USB-A (or quasi-USB-A) charge ports on laptops were a weird abberation for a while. I had a dell with that, and it's now one of the few laptops I've got that I might never be able to power on properly again because the power delivery over the port is 100% proprietary and the AC adapter for it is busted. I don't think there's ever been a high wattage PD standard for USB-A? Even with USB3. So any version of it was just some manufacturer's attempt to jump the gate on PD over USB-C.

USB-C is a completely different ballgame here. It has its flaws but it's nothing at all like that weird little era of laptops.