Laptops offer one thing that desktop computers do not, portability. People who need portability are often the ones who travel a lot. Since the voltage varies worldwide, we have to consider that, especially if you plan to bring your laptop to a different country.
Luckily, most electrical devices today are dual voltage. However, are laptops one of them? After doing some research, I have found the following:
Most laptops today are dual voltage, mainly because manufacturers want to be competent in international markets. To check if your laptop is dual voltage, check a label and see if it supports 100-240V.
Now let’s dive a little deeper.
A quick word on laptops voltage
Voltage is a measure of electric potential. That is, voltage allows current to flow via a medium such as wires. The greater the voltage, the greater the potential current via a medium. On the other hand, the resistance of a medium determines how much current flows through it (measured in Ohms).
Now, on laptop chargers, you will notice two different types of voltage: input and output. We can differentiate them both in terms of definition and mathematics. In terms of definition, input power is consumed by a device (laptop in this case), while output power is the one supplied by the laptop.
In terms of mathematics, the mathematical difference between input and output power (IP – OP) is called Power Loss. The ratio between output/input power is considered efficiency, typically expressed as a percentage. In this article, we will speak primarily about the laptop’s input power.
When it comes to laptops, I can think of only one good reason why someone would wonder whether or not his laptop supports dual voltage or not, which is travel. Imagine you are traveling from Europe to the US, and you want to bring your laptop.
If your laptop charger only supports 220V, you cannot use it in the US since the input voltage is 110V. The only way of achieving that is with a voltage converter, but more about it later.
So, are laptops dual voltage?
Before answering this query, we must first understand what dual voltage means. In the simplest terms, dual voltage means the device can handle AC voltage outlets worldwide. In the case of laptops, it means that the charger accepts both 110-120V and 220-240V. These are great news for everybody traveling to countries with different AC socket voltage.
Dual voltage refers to any type of electrical gadget that can identify and utilize both American and European currents without the necessity of an additional transformer. Because the conversion occurs inside the item, consumers who own dual-voltage devices do not need to worry about where they will or will not operate.
One of the first brands I researched was Asus. On their official page, I noticed that all laptop chargers are dual voltage. So, if you have an Asus laptop, you should not have a problem as most of them are dual voltage. In fact, one of our three laptops in our office is the old Asus laptop and it is also dual voltage. See the picture below.
Since I have Macbook Air, I wanted to know are all Macbooks dual voltage. During my research, I found out that all Macbooks are dual voltage. Mac chargers usually support 100V-240V, which covers the majority of countries in the world.
Dell was next on the list. According to their official statement, most Dell laptop chargers are dual voltage. They usually operate between 100V and 240V. However, always check the label on the charger before you plug it in.
Finally, we did research on HP chargers. As expected, most (if not all) HP laptops are dual voltage.
After researching lots of popular laptop brands, we found out that most laptop chargers today are dual voltage.
How to know if my laptop is dual voltage
Ok, now you know that there are high chances of your laptop charger supporting dual voltage. However, it is always best to check it. The last thing you want is your device damaged just because you did not check this.
To see if your laptop is dual voltage, you have to check the label on the back of the charger. If it says “100-240V”, it is dual voltage. On the other hand, if it says that it only supports either one of them, it is not dual voltage.
The dual voltage charger would look something like this:
Usually, it will say the input, meaning the input power.
This information should also be stamped on the electronic item itself, maybe beneath the battery cover or along the bottom of the device.
What if my laptop is not dual voltage?
If you live in 2023, chances are this won’t happen; however, you never know. Anything is possible. Let’s take the following example. You are traveling from Europe (around 220V) to Canada (120V), and you brought your laptop. You came into your hotel room just to realize your laptop chargers only support 220V. What do you do?
If your laptop charger is not dual voltage, you need a voltage converter that either step down or up the voltage, depending on the situation. For instance, if you are traveling from Europe to Canada, you need a step-up voltage converter. Contrary, if you are traveling from the US to Europe, you need a step-down converter.
I would point out one more thing here. Most people dont understand the difference between a voltage converter and an adapter. In the simplest terms, the converter changes the power going into it, while the adapter makes your charger fit into the socket.
Since most laptop chargers are dual voltage, you will only need a voltage adapter. These are much lighter, smaller, and thankfully much cheaper.
There are also dozens of various adapters and outlet types used around the world, each of which requires a certain type of plug. Users should never push a plug into an outlet, regardless of whether the electronic item is dual-voltage or not, as this could result in significant injury.
Also, you will probably lose your charger warranty.