HP Spectre x360 15t not charging over USB Type-C

[Life_Is_War]

Both of the USB Type-C ports on my machine should support charging, as Thunderbolt 3 supports power delivery (up to 95 W I believe), and the other port has a little charging icon on it. I have attempted on many occasions to charge my laptop through those ports, but the laptop doesn't even respond to the input of power. I even left it one time overnight, just to see what would happen, and the battery had just drained normally. I used my phone charger, which should provide 30W of power (5V, 2 or 6A). I am not an expert, but I would think that the laptop when shut down or maybe even in sleep, would charge, albeit slowly. Is it just not enough power for this machine to charge at all? I think the factory wall plug outputs like 90-95W. This isn't a huge issue, but I am just curious about it. 

[EddyK · Accepted solution]

Hello @Life_Is_War,

Yes, that's true. The PowerDelivery standard supports up to 100W. 

But the problem is that the laptop requires upwards of 90W and hence it cannot be satisfied with a 30W phone charger. Even if you leave it charging all night, it may have juiced up a bit but most likely the battery charge would have not changed at all.

If you go online, you should be able to find a 90W USB-C charger maybe around 40 or 50 dollars. It may even cost more.

Ultimately, unless you have multiple USB-C devices, purchasing a USB-C charger when you already have a power cord + AC adapter for your laptop, may not be very worth it. 

I personally own a variety of USB-C devices and I only need a maximum of ~60W hence I've invested in USB-C accessories that can reduce the number of cables I carry around.