Making Sense of Type-C™ and Power Delivery (PD)

Just because your smartphone or tablet didn't come with a USB Type-C™ charging cable doesn’t mean it isn’t PD-enabled and able to take advantage of all the benefits associated with PD. Let’s discuss the details!

In a nutshell, Power Delivery is a revolutionary technology that supplies a high level of power, delivering faster, safer charging to PD-enabled devices such as phones, tablets and laptops. The catch?  You need 3 elements to make it work:

• A PD-enabled smartphone or tablet (see list below)
• A Type-C connector on your charging cable to accommodate the higher level of power without damaging or overheating your device.  For example, you can purchase a Lightning-to-C cable for Apple devices
• A USB PD-enabled charger such as the Leviton USB Type-C with Power Delivery In-Wall Charger Outlet, which provides up to 30 watts of power on a single port!

The advantage of an in-wall charger? You DON’T need an adapter (brick).  The Type-C connector inserts directly into the port on the USB outlet.

The following is a list of smartphones and tablets that are PD-enabled*:

So if you’ve already upgraded to the latest phone, tablet or laptop – or plan to do so in the near future – be sure to upgrade your charging cable to one that has a Type-C connector and upgrade your USB Charger device to a Leviton USB Type-C with Power Delivery In-Wall Charger Outlet to get the fastest, safest charge.  There’s no time to waste!

For more detailed information on USB charging technology, check out our “Charging Technology From A to PD” blog.

*This is not a complete listing of PD-enabled devices.  If you are unsure if your device is PD-enabled, please contact the manufacturer directly.

** Need to ensure that the charging adapter that came with the device can reach that power level.