I have a New Trent NT120R PowerPak Xtreme 5V@2A-1A Dual USB Charger (12000mAh). Can I use this external battery to recharge my 2015 MacBook? I have the necessary Apple brand USB-A to USB C adapter.
iBook, Mac OS X (10.7.5), iBook Author 2.0
Great. I think I can finally answer my original question: Get a 10,000mAH Portable Charger that is Apple approved. There are a number of these available but I haven't found one that will plug directly (without an adapter) into the USB C port that was introduced with the new MacBook 2005. But it sounds like they will be available at some point.
Battery pack's internal circuits normally include protection features to avoid to receive energy from the device to be charged. If the max delivery current of the battery pack is not enough for the device (in this case the MacBook) it will only be partially charged or not charged at all.
Reportedly, Anker will ("Coming Soon") offer 3 models of USB Type-C batteries that are presumably USB PD compliant and could therefore be used to charge a 2015 MacBook. (http://www.ianker.com/pages/usbc/#tabBdItem2)
Anker PowerCore+ USB-C 10050, USB-C 20100, and USB-C 26800. I suspect similar USB-C PD-compliant battery products from other companies won't be far behind.
The ChugPlug represents a very different - but interesting - twist on backup battery power. It might work with the 2015 MacBook power adapter but it is not a "USB Power Delivery" compliant device. It's not a USB device at all. It's a battery that apparently provides 100~250V electric power to (some-but-not-all-models-of) MacBook's AC power adapter - which then connects to the MacBook via MagSafe, as usual. i.e. the Chugplug replaces a wall outlet (mains power) - not the MacBook's AC-DC converter/charger. But Lenmar does not (yet?) claim the Chugplug is compatible with the 2015 MacBook (although perhaps it is compatible and they simply haven't updated their specs yet?). A bit expensive and bulky perhaps but - an interesting concept and there appear to be many good reviews on Amazon.com
http://www.lenmar.com/chugplug
"…DC Output Spec 120-250VDC"
"...Compatible with all 45W and 60W MacBook’s:
11” MacBook Air Up to 4 additional hours
13” MacBook Air Up to 3 additional hours
13” MacBook Pro Up to 3 additional hours"
Thank you for pointing that out, Bill!
I just searched Amazon to see if these products are available now, and found the Anker PowerCore 20,000mAh Power Bank that is compatible with the 2015 Macbook via USB C here:
You do need your USB A-to-USB C cable, as one does not come with the power bank. From the product description:
"Compatible with the new 12 inch MacBook, 2015 (USB-C cable needed), Apple and Android smartphones, tablets (including the Nexus 7) and other USB-charged devices except for the iPod nano, iPod Classic, HP TouchPad, Dell Venue 11 Pro, Asus tablets and some GPS and Bluetooth devices."
I'm going to buy one of these and test it out. Keep in mind that if your Macbook is in fact using 29W (2A @ 14.5V) while you're using it, and if your power bank only puts out 10 watts of power at 5V (2A), you'll only increase the MacBook's time-until-empty by a small amount. Hopefully, the Macbook uses <10W when not plugged into the wall, which would mean that you might be able to use the Macbook and charge it up using a 10W power bank.
How did the Anker Power Core perform? I have the Macbook 12 and I am a bit disappointed with the battery life.
You are not exactly correct.
Apple uses 14.5V @ 2A to make 29W, not 5V @ 5.5A.
ANKER USB-C 20100 comes with USB C to USB C, miscroUSB to USB 2.0 cable and also USB 2.0 to USB C cable.
So no worries about the cables!
Using USB external battery to charge MacBook 2015
