Leaked by Apple itself more than two months ago and formally unveiled alongside the latest MacBook Air generation powered by an all-new M2 chip last week, Cupertino’s first-ever in-house dual USB-C charger is already up for grabs.
Designed primarily with said 13.6-inch laptop in mind, this versatile and speedy power adapter can obviously also be used in combination with a wide range of iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and all past and present AirPods editions.
The two ports will combine to deliver up to 35 watts of energy, which is certainly not bad (especially by Apple standards) but it also means you won’t be able to charge a pair of iPhone 13-series devices, for instance, at their highest supported speeds (of between 23 and 27W) simultaneously.
Still, this is a decidedly convenient and not-very-expensive Apple-made accessory that will set you back $59 in your choice of “standard” or compact models… with no actual cable included.
As you can imagine, it’s pretty easy to find solid and affordable third-party alternatives to both the charger itself and the necessary cables sold separately. A very well-reviewed 40W Anker Nano Pro power adapter with two USB-C ports of its own, for example, can be had for around half the price of Apple’s 35W charger on Amazon right now, while a 6-feet “New Nylon” USB-C cable 2-pack from the same company is also cheaper than Apple’s single 1m option.
Even with all that in mind (and many other such alternatives widely available nowadays), we’re fairly sure some of you will still choose to deal directly with your favorite smartphone, tablet, and smartwatch manufacturer, whom you trust more than anyone else in today’s tech landscape.
