What does DPS stand for on a USB-C charger?

Dynamic Power Supply, as the USB Power Delivery 3.2 specification has titled it since its August 2026 revision. The October 2024 change notice that introduced it called it a Dynamic Power Source. Both names describe the same thing: a charger that guarantees a base power level and can offer more while conditions such as temperature allow.

Is DPS the same as AVS?

No. AVS (Adjustable Voltage Supply) is a voltage range a device can pick within. DPS is about how much power a charger offers over time. A charger can have both: Apple's 40W Dynamic Power Adapter lists AVS ranges and a DPS peak on its label.

How long does a DPS charger hold its peak power?

From a cold start at around 25°C, the specification requires a DPS port to hold its maximum power for at least 15 minutes, as long as it isn't running from an internal battery. After that it can step down to its guaranteed level to protect itself from heat.

What DPS Means on a USB-C Charger

DPS is the USB Power Delivery name for a charger that guarantees one power level and offers more when it's cool enough. It began as Dynamic Power Source and became Dynamic Power Supply in 2026. It isn't AVS.

Some newer USB-C chargers carry two wattages on the box: Apple’s “40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max”, or Anker’s “45 ~ 65W”. The USB Power Delivery specification has a name for chargers that work this way: DPS.

Supply or Source? Both, at different times

You’ll see DPS written two ways, and both come from the USB-IF:

Dynamic Power Source (October 2024) is what the change notice (ECN) that added the feature to USB PD 3.2 called it.
Dynamic Power Supply (August 2026) is the section title in USB Power Delivery 3.2 version 1.2, the revision that folded that change into the specification itself.

That revision didn’t drop “Source” entirely. It names the feature Dynamic Power Supply, then calls a charger that implements it a “DPS Source”, which spelled out is a Dynamic Power Supply Source. Same acronym, same rules, same thing. Whichever name you use, the definition is a charger that “offers a guaranteed power and offers a maximum power when conditions are right” (USB-IF). “Conditions” mostly means temperature: inside the charger, and in the room.

How a DPS charger behaves

A DPS charger has two levels:

Guaranteed power, which it can supply indefinitely. On Apple’s charger, that’s 40 W.
Maximum power, which it offers when it’s cool enough and may withdraw later. On Apple’s, that’s 60 W.

The specification puts rules around the switch between them:

15 minutes at full power from a cold start. Starting at room temperature (around 25°C), and not running from an internal battery, a DPS port must hold its maximum for at least 15 minutes.
No more than one thermal change a minute. After that, it shouldn’t send a new power list for temperature reasons more often than once a minute.
A warning first. Before cutting power, the charger should send the device an alert about 2 seconds ahead, so the device can prepare.
A second chance to go up. Right after the first contract, a DPS charger may raise its offer if the device signals it wants more.

That last rule fits what we saw on Apple’s charger: plugged into a MacBook Air, it first settles at 40 W, then steps up to 60 W a moment later. See the Apple 40W Dynamic test .

What changes between the two levels

A DPS charger doesn’t switch off a rail when it drops to its guaranteed level. It lowers the current on the rails that would go over budget.

Hynetek, a USB-C chip maker, published a DPS reference design with a 60 W maximum and a 40 W guaranteed level. At 60 W, every fixed rail offers 3 A. At 40 W, 15 V drops to 2.67 A and 20 V drops to 2 A, and the adjustable AVS ranges drop to match.

Those 40 W figures, 2.67 A across 9 to 15 V and 2 A across 15 to 20 V, are exactly what’s printed on Apple’s 40W Dynamic label, each marked “(3.0A DPS)” for the peak. That’s simply what a 40 W budget works out to at those voltages. It doesn’t mean Apple used that chip.

Not to be confused with AVS or PPS

“Dynamic” gets used loosely, and chargers often support several of these at once. They answer different questions:

	What it is	What changes
DPS, Dynamic Power Supply (or Source)	A guaranteed wattage plus a peak	How much power, over time
AVS, Adjustable Voltage Supply	A voltage range the device picks within	The voltage
PPS, Programmable Power Supply	A voltage range in fine steps, with a current limit	The voltage, in small steps

AVS and PPS let the device choose a voltage, so they can also sound “dynamic”. But they don’t say anything about how long a charger can keep up its power. DPS does. Apple’s 40W Dynamic has both: its label lists AVS ranges, and it marks the peak DPS. More on AVS in the iPhone 18 Pro AVS guide .

How your device finds out

Under DPS, a charger can tell the device it’s dynamic. It flags itself as a DPS port and reports its maximum and guaranteed power in half-watt steps. Before it cuts power for temperature, it sets a temperature warning and sends that alert.

In USB Connection Information, a “(DPS)” tag marks the peak profile on chargers known to have a guaranteed level and a peak, such as Apple’s dual-rated adapters and the Anker Nano Charger Neo . The app doesn’t read the charger’s DPS flag itself. It marks known dynamic chargers from their ratings.

Watching it happen

Plug a dynamic charger in cold and note the top profile. Charge with a low battery and a heavy load for 15 to 20 minutes, then look again. If the top profile dropped, the charger has stepped down to its guaranteed level. That’s the design working, not a fault. Let it cool and it can offer the peak again. More in Monitoring USB-C Power Delivery on a Mac .

Sources

USB-IF, ECN for USB Power Delivery Specification Revision 3.2: Dynamic Power Sources (DPS), version 1.1, October 2024
USB-IF, USB Power Delivery Specification revision 3.2 version 1.2, August 2026, Chapter 3, “Dynamic Power Supply (DPS)” (usb.org )
Hynetek, Dynamic Power Sources reference solution , August 2025