

35W would be perfect and would’ve saved me from buying a faster charger (45W, which is overkill for the iPad). I know, I know. Nobody made me buy the faster charger, but knowing the iPad Pro can charge above 30W prompted me to get the best charger for it that I could.

Exactly. The capability is there. Why not use it, right?

Update: I'll further add the following too -- sometimes and especially during travel, fast charging is so helpful in my case. During travel (which happens several times in a year) my typical routine changes and I am likely using my devices more heavily in moments when it is not plugged in. Fast charging during various points of the day or even in the evening when I still need to be going about helps a lot with getting all my devices charged up as much as possible.

 

[Andrey84]

The question, to me, is this: if Apple were to include a charger for iPad Pros (in the US), which it does, why include a 20W charger when something of a higher wattage provides faster charging and thus makes use of a capability the iPad Pro has. And it’s not as if Apple has to design a new charger for such a purpose. One already exists: the Apple 35W charger, for instance.

Two people already replied to that - because they have a surplus of the 20W chargers. Not many people bought them. Once they run out of stock they will switch to more appropriate one. They do it because they can - they didn't make any promises about the iPad Pro charging speed.

 

[msackey]

Two people already replied to that - because they have a surplus of the 20W chargers. Not many people bought them. Once they run out of stock they will switch to more appropriate one. They do it because they can - they didn't make any promises about the iPad Pro charging speed.

That's all a guess about the surplus. I am rather doubtful of that though even though I did in years past think this might be the case.

In any case, this is all speculation and forums are for bantering too ;-)