I always see laptops come with larger bricks that have separate mains cable which plugs into the brick. Even if the adapter has some low power rating.
Example for comparison:
On the right is a standard laptop adapter.
Same price, same connector, same protocol, same power rating, far different size.
Why is that so?
Actually, the GaN adapter on the left also advertises itself as being meant for laptops, but by default, almost all laptops will come with something like the one on the right.
Or is it simply cheaper to manufacture while being sold for the same price?
Really well written. The USB power delivery specification allows devices to negotiate different voltages. That’s why if you have a device of multiple ports, and you plug in a new device to charge, all of the devices stopped charging for a moment will they negotiate again.
I’ll add, a lot of the phone chargers cannot sustain their maximum power output all day. They’re going to soak in heat, the large bricks are also a function of heat dissipation anticipating 24/7 usage