PSA: the MacBook Pro 14-inch’s $20 energy brick upsell might be price it

If you’re looking to buy the $1,999 base mannequin MacBook Pro 14-inch, there’s one improve that you could be actually need to make — the $20 one which will get you the 96W energy adapter as a substitute of the 67W included energy adapter. That’s as a result of, in line with some wording on Apple’s MacBook Pro configuration page (spotted by MacRumors), you’ll want the extra highly effective charger if you wish to make the most of the pc’s quick charging characteristic, which may cost the laptop computer as much as 50 % in half an hour.

Is it ridiculous that Apple is principally taxing the individuals who need to purchase its least costly (however nonetheless very dear!) new MacBook Pro? Yes, completely — however you need to nonetheless in all probability pay it if you wish to cost your laptop computer up shortly. The exception is that if you have already got a charging brick able to 100W USB-PD energy supply: Apple tells The Verge you could quick cost by way of Thunderbolt so long as your energy brick supplies sufficient energy. If you have already got a beefy energy brick, you may skip the upsell.

I do know it in all probability doesn’t really feel nice to encourage Apple’s nickel-and-diming, however if you need quick charging, this may doubtless be one of the best ways to get it. There could also be, someplace on this planet, a 100W USB-PD charging brick that sells for $20, however there’s no means I’d belief it sufficient to cost a really costly pc. (If it was $20, I won’t even belief it to not burn down my home). I’d choose the upsell.

The one silver lining is that that is solely an issue on the bottom 8 CPU core / 14 GPU core mannequin — when you do any processor upgrades, you’ll get the 96W brick for “free.” Please be aware, although, that upgrading simply the RAM and/or storage on the bottom MacBook Pro received’t get you that improve, however when you’re within the configuration display in any case, you need to completely examine that field except you hate quick charging.