How to Charge Your Laptop With USB-C

Looking for a hiccup-free USB-C charging experience? Here's what you need to know.

- BRIAN WESTOVER

Those sleek oval-shaped USB-C ports seem to be everywhere these days. They've become ubiquitous on smartphones and tablets, and they regularly show up on laptop and desktop PCs, too. But if you're in the market for a new laptop, you might be surprised to see them being used for charging (in place of a dedicated power port), in addition to being used for connecting peripherals. How common is it? Nearly half of the best laptops we recommend feature USB-C charging.

Among those that do, though, the feature has nuances that can vary from model to model. Different charging options may be available, and you won't see any standard specs or labels on today's laptops that indicate what form the charger may take or which USB-C ports are used for charging. And that's before we get into variations around matters such as bandwidth, feature support, and total wattage.

From the basics of USB-C to the cool features and sometimes-confusing aspects of the format, here is your explainer for everything USB-C as it relates to laptops.

WHAT IS USB-C?

USB-C (often referred to as USB Type-C) specifically describes the kind of physical USB connector used on a couple of different USB formats. The connector was first revealed back in 2014 by the USB Implementers Forum. Developed alongside the USB 3.1 specification that same year, the small connector was a major departure from the USB plugs used at the time.

Instead of a blocky, rectangular plug end, USB-C uses a rounded profile. And the 24 pins inside are laid out in such a way that you can plug it in upside-down, a feature the older USB-A standard didn't support.