I recently switched my daily driver to from my gigabyte aero 14″ to surface book 2, hardware is relatively the same besides a weaker graphics card, but the drawing capabilities is fantastic. The surface book 2 model i specifically got was the 1tb 15″ model. It’s not cheap, but it’s main purpose is design more than gaming. The one thing i had been wondering is, will it charge via usb-c? The answer is yes, but how well? This article has some insights on what to buy.
I will be updating this article once i have tested more products.
Here’s a table list of some observations on charging a surface book 2.
| Charger | Stated wattage | Observed wattage | -10% | Max in-use charging wattage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Book 2 Charger ( Official) | 102W | 115W | 103.5W | 87W | Standard, charges in/out games |
| Omnicharge DC SurfaceConnect (12V) | 42W | 28W | 13W | No charging, both batteries in dis-charge | |
| Omnicharge DC SurfaceConnect (15V) | 52.5W | 35W | 20W | Will charge batteries under low-load, but not efficent, would be useful when turned off. Batteries in use while gaming. | |
| Nintendo Switch USB-C | 39W | 44W | 39.6W | 24W | Occasional goes to above alternating charging. Battery discharges in game. |
| Apple 87W USB-C | 87W | 95W | 85.5W | 72W | Gives slow charge message and unrecognized USB device message. Can game and charge, but will occasionally draw battery power. |
USB C to USB C charging cables
Here are my suggestions for cables for charging your surface book 2 computer. These cables are designed for high wattage output and not data transfer/video etc, they will still be fast for data, but not maximum speed like non-charger usb c cables and for some video output will not work, they have a built in e-marker chip which is industry standard for fast charge cables for high wattage. I have tested these products and listing the ones which worked for me.
Inateck USB C
Great bit of kit, for a relatively low price:
UK: Inateck USB C to USB C Gen 2 Type C Cable with E-marker Chip and USB PD 100W Fast Charge
US: Not in US yet sadly.
Pros:
Video output works, data transfer good, nylon braiding, Good price.
Cons: None so far from testing.
USB C Battery packs for laptops
The battery packs here are designed for recharging laptops, a larger version of the small portable phone chargers, here’s some of the computer models they will work for: HP Spectre X360 Surface Book 2 Lenovo yoga Apple Dell XPS Razer Blade Stealth Pro Asus LG Acer USB C Laptop Notebook
USB C Power adapters
The power adapters here are designed for charging laptops, alternatives to the chargers you get with your initial laptop: HP Spectre X360 Surface Book 2 Lenovo yoga Apple Dell XPS Razer Blade Stealth Pro Asus LG Acer USB C Laptop Notebook
BatPower P90B
UK: BatPower P90B
US: BatPower P90B
Pros:
1 x USB C slot, 2 x USB A slots
Charging cable included
90w output.
Cons: None so far from testing.
