I plan on buying the new MacBook Air and I was wondering if I should get the 35W or 70W charging adapter.
MacBook Air (M4, 2025)
"I really wish I didn't get so much memory" — said no one, ever.
"I really wish I didn't get so much memory" — said no one, ever.
No, not at all.
Why not get both? Specify the 70W option with the Mac, and buy the 30W adapter separately, for travel.
30W USB‑C Power Adapter - Apple
Or if you want to charge the MBA plus an iPhone or something else at the same time,
35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter - Apple
Cost is the same either way but in my opinion the 70W version is more versatile, and you can use almost any USB-C power adapter for iPhones / Watches / etc.
One more thing, I know that for iPhones it’s not particularly good to leave it plugged in fully charged, and nor is it good to let below 20% ish and fully run out of battery. Does this also apply to Macs?
Zachyy wrote:
One more thing, I know that for iPhones it’s not particularly good to leave it plugged in fully charged,
You can absolutely leave iPhones plugged in when fully charged. Even before Optimmized Battery Charging, iPhones would stop accepting a charge when they reached 100% and drain a little. Now, there's optimized battery charging. Use that and don't worry about it.
It's up to you. The 70W adapter can be used to "fast charge" that MacBook Air but it is larger and heavier.
It really, really does not matter. You can leave them plugged in all the time. Their respective battery charging algorithms and options are nearly identical, and are designed to maximize battery longevity whether we want to or not.
Don't leave either one to discharge and remain in that fully discharged state for a long time (months or years). That would be bad. They will die like a neglected Tamagotchi.
Thanks for your answer John. Between the two adapters, is there any affect on the battery/health?
I do already own the 30W USB-C power adapter at home. So I’ll probably go with the 70W for home use, and the 30W for travel.
Thanks Idris and John!
👍
It's a no-brainer then. Few decisions are as easy.
Do you guys recommend 16 or 24 GB memory? I will mainly be using for education but also a bit of personal use.
John Galt wrote:
"I really wish I didn't get so much memory" — said no one, ever.
Great. I’ll go with 24 GB. Thanks once again.
I plan on buying a new MacBook Air, 35W or 70W charging adapter?
