Schenker Connect 15: 48 W sustained power draw measured – is the 45 W power adapter too weak?

The compact power adapter is rated for 45 W. When the notebook is switched to Performance mode and placed under heavy load—for example by running Cyberpunk 2077—power consumption rises to a nearly constant 48 W, with brief peaks reaching up to 52 W. Does this mean the power adapter is undersized?

Most likely not. For one thing, very few users will be playing Cyberpunk 2077 on this laptop, as its 3D performance simply isn't designed for that kind of workload. In addition, both the laptop and its power adapter can easily handle short-lived power spikes. In its primary role as an office laptop, typical power consumption is expected to remain considerably lower.

More importantly, the power draw we measure at the wall outlet isn't the same as the amount of power actually delivered to the laptop. Every power adapter has an efficiency rating, meaning some energy is inevitably lost while converting AC power from the wall outlet into the DC power required by the laptop.

The 48 W we measured comes directly from the wall outlet before any conversion takes place. If the power adapter operates at, for example, 90% efficiency, those 48 W translate into roughly 43 W of output delivered to the laptop. Since the adapter is rated for 45 W, this remains well within its specifications. It should also have no difficulty handling brief power spikes.

The 45 W power adapter should be fully capable of supplying the Schenker Connect 15 with sufficient power in every scenario, including under sustained load. During our testing, we also observed no signs that the laptop continued discharging its battery while under heavy load, confirming that everything is working as intended.