What devices actually draw
Phones negotiate their own ceilings: current flagships fast-charge in the 25-45W class during the first part of a charge and taper from there; many mid-range phones cap at 18-25W. Tablets sit in the 30-45W class. Ultrabooks draw 45-65W under load; performance laptops want 90W and above. A 100W charger does not charge a 25W phone faster than a 30W charger does - the phone's ceiling governs. What higher tiers buy is coverage: one charger that serves the phone, the tablet and the laptop.
Profiles matter more than watts
Two 65W chargers can behave differently: what the device experiences is the profile set - the fixed PD steps, the PPS range, and, on multi-port models, the split under load. A 65W model whose C1 port falls to 30W when C2 is used is a 30W laptop charger in two-device life. That is why the series tables on this site print splits for every multi-port model, from the 65W series to the 100W series. Read the split before the headline.
The shelf ladder
- 20W mini - single-phone price point: mini series.
- 30-35W - phones at full rate plus tablets: 30W tier.
- 45W - ultrabooks join the set: 45W series.
- 65W - the universal laptop tier: 65W series.
- 100W - workstations and multi-device desks: 100W series.
For the cable side of the same decision, see USB-C cable wattage - a 60W cable silently caps a 100W charger.