While the type-A USB cable can exchange a decent chunk of data, it’s not compatible with transferring large amounts of power, especially the energy needed to charge a laptop battery. Many older phones and devices still use USB-A to micro-B cables, and these cables are still floating around, so asking to borrow someone’s USB charger will likely result in them handing you a USB-A to micro-B charger rather than a USB-C. So, it’s essential to understand that using any other USB cable other than USB-C, such as USB-A or USB-B, is a non-starter. These other standards will not fit into a USB-C port, a skinny oval-shaped plug that doesn’t match those USB sizes. Micro-USB-B or micro-B cables are usually USB-A to micro-B and have more of a sideways D-shape with two prongs striking out on either side of the flat part of the plug. On the other hand, other USB cables, like the USB-A cables we use to plug-in devices such as mice and keyboards, have to be plugged in a certain way, which means you can’t plug them in upside down.

A USB C cable is a universal cable that’s oval-shaped, meaning there’s no wrong way to plug it in. One of the significant differences you’ll notice between USB-C cables and other USB cables is the shape. That said, many laptops, even those with proprietary power supplies, will allow you to charge using the USB-C ports with the proper settings. So, in those cases, you will not be able to charge your laptop using those USB-C ports. If your Lenovo laptop has a proprietary charger instead of a USB-C charger, the USB-C ports may only be for transmitting data or powering small devices off of your laptop. However, you should also remember that not all Lenevo laptops with USB-C ports allow for USB-C charging. We’ll show you three ways to charge your Lenevo laptop using a standard USB-C phone charger. Under these conditions, even a low-wattage charger is better than nothing. Listen, life happens, and sometimes you lose or just don’t have your laptop charger with you. He also said the company does not recommend using different chargers, “specifically” phone chargers, as they have lower wattages. However, a Lenovo representative cautioned against this practice, writing that the best USB-C adapters to use for his laptop is 45W or 65W. For example, one customer wrote in a Lenevo forum that he uses a 20-watt phone charger to charge his laptop. Why Lenovo DisapprovesĪs we mentioned, Lenovo doesn’t recommend using anything other than their official chargers to charge their laptops. Your laptop has to have a USB-C charging port.Īlso, Lenovo does not recommend doing this. You can technically charge your laptop with any USB-C charger. Can You Use A USB-C Phone Charger to Charge a Lenovo Laptop?

But can you use your USB-C phone charger to charge a Lenovo Laptop? We have the answer to that question and more. Even Apple changed their iPhones over to this standard. These days, most newer devices use USB-C. There’s still a lot of confusion surrounding the relatively new USB standard known as USB-C.

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