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Saudi Arabia mandates all electronic devices to use USB-C charging ports from 2025
(www.gsmarena.com)
this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2023
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They don't mean laptops have to run off of a phone charger. It says they need USB-C charging ports. Many laptops already run power via a USB-C slot right now.
...and you can charge your phone with the laptop USB-C charger just fine.
Yeah, but that only works when your device uses less than 100W, because that’s what USB-C is currently rated for. Gaming laptops can easily use two or three times that amount while simply idling on the desktop. Once you start looking at GPU/CPU power requirements and active cooling, the power consumption quickly stacks up.
These devices usually have IEC power bricks with a fat barrel connector, because that’s what they require to be able to get enough wattage into the device. Requiring them to charge via USB-C is going to have them using two or three USB-C ports just to break even and avoid losing power. The power adapter would look like some weird fan-out adapter with one IEC power cable going in and three or four USB-C cables on the other end.
I’m laughing at the idea of a device having three or four USB-C ports, and not being able to use any of them for anything except charging.
USB-C has already standardized 240W charging. Apple already ships a 140W brick with their laptops since like a year or two ago, and Framework is shipping a 180W brick later this year.
Okay but that doesn't change the fact that many laptops have a USB-C port for charging now.
Of course, we've now learned that OP meant something a lot dumber about using phone chargers for laptops but this is a whole other imaginary situation OP has going on in their head.
So - like I know that many laptops charge from USB-C right now. The one I'm typing on does. Why do people seem to think they're smart in pointing this out?
So then what's the point? People will still be buying cheap USB chargers because, well, they're cheap. And they'll have the expensive one for their laptop. Problem....solved?
Nobody thinks they're smart in pointing it out, and it's weird that that's the impression you're getting. If anything, we're pointing it out because your comment reads like you have no idea that USB-C laptop chargers already exist. If you're looking for someone to blame, look inwards. It's your own imprecise language and poor writing skills that got you here.
But your actual concern isn't any better. It's still as inane as what you originally expressed. People having been using chargers for decades, and your argument is that all this knowledge will magically be erased because they mandated USB-C on devices causing people to try to charge their laptops, which come with dedicated chargers, with cheap $3 ones off Ali Express? How? Why? What different effect would a regulation like this coming from tech experts instead of politicians have when the problem appears to be suddenly-induced mass forgetfulness of how electricity works? This doesn't make any sense.
If your only concern with this regulation is that it somehow will enable someone dumb enough to see a USB-C port and think some cheap dollar store charger will power it, then you haven't realized that this dumb person has already done that without this regulation.
I charge my MacBook pro with a 40W Anker brick overnight. Works like a charm. Probably better for the device longevity too...