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I have one curious question. Currently, I'm using the Anker Powerport+ 5 ports usb-c to charge my Macbook pro 2017 15 inches. The power delivery in the system report is 45W . Is it safe for the long run if I continue using this, the apple charger is quite big for travel.

Thanks

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  • If you are receiving 45W from the adapter, your macbook battery isn't being charged, right? This will not damage your Mac, but you may notice the battery may still deplete when using it. Oct 20, 2017 at 4:03
  • Hi @KarloA.López, actually my macbook is still charging, only it's slower than using the 85W from Apple. I don't know whether it will affect the battery or not Oct 20, 2017 at 5:27

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Yes, it will be safe.

When using lower capacity chargers the risk is primarily to the charger, not to your MacBook Pro. However, it's mainly only quite low capacity chargers (e.g. those used for some smartphones, etc) that are going to be at risk.

In the case of the Anker PowerPort+ 5 Ports USB-C, it's actually a 60W USB wall charger and is specifically designed to charge devices such as your MacBook. According to their product description page, it is designed to charge the MacBook at a full 29W speed-almost twice as fast as a standard USB-C charge (note that by standard they're not referring to Apple's MBP chargers).

What you will find in comparison to your Apple charger is that it will charge the battery slower. How much slower will depend on a number of variables, such as whether your computer is sleeping/shutdown or whether it's actively being used. And, if it is being used, it will depend on what you're doing. If you're doing CPU intensive tasks (e.g. video editing, playing graphics intensive games, etc) then it will charge slower again.

However, in a nutshell, your MBP battery will be totally fine.

Finally, you may be interested in reading up on what Apple says about it's batteries. And you may find coconutBattery useful. It provides a whole heap of information that you'll find useful, and from memory includes both Discharging with and Charging with measurements in watts!

NOTE: I am not affiliated with coconutBattery in any way.

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