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2019 MacBook Pro 16 Inch with LG UltraFine 4K / 5K Display

I recently picked up the newest 2019 MacBook Pro 16 inch computer and have been considering picking up one of the UltraFine monitors from LG, but I have a question surrounding the display being able to power the MacBook. It seems the LG UltraFines were produced long before the new 16 inch MacBooks, so I made an assumption that the power supply specs from the monitor may not be as high as what the MacBook expects. I believe that this assumption is correct and that Apple actually recommends using the included charger on the MacBook 16 inch, if they are going to use the LG UltraFine monitor. So my actual question is, if the monitor is supplying power to the Mac and the charger is also supplying power to the Mac, will this cause some sort of "overpowering" to the battery and cause any damage? I'm not a battery expert, nor do I understand how the computer might be wired to understand that we don't want power from the monitor if we are plugged in via the computer's charger. I would hope that these two USB-C items (the monitor and the charger) could be connect simultaneously and safely, but I just want to be sure. Thank you.

Posted on Dec 23, 2019 5:58 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 23, 2019 7:10 PM

josephtlyons wrote:

...
if the monitor is supplying power to the Mac and the charger is also supplying power to the Mac, will this cause some sort of "overpowering" to the battery and cause any damage?
...
I would hope that these two USB-C items (the monitor and the charger) could be connect simultaneously and safely, but I just want to be sure. Thank you.

Yes, you connect both at once.

Yes, it works just fine.


NO, you can not depend on a power adapter smaller than the one required for your MacBook Pro.


This is because the MacBook Pro is designed to use ALL the power from the power adapter(s) and also to freely "borrow" power from the battery, on a moment-by-moment basis. Under intensive operation, you risk having the MacBook Pro over-draw the available power. This will cause it to do an emergency power-down to save itself from damage.

1 reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 23, 2019 7:10 PM in response to josephtlyons

josephtlyons wrote:

...
if the monitor is supplying power to the Mac and the charger is also supplying power to the Mac, will this cause some sort of "overpowering" to the battery and cause any damage?
...
I would hope that these two USB-C items (the monitor and the charger) could be connect simultaneously and safely, but I just want to be sure. Thank you.

Yes, you connect both at once.

Yes, it works just fine.


NO, you can not depend on a power adapter smaller than the one required for your MacBook Pro.


This is because the MacBook Pro is designed to use ALL the power from the power adapter(s) and also to freely "borrow" power from the battery, on a moment-by-moment basis. Under intensive operation, you risk having the MacBook Pro over-draw the available power. This will cause it to do an emergency power-down to save itself from damage.

2019 MacBook Pro 16 Inch with LG UltraFine 4K / 5K Display

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