We could soon see 240W USB-C laptop chargers, according to the CEO of Framework.
Framework, for the unfamiliar, is the company behind a bevy of modular laptops with replaceable and/or upgradeable parts. In a recent blog post, CEO Nirav Patel outlined the details of the new 180W charger that will ship with the company’s Framework Laptop 16. That marks one of the first 180W laptop chargers out there — so far, chargers have topped out around 140W.
Now you might be wondering what the company’s new 180W charger has to do with 240W chargers. Well, the Laptop 16 can potentially draw more power than that — according to Patel, those who “have a Graphics Module installed, set [their] OS to maximum performance mode, and run a sustained heavy load” can still draw power from the battery even when the Laptop 16 is plugged into the 180W charger. Patel says the Laptop 16 will work with 240W adapters so that customers can “bring [their] own 240W one instead.”
Moreover, speaking with The Verge, Patel said that “the silicon to enable these [240W chargers] is now available,” and he anticipates third-party brands to launch them soon. And Patel isn’t wrong — after all, the USB spec has been capable of pumping 240W through a USB-C cable for a while now. It’s just a matter of getting the charging bricks on par, and it seems like we’re getting close.
Image credit: Framework
