RAVPower recently introduced a new 45W USB-C Power Adapter that uses eGaNFET circuitry allowing for an ultrathin design more portable than traditional USB-C power adapters.

Made from white plastic, the power adapter measures in at 2.8 inches long, 2.1 inches wide, and 0.56 inches thick. Compared to the 29/30W USB-C chargers for the MacBook and the MacBook Air, it's longer, but thinner.

ravpower1
The thinner design allows the power adapter to fit easily in a pocket, bag, or backpack. It's not as oddly square-shaped as Apple's own chargers, which makes it more convenient to carry. RAVPower does not ship this power adapter with any cables, so you're going to need to supply your own USB-C to USB-C cable or USB-C to Lightning cable.

Since this is a 45W charger, it's ideal for the MacBook Air or the MacBook, but won't really work for the 61W 13-inch MacBook Pro or the 85W 15-inch MacBook Pro.

ravpowerback
It is, however, also useful paired with a USB-C to Lightning cable to charge an iPhone or with a USB-C to USB-C cable to charge one of Apple's new iPad Pros more quickly.

Design wise, this is a nice looking power adapter. The aforementioned white plastic is unblemished aside from a RAVPower logo at the top, and there's a single USB-C port at one side.

ravpowervs29wadapter

RAVPower's adapter next to 29W power adapter from Apple

At the back, there's a set of prongs for plugging it into an outlet, which fold down when the power adapter is not in use. This also allows it to be pocketed or tucked away in a small pouch in a backpack.

ravpowerprongs
At 45W, the RAVPower charger enables fast charging with the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, XS Max, and XR when paired with one of Apple's Lightning to USB-C cables. Fast charging charges your iPhone to 50 percent in a half hour, and with the RAVPower charger and the required cable, my iPhone XS Max charged from 1 percent to 52 percent in a 30-minute time period.

When using the 45W RAVPower adapter, I was also able to charge the new USB-C 11-inch iPad Pro faster. With the standard 18W charger it ships with, the iPad Pro charged to 45 percent from 1 percent over the course of an hour.

ravpowerthickness
With the 45W RAVPower adapter, the iPad Pro charged from one percent to 66 percent during the same time period. As a caveat, though, faster charging is available with 29W/30W chargers too, as I was also able to reach a 66 percent charge in one hour using a standard 29W MacBook power adapter. The same goes for iPhone fast charging - 45W offers no benefit over 29W/30W.

On my MacBook, the standard 29W charger charged it to 62 percent over the course of an hour, which is the exact same result I got with the 45W charger, so there's also no benefit using 45W over 29W/30W with a MacBook.

ravpowercord
45W is overkill for charging a MacBook, MacBook Air, 11-inch iPad, or iPhone, but it's not enough power for a 13 or 15-inch MacBook Pro under a heavy load (technically you can charge either of these machines with the 45W adapter, but it's not going to be enough when using a lot of power), which makes RAVPower's adapter kind of an odd choice for Apple devices.

Bottom Line

I don't really have much else to say about the power adapter. RAVPower makes good products, and the new ultrathin USB-C power adapter is no exception.

It's portable, offers faster charging for the iPhone and iPad Pro, and works well with Apple's MacBook and MacBook Air. It has a foldable plug, and with its thin body, it's ideal for travel because it's not going to take up much space.

Unfortunately, RAVPower has priced its new USB-C power adapter rather high, charging $55 for it. That's more expensive than the $49 power USB-C 30W Power Adapter direct from Apple, and more expensive than many non-ultrathin ~30W USB-C power adapter solutions.

RAVpower's power adapter is nice, but it doesn't seem worth the premium over other 30 and 45W power adapters just to save a bit of space. There are many more affordable charging options on the market, and for Apple devices, 30W seems to be the sweet spot for fast charging the 11-inch iPad Pro, iPhone, and the MacBook and MacBook Air so why shell out extra money for RAVpower's solution?

RAVPower does often discount its products, though, so if you're in the market for a pocketable 45W USB-C charger, keep an eye out for a sale before picking this one up.

How to Buy

The 45W USB-C ultrathin charger from RAVPower can be purchased from Amazon for $54.99.

Note: RAVPower provided MacRumors with a 45W power adapter for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

Related Stories

WhatsApp Rolls Out Multi-Device Support to All Users on iOS and Android

Monday November 8, 2021 1:19 am PST by Tim Hardwick

WhatsApp has rolled out multi-device support to all users on iOS and Android, allowing WhatsApp to be used on up to four linked devices without users needing to be connected via a smartphone. To enable multi-device support, users need to join the multi-device beta. Launch WhatsApp on iPhone, then select Settings -> Linked Devices. Select Multi-Device Beta, then tap Join Beta. Once that's...

Twitter Deploying Top-Spec MacBook Pros Across App Development Teams

Monday November 8, 2021 4:38 am PST by Sami Fathi

Twitter is deploying top-spec MacBook Pros with the M1 Max Apple silicon chip to all of its iOS and Android engineers for app development, representing yet another push for the adoption of Apple silicon Macs in the enterprise. The news was shared by John Szumski, a senior staffer at Twitter for the company's mobile platforms. In a tweet, Szumski said that Twitter will be rolling out...

Apple Drops Device Trade-In Prices in the U.S.

Tuesday November 9, 2021 1:08 pm PST by Juli Clover

Apple today updated its iPhone trade-in site, dropping the maximum trade-in prices of almost all of its trade-in options. Trading in the iPhone 12 Pro Max, for example, will now net you $700, $90 less than it was worth yesterday. With Apple's trade-in program, customers can send in their old devices and receive an Apple gift card that can be put toward the purchase of a new device. Apple...

MacBook Pro Color Issue Draws Complaints From Users

Following the launch of the redesigned, high-end MacBook Pro, some users are complaining about the new MagSafe charger mismatching with the Space Gray model. Older MacBook Pro models that featured MagSafe charging were only available in Silver and featured a matching magnetic charger. When the MacBook Pro became available in Space Gray as well as Silver with the 2016 redesign, Apple...