Wattage 432 Macbook Pro 15 2018

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Level 1

15 points

Wattage 432 Macbook Pro 15 2018

Hi everyone,

So this happened when I was checking my system information while my Macbook Pro 15'' 2018 was charging through the top left USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port.

I checked the Power and under AC Charger Information I got this:

Connected: Yes

ID: 0x1656

Wattage (W): 432

Immediately I disconnected the cable and tried the other three ports and the wattage was 86, as expected...

I don't imagine this is normal at all and I already contacted Apple Support, but I'm still waiting on their feedback.

Has this happened to anyone? Or no one has noticed it yet? Is it a hardware issue? USB mode apparently only provides the usual 500 mA it's supposed to and when I connect my mouse to that same port, it shows:

Current Available (mA): 500

Current Required (mA): 98

Everything is Apple hardware (charger, cable, etc) and it's connected to a Surge Protection outlet...

Thanks in advance for any ideas you might have.

MacBook Pro TouchBar and Touch ID, macOS High Sierra (10.13.6)

Posted on Oct 3, 2018 6:01 PM

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Answer 1

Oct 31, 2018 2:19 PM in response to Authority.wL

I updated to macOS 10.14.1 (18B75) and the wattage is reporting normal now… So far, monitors seem to be stable, but it’s only been a few minutes. I’ll keep an eye on it for the next day or so…

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Answer 2

oatawa1

Level 1

9 points

Oct 18, 2018 8:46 PM in response to melgapin

I also have the same issue (Top left usb-c port) on MacBookPro 15" 2018.
Another problem after I charged my Mac only via that port. My battery health reduced to 96% in just 5 cycles.

I had contacted with the apple support via chat.

The answer are

It is a characteristic with this particular Mac model.
No need to worry, though. Your Mac is perfectly fine.
The port you were using is a dedicated hardware port, which means that everything, your screen, touchpad, touch bar is connected to that port, which makes the wattage seem high.

Their suggestion are

I would just use the other port and you should be ok.
If you are using your Mac and want to charge at the same time, use a different port.

By the way, I am not so happy about that though.
How come I cannot charge my Mac with one of my port that located on the upper left (same place as MacSafe), which I get used to it since the previous one.

Apple please fix this, hope it's just the software bug that shows incorrect wattage.

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Answer 3

nbbhugo

Level 1

19 points

Nov 6, 2018 3:32 AM in response to melgapin

Same for me.

Updating to 10.14.1 fixed the issue.

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Answer 4

melgapin Author

Level 1

15 points

Oct 5, 2018 11:27 AM in response to tingyu66

An update:

So I received a call from Apple support and the answer was: It's the hardware dedicated port. Everything (screen, touchpad, touch bar, etc) is connected to that port and, also, it's the recommended port to connect and supposedly power your Thunderbolt Display.

To be honest I don't feel 100% confident connecting anything to it. It took Apple Support a while to come up with that explanation and so far only only you, tingyu66, appear to have the same problem...

Meanwhile I'll use the other ports and wait for a definite answer. I'm sure that very few people take their time exploring System Information as soon as they buy a new Mac, but if it's an issue, we won't be the only ones complaining.

Good luck!

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Answer 5

Oct 25, 2018 1:47 PM in response to melgapin

Same Problem... Also, using CalDigit TS3 Plus dock, my monitors seem to be less stable on that port... Troubleshooting that issue, I found the wattage reported to be abnormal. Stopped by the apple store today, they're escalating to the engineering team; I also pointed out that all of their 2018 display models were affected as well with the wattage mismatch when using any power-source (87w, 61w, etc) on the top left Thunderbolt 3 port. My 2016, and my co-workers 2017 models do not have this issue... appears to be only the 2018 models...

AC Charger Information:

Connected: Yes

Wattage (W): 326

Charging: No

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Answer 6

melgapin Author

Level 1

15 points

Nov 2, 2018 4:06 PM in response to Authority.wL

Whataya know? Problem solved!!!

Not before having a huge installation freeze and having to call Apple support and erase my entire volume...

But totally worth the trouble (I have about 20 backups so it was just a mega time-consuming hassle, not some hair-pulling catastrophe...) just to have the peace of mind of reading 86 watts in system information.

Thanks everyone and you, in particular, Authority.wL!

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Answer 7

oatawa1

Level 1

9 points

Nov 1, 2018 4:21 AM in response to Authority.wL

The 10.14.1 solved mine too

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Answer 8

nbbhugo

Level 1

19 points

Oct 18, 2018 8:23 AM in response to melgapin

Hi,

I have the same issue. I even went to an apple store to check their mac on display and they have the same issue.

Happening on the top left usb-c port on all MacBooks i tested (2018, 13" touch bar with i7)

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Answer 9

melgapin Author

Level 1

15 points

Oct 18, 2018 8:33 AM in response to nbbhugo

Hi there,

Thanks for the info. It's starting to sound more and more like a feature instead of an issue. I just wish Apple mentioned it openly in their manuals or their site. Something like "the top left thunderbolt 3 port of your macbook pro has different wattage than the other 3 ports, this is because...".

It would definitely keep Apple's most curious users, who like to check "under the hood", from having unnecessary heart-attacks.

Thanks once again.

MJ

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Answer 10

melgapin Author

Level 1

15 points

Oct 18, 2018 9:00 PM in response to oatawa1

Hey,

Yeah I'm kinda with you on that one. Was used to using that port because of Magsafe location. I'm definitely not using it to charge my MacPro now, since I detected the issue. I didn't get battery health problems, though. Guess I stopped using at just the right time... Only time will tell.

If it's an issue, please Apple, solve it. I'm not about to settle with losing one port of a $2500 computer. Nor do I want to arrive to the conclusion in a few years time (probably when my warranty/Apple Care period is over, because it's Murphy's Law...) that I invested my money in an expensive paperweight...

That already happened with my Macbook Pro 15 Early 2011 and Apple didn't help me with that one either...

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Answer 11

nbbhugo

Level 1

19 points

Oct 19, 2018 7:10 AM in response to oatawa1

Hi oatawa1, Regarding your battery health, I would not worry about it too much as it could simply be due to the battery calibration. Using a mac constantly plugged in could result in that. You can calibrate your battery and see the battery health change by simply drain your MacBook to about 10% and recharge completely. Your MacBook battery should be rated for 1000 cycles (discharge/recharge). You can track that to get info on battery health

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Answer 12

tingyu66

Level 1

4 points

Oct 5, 2018 9:43 AM in response to melgapin

I found the same problem on my 2018 MBP 15'' base model running 10.14 Mojave.

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Wattage 432 Macbook Pro 15 2018

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