What are the minimum requirements to charge the 2016 MacBook Pros?
As the MacBook Pro 2016 series supports various USB PD profiles, I'm wondering whether they will also charge using other USB standards, for example:
- USB Type-C, 1.5A or 3.0A at 5V using the passive marking resistor (not PD)
- USB Type-A using an A to C cable, connected to a USB BC DCP at up to 1.5 A (for example newer iPhone or most Android compatible chargers)
- USB Type-A, connected to an iPad charger at 2.1 A or 2.4 A (using Apple's proprietary D+/D- voltage handshake)
I'm aware that most of these will not be able to supply enough power for normal operation of the computer, but being able to charge slowly while in standby would still be useful.
Solution 1:
After some experimentation with a 2016 15" MBP, it seems that they are very flexible:
A USB charger capable of 5 V, 2.4 A proprietary Apple signalling was recognized as providing 12 W of power, and an iPhone charger (which complies the USB BC specification) was shown as providing 5 W. The Nexus 5X charger, which provides USB-C 5 V, 3 A charging, was also correctly recognized as providing 15 W.
The power settings were showing these as "not charging" with the Mac running, but it turns out that even the large 15" MBP is capable of slowly charging from the tiny 5 V, 1 A adapter (it went up by about 2% after charging in sleep mode for about half an hour).
Solution 2:
I was able to charge my MBP 2017 with the Nintendo Switch power supply, which offers a dual 5V-1.5A / 15V-2.6A output. MacBook negotiates the 15V output and gets 39W of power, which charged my Mac in approximately 3 hours while using it.
Just in case someone lands in this page while trying to find alternatives to a forgotten power supply 😅
Solution 3:
I know this post is old but I wanted to add my 2 cents. While it is true that while using your macbook pro, you should use their recommended 61w or 87w (13 or 15 inch respectively) charger. If you are in a situation like mine where you have bought a new charger online because you lost your old one, and you are desperate for a charge even if it is overnight while the laptop is powered off, I have found that my 15w samsung adaptive fast charging brick and included type c cable can provide a trickle charge to boost battery life. I think I was able to charge 15% in 2 hours while not turned off or while in sleep mode. Definitely do not recommend and should only be used in emergencies, but the option is there. Not sure if this is what OP meant but this is a situation I have found myself in and I referenced this post to see if any ideas were here. Didn't find this exact suggestion but similar comments led me to try it and it worked.
TL;DR Use a 15w phone charger to trickle charge your macbook pro when it is turned off. Thank you, hold your applause.