Dell 65W USB-C Charger on a MacBook Air: Measured
Dell's 65W USB-C charger measured on a MacBook Air M5: the full 65 W delivered, a top rung that needs a 5 A cable, and a charger that never says the word Dell.
Dell’s 65W USB-C charger, tested against a MacBook Air M5 with a low battery, per the methodology.
The numbers
| Rated | 65 W |
| Negotiated | 65 W (20 V up to 3.25 A) |
| Live draw | 62.5 W (19.8 V at 3.15 A) |
| Protocol | USB PD 3.0 |
Profile menu: 15 W (5 V/3 A), 27 W (9 V/3 A), 45 W (15 V/3 A), 65 W (20 V/3.25 A - active). No PPS.
Full marks on delivery: the Mac takes the top rung and receives everything the charger is rated for.
The 3.25 A quirk
Look at the top profile again. The first three rungs stop at 3 A; the top one goes to 3.25 A. That extra quarter of an amp is exactly what carries it from 60 W to 65 W - and it also pushes it past a limit worth knowing about.
A USB-C cable without an e-marker chip is limited to 3 A. At 20 V that caps you at 60 W. To reach this charger’s full 65 W, the cable has to be e-marked for 5 A. On a plain cable you’d get 60 W and never know why.
That makes this charger a neat demonstration of a rule that catches people out: a cable can silently cost you wattage, and the shortfall looks exactly like a weak charger.
The charger that won’t say its name
The most interesting part isn’t electrical. Ask this charger what it is and it answers “pd charger” - no brand, no model, nothing.
The “Dell” in the name comes from somewhere else. Every USB-C Power Delivery charger carries a USB-IF vendor ID, exposed through PD’s Discover Identity exchange. This one reports 0x413C, which is registered to Dell. USB Connection Information reads that ID and resolves the name.
So the charger is effectively anonymous, and the Mac identifies the manufacturer anyway - through standard Power Delivery, available to any PD charger, rather than a vendor’s proprietary handshake.