Have you ever plugged in your USB-C charging cable and wondered how much juice it’s actually pulling? You could always use a separate wattmeter, of course, but integrating a meter directly onto the cable itself is an even more convenient solution.
USB-C cables can currently charge up to 100 W and soon up to 240 W for supported devices. However, charging rates differ between devices and most don’t support charging speeds anywhere near 100 W. Thus, it helps to know exactly how much power a charging device is pulling from the cable so you can have a better idea of its charging rate.
The Baseus USB-C charging cable addresses this concern by integrating a watt display directly onto the cable itself. The cable is braided to resist hard bends, can output up to 100 W (20V/5A), can offer transfer rates of up to 480 Mbps, and is relatively long at 200 cm.
Based on our time with a sample provided by the manufacturer, the real-time LED readout on the cable is very quick as it refreshes about two times a second. Nonetheless, keep in mind that the readout is only on one end of the cable and it is only visible on one side. The display could therefore be upside-down or not visible at all depending on its orientation.
We tested the USB-C cable by connecting it to a Huawei Mate 10 Pro and then to a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G10. When connected to the Huawei smartphone, the cable would show a steady reading of 15 to 16 W which is what we expected from our 5V/3A AC adapter. Similarly, the cable would show 48 W when connected to our Lenovo laptop and a 15V/3A AC adapter.
If you’re looking to find out exactly how much power is going through your devices, then this is the $15 USD cable to invest in.
Allen Ngo – Lead Editor U.S. – 4993 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2011
After graduating with a B.S. in environmental hydrodynamics from the University of California, I studied reactor physics to become licensed by the U.S. NRC to operate nuclear reactors. There’s a striking level of appreciation you gain for everyday consumer electronics after working with modern nuclear reactivity systems astonishingly powered by computers from the 80s. When I’m not managing day-to-day activities and US review articles on Notebookcheck, you can catch me following the eSports scene and the latest gaming news.
Allen Ngo, 2022-12-14 (Update: 2022-12-14)
…. to be continued
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