XPS 15, charge through any USB-C port?

Question

Can I charge the XPS 15 through any usb c port or just through the one specified with the power symbol. Is it slower to charge through the other ones?

jphughan · Accepted Answer

@rojer9 I'm not a electrical engineer, but I suspect that when a system's circuitry is designed for a certain wattage, there's only so far below that design wattage that it can use even when it's asleep. The MacBook Pro is designed for 87W, and the ThinkPad T4xx series are probably designed for 45W-65W, whereas the XPS 15 is designed for 130W. As a percentage, that's a significant increase even over the MacBook Pro's 87W. The fact that the XPS 15 requires 20V charging could also be an issue in the specific case of trying to use a phone charger, which very likely only supports 5V and 9V charging modes. However, I believe I remember reading that the XPS 15 won't work with 45W chargers, even the ones that support 20V output.

But in terms of your dilemma, if there's some item of luggage that you always take with you, then you might consider buying a 60W USB-C charger dedicated to that item of luggage, replacing even your phone charger that you apparently remembered to take with you. The new generation of GaN (gallium nitride) chargers means that they're significantly smaller than they were in the past. Here is one such charger available in both black and white. Or if you want a bit more functionality, I personally keep this Satechi multi-port charger in the travel backpack that ALWAYS accompanies me on travel, so I don't have to worry about forgetting my charger because it's always in the item that I always travel with -- and that charger is outstanding in its own right. The 60W USB-C port is enough for at least basic charging on laptops, the 18W USB-C port is enough to charge my iPhone at max speed, and then I use one USB-A port for my watch and the other one for either my earbuds, work headset, or USB battery pack, none of which need to be charged every night.

robert p · Answer

Hi x_lenny_x,

Thanks for posting. Hopefully your system is performing as expected.

Here are two posts from the Dell Community Forum that may be helpful:

How do I charge my XPS 15 9550 through the type c port?

Charging xps 15 using usb-c

If you're still needing assistance and the system is under warranty, You may contact me privately. Be sure to include your personal information (name, address, telephone, email) and your computer's service tag number in your message. Thanks.

If there is no warranty, then you could contact our Out of Warranty team to get a quote for a paid service request.

jphughan · Answer

It sounds like you're referring to the XPS 15 9575 2-in-1? There have been several XPS 15 models over the years, fyi. In this particular case the ambiguity doesn't matter because only the 9575 has more than one USB-C/TB3 port, but in general it's a good idea to specify your exact model. Anyway, looking at the Setup and Specifications manual for that system on support.dell.com, the USB-C ports on the left have identical descriptions, so you should be able to use either one. The description for the port on the right also mentions two-way USB Power Delivery, so it can probably be used too. The only difference in the description I can see is that if you attach a peripheral that wants to draw power, it only supplies up to 7.5W, whereas the ports on the left supply 15W (5V at 3A), but that wouldn't necessarily affect what happens when you're using that port to charge the system.

For what it's worth, several laptops on the market can be charged through more than one USB-C port, but one of them typically still gets a special charging icon next to it simply to avoid calls to customer service where people ask, "Which one should I use?" And if Dell marked all of them that way, they'd probably get at least some people calling in to ask, "Are these ports different? Or do I need to connect a charger to each of these ports at the same time?"

Jam-jam-jam · Answer

I have 2 Dell 2-in-1s that continually broke, exact same issue.

rojer9 · Answer

hi David

it is clear that XPS 15 won't even consider drawing power from a USB-PD adapter below 60W. the stated reason is that it cannot sustain the machine when operating and experience would be sub-par. that's understandable.

however, the fact that it won't do it when suspended or even when the power is completely off, is less so.

other laptops i have experience with (mac book pro, lenovo t4xx) do support it and i find it really helpful on my when i sometimes forget the AC adapter when traveling.

i'm writing this in just such a situation - had to leave in a hurry, forgot the charger, now the battery is running out and tomorrow i will have to hustle to get a charger first thing in the morning.

yet, i have a decent USB-C phone charger with me and it could probably charge my laptop overnight to a level if only it'd allow it...

all in all, not a great experience.

XPS

XPS 15, charge through any USB-C port?

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