Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing

You’ll have to pay extra for the new MacBook Pro’s fast charging feature

David Matthews
By

Apple finally introduced its redesigned MacBook Pro line that brought many features that professionals and prosumers alike will definitely enjoy. One of those features is ability to get at least 50% charge after only 30 minutes of fast charging. However, the catch is that the ability to fast charge comes at an additional cost.

The base model 14-inch MacBook Pro ships with the 67W USB-C adapter. The problem is that it isn’t enough to actually fast charge the base model. To take advantage of Apple’s impressive fast charging, buyers must pay an extra $20 for the 96W USB-C power adapter. While $20 doesn’t seem like much (especially if you’re paying $2,000 or more for a laptop), it’s disappointing that one of the marquee features of the new MacBook Pro is still an extra charge.

2021 MacBook Pro power adapter option.

Many customers who purchase Apple’s base model MacBook Pro may not realize that the included 67W charger won’t fast charge their shiny new laptop. Apple’s website says that the 96W charger is a “free upgrade” if customers opt for the model with the 10-core M1 Pro chip, but that’s a $200 upgrade. The irony is that because Apple’s M1 chips are so powerful and efficient, many people may opt to just get the base 8-core M1 Pro instead of the more powerful 10-core.

Related

This isn’t the only time Apple removed an important feature in base Mac models. The base 24-inch M1 iMac does not have the power adapter with the gigabit ethernet jack built in. That upgrade will set you back around $30. Again, it’s not that $30 is particularly expensive given how much the iMac already costs, it’s the principle of removing such a basic feature and selling it back as a paid “upgrade.”

Recommended Videos

By all accounts, the new MacBook Pro models provide the best price to performance out of any laptop out there. The M1 Pro and M1 Max chips are game changers that vastly outshine even the already impressive M1 chips. Early benchmarks for the M1 Max reveal a nearly 60% increase in performance compared to last year’s M1 chips. It’s just a shame that Apple continues to nickel and dime customers for access to advertised features.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
David Matthews
David Matthews
Computing Writer
David is a freelance journalist based just outside of Washington D.C. specializing in consumer technology and gaming. He has…
Apple’s next MacBooks and iPads could be in serious trouble
The MacBook Pro open on a wooden table.

Hype has been growing for Apple’s upcoming M3 chips, which are expected to splash down in a slate of Macs and iPads later this year. Yet one leaker has come along to spoil the party and has claimed that we won’t see anything of the sort until 2024.

That idea comes from Twitter leaker Revegnus, who tweeted that there would be “No M3 Mac or iPad for this year.” That will be disappointing news to anyone looking forward to laying their hands on the latest and greatest Apple silicon chips in the coming months.

Read more
The next MacBook Air could come with a major disappointment
A MacBook Air on a desk with an open book in front of it.

It’s something of an open secret that Apple is working on a couple of fresh MacBook Air models, including an all-new 15-inch MacBook Air. Many details about these devices have been shrouded in mystery, but a prominent analyst has just shed some much-needed light on them -- and it’s not all good news.

Posting on Twitter, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo updated his previous predictions for Apple’s lightweight laptop. In the new post, Kuo outlined a slate of ideas for what could be coming next.

Read more
Your next MacBook Air could be even faster than expected
The Apple MacBook Pro 14 laptop propped up at an angle on a desk.

Apple’s upcoming 15-inch MacBook Air could be launching sooner than expected, which is encouraging for anyone who has been waiting for this much-rumored device. But the good news doesn’t end there, as it could also get a sizeable chip upgrade that would leave rival devices in the dust.

For months, it had been suggested that Apple was working on a new 15-inch version of the MacBook Air that was going to be released at a spring event. However, now that Apple has announced it will host its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) -- but not a spring event -- it seems that the latter isn’t happening. That suggests the 15-inch MacBook Air will have to wait until WWDC before seeing the light of day.

Read more