USB-C cable for MacBook Pro 2019 16" - fully supported charging cables? I can see this question has been broached before but I want to clarify if anything has changed with the MBP 16", which is a 96w device.

Does this have any special additional standards / features that are required in the usb-c to usb-c cable?

I wanted to get a second backup cable. I am a big fan of Anker so I was thinking I would get theirs over the official cable. However, both Anker and Apple seem to be coy about fully supporting the MBP 2019 16".

For example, on the official Anker website the product listing doesn't mention the MBP 16" outright, and seems like it doesn't fully support it:



And even the official Apple store listing stops short of declaring support:



It's about six months since the MBP 16" came out. 

Is everyone just behind updating their listings, or is it some special tech in there that is going to need a faster rated cable of some kind?

Update - Apple's Recommendation

It seems that Apple has a page which says you do in fact need the correct usb-c cable to get the 100w charging:


  For the best charging experience, you should use the USB-C charge cable that comes with your Mac notebook. If you use a higher wattage USB-C cable, your Mac will still charge normally. USB-C cables rated for 29W or 30W will work with any USB-C power adapter, but won't provide enough power when connected to a power adapter that is more than 61W, such as the 96W USB-C Power Adapter.


Update 2 - Thunderbolt 3

It also seems that USB-C is only a physical form and if you start looking at active thunderbolt 3 cables then they speak of being able to make use of the full 100w charging.

Anker have a product which says:


  High-Speed Charging: Supports rapid charging currents of up to 100W, with a compatible charger.


And the offical app store sells a 2m Belkin branded one which says:


  Take advantage of up to 100W power delivery


But as yet I have not found anybody discussing this, and if there is a real improvement, for charging, between a usb-c 3.1 cable vs an active thunderbolt 3 cable. 

The price is certainly much higher, but is that just because it supports 40gb/s transfer instead of 10gb/s, and the high speed 100w charge is the same as a usb-c cable or is it really an improvement?
A USB-C cable is a USB-C cable.  Period.  Full stop.

It’s not going to be different for each different device.  The marketing  material that you’re seeing is for SEO or search engine optimization.  There’s no compatibility differences.

The USB-C port on your MacBook Pro 16” isn’t any different from the USB-C ports on any of those Mac laptops in the “specification page.”   Any cable with the the USB-C logo on it must support 10Gb/s transfer rate and support up to 100 watts of power.  Since the highest capacity charger Apple makes is 96W, any USB-C cable will work.

This is why you buy from reputable brands like Anker.  In order to put the USB logo on their products, they must pay the licensing fee and have the product tested that it meets the standards.  Yes, they cost more, but you can be assured they meet all the specifications.

Are there USB-C charge only cables or cables that don’t support alternate mode video or some other USB standard?  Yes, there are.  None will be USB “certified.”