I just received a new 15 inch macbook pro (2019). I connected it to my external monitor LG 38WK95C-W via the monitor's provided USB-C cable.
It does video/data transfer however since it is a usb-c cable it is also charging my MacBook. I did some research and these are the specs for both my LG monitor and my MacBook:
- MacBook (15 inch): Battery and Power = 87W USB-C Power Adapter
- LG Monitor: POWER: Output 60W >> throughout its USB-C output.
There is no feature to disable power via USB-C cable, under the circumstances will my LG monitor damage MacBook's battery since it provides less Watts (60 W) than MacBook's charger (87 W)?
Also any tips / workarounds to have the USB-C connection only transfer video without providing power?
Thank you for any assistance.
Best Answer
I'm assuming the main concern you have is that charging from the LG 38WK95C-W display is going to damage your MacBook Pro in some way.
This is not something you need to worry about. Having a charging source that provides 60W is really akin to using one of the chargers that ship with the 13" versions of the MacBook Pro on a 15" MacBook Pro. The net result is that your MBP will charge slower than it would with the higher watt charger, but this will not cause any damage to the MacBook Pro.
If you're concerned about this (and you really shouldn't be) you can change the cabling you're using to connect to the display so that you're using one of the display's other ports (e.g. it has HDMI) and totally bypass the USB-C port so that power pass-through doesn't occur. Of course, to do this you'll need a USB-C > HDMI adapter.