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December 3rd, 2020 10:00
Charger compatibility between 2020 XPS models
Without having had a chance to look at the BIOS yet (the computer has yet to be delivered), if the new 2020 XPS 17 9700 Dell Charger (130W USB C) is used to charge a new 2020 XPS 13 2in1 9310, will it cause damage? The XPS 13 may throttle the power delivery from the 130W charger, but it won't cause damage, correct? The new XPS 13 ships with a 45w USB C charger. The goal is to be able to leave the XPS 13 charger in the travel bag and utilize the 130W XPS 17 charger I already have to charge while at home.
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jphughan
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December 3rd, 2020 11:00
@73driver That will be completely fine. Even before USB-C power sources, it was perfectly fine to use higher wattage Dell AC adapters with systems designed for lower wattage sources. I've had a 130W Dell adapter in my living room for over a decade and have used it with systems designed for 45-130W without a single problem. But USB-C chargers use the USB PD spec, which is designed to deal with this situation. Very basically, the power source advertises the voltages and power levels it supports, and then if the attached device wants power, it's allowed to choose from among those options that were offered. This design prevents the power source from sending a voltage level that the attached device doesn't support, and it also prevents the device being charged from trying to draw more power than the source is designed to provide.