What adapter do I need for fast charging?
Fast charging requires an Apple USB-C Magnetic Fast Charging Cable. This cable has aluminum around the magnetic charger and a USB-C connector. You also need one of these power adapters: Apple 18W, 20W, 29W, 30W, 61W, 87W, or 96W USB-C Power Adapter.
Most phones and other devices are capable of handling 5V/2.4A. For fast charging, manufacturers bump the voltage up from 5V to 9V or 12V and beyond, or increase amperage to 3A and above.
Check the Voltage and Current Output
If you see a cable that puts out power at 5V, 9V, 12V or even 2000mA, this is a sure sign that it's a fast charger. On the other hand, anything below 1000mAh is considered a slow charger. So look for 5V-2A or 5V-2000mA.
Overview. The Apple 20W USB‑C Power Adapter offers fast, efficient charging at home, in the office, or on the go.
Currently available DC fast chargers require inputs of at least 480 volts and 100 amps, but newer chargers are capable of up to 1000 volt and 500 amps (up to 360 kW).
In order for fast charging to work, both the device you're charging and the charger itself need to support the same standard. As long as you have those two elements, fast charging will work, regardless of the cable.
In simple terms, a 5A charger will charge your battery faster. The 5 amp (A) charger allows more current to pass to charge the battery. The 2A-48V and 5A chargers are compatible with the S-series and R-series vehicles. Some older S1 models may require an adapter to fit the single-prong battery charging port.
Smartphone chargers do affect your user experience. While we know that 5V 2A chargers can charge a smartphone faster than a 5V 1A charger.
2.4 Amps will charge faster than 1amp in most cases. You can use the 5.4amp outlet but it won't charge any faster than the 2.4amp option.
Not all USB-C cables are certified to fast charge. Chances are if you have an Android phone from the last couple of years it'll be fast charge compatible with the brick and cable that came in the box, but this doesn't mean that any plug and cable will fast charge it.
Can any device use a fast charger?
The fast answer is yes! It is perfectly safe to use any certified charger wattage with any device.
- Go to "Settings", then tap "Battery and device care"
- Tap “Battery”
- Tap “More battery settings”
- Tap the switch to activate "Fast charging", "Super fast charging" or "Fast wireless charging"
Using a 20W charger provides an extra 20% of power to the battery (17% with an 18W charger).
As a general rule, a charger needs to be at least 18W from a single port to deliver fast charging. You can also check for the USB Power Delivery and Quick Charge logos on packaging.
The 5-watt iPhone chargers will work with your new phone, but can only charge at a lower power throughput. However, a newer 20-watt charger and USB-C Lightning cable can charge your iPhone at full speed.
Quick Charge is a proprietary technology that allows for the charging of battery-powered devices, primarily mobile phones, at power levels exceeding 5 volts at 2 amps, thus 10 watts allowed by basic USB standards—not considering the USB Power Delivery (USB PD) standard—while still maintaining compatibility to existing ...
Greater current and higher voltages charge batteries faster, but there's a limit to what they can take. Smartphone batteries charge when a current passes through them. Greater current and higher voltages charge batteries faster, but there's a limit to what they can take.
The super fast charger delivers up to 3 amp to give your phone power at a much faster rate than your standard 1a or 700mA charger.
The USB Type-C port is quickly becoming a universal connector for mobile devices, including the top Android phones. If your device has a Type-C port, you need a USB-C cable to charge it or transfer data.
Not only do adapters come in different power levels, different devices require different adapters for optimal charging. For chargers, this power is expressed in terms of “watts” or “wattage” — the higher the watts, the more power the adapter can deliver within a set amount of time.
Does charging speed depend on cable or adapter?
Since charging speed depends on both the charger and the USB cable, fast charging should be the result of the combination of the compatible fast charger, USB cable as well as the device. A powerful fast charger is the source of the optimal fast charging.
The biggest difference between 3A and 5A cables is 5A cables can generally power laptops and monitors while 3A cables cannot.
Grab your device charger and plug it into a vacant wall outlet. Use the smaller end to plug into the device's charging port. Go through the setup wizard with the Battery Monitor Widget open. The app automatically detects most of the essential parameters, so just keep hitting “Next” on the wizard window.
You'll still get fast charge with any capable charger plugged in, perhaps just not the fastest the phone can handle.
1A ports are fine for mobile phones, but aren't suitable for tablets. To ensure you can charge a range of devices, it's best to go with 2A ports at minimum. High-power USB ports—2.4A to 5A—are available. 2.1A ports are normally sufficient, but a high-powered port will charge your device quicker.
The right AC adapter for your device is one with matching electrical ratings. The device's input voltage and current must match the adapter's output voltage and current. Check the device's product label or user manual to see its rated voltage and current.
The 2A port is capable of passing twice as many electrons per second. The current draw (Amperes) is controlled by the device you plug in. So if you plug a 1A device into a 2A charger, it will still only draw 1A. The rest of the current capacity will be unused.
With the 2A USB Fast Charger, you can reduce the charging times by up to half when compared to a 1A charger. The 2A adapter comes with a compatible 2A Hi-speed USB cable to ensure that you get the maximum output and save on charging time. Less time plugged in for charging means more time with your device on the go.
“Ultimately, it's really the amperage that determines how fast a charger will supply power to your device. If you want quicker charging, look for a wall or car charger that delivers 2100 mA of current at 5 volts (or whatever voltage the device you're trying to charge is specced at).”
For example, a typical phone might charge to about 30 percent in 30 minutes using a USB connector. A similar phone with USB-C can charge to 55% or more in the same time period. In some cases, manufacturers say that USB-C can charge compatible devices as much as 20 times faster than older Lightning or USB devices.
How do I know if my USB-C cable is high speed?
If your phone came with a fast-charging USB-C cable, the specs of the cable will be listed on the box or online. Sometimes it will simply say “Fast Charging.” Other terms to look for are “Adaptive Fast Charging,” “Quick Charge,” and “USB PD” or “USB Power Delivery.”
USB Cables and Gauges
Wires have different limits for currents it can carry, with larger ones being able to transfer more energy in a shorter amount of time. Additionally, while extremely long cables are handy and can keep you connected even far away from the plug, these will slow down your charging by a lot.
Myth: I should save money with an off-brand charger
Truth: Knockoff chargers could damage your phone's battery. “Cheaper chargers don't necessarily have the standards in place to fill your phone constantly with the correct voltage,” says Nichols.
The answer is mostly yes, but make sure that the adapter you purchase supports the USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) standard. For example, a standard Samsung phone charger also supports the same USB-PD standard and will also deliver a fast charge to iPhones safely.
A charger that doesn't have a label that says Quick Charging, Adaptive Fast Charging, or something similar signifies that it isn't compatible with fast charging. This will charge your phone a lot more slowly. The USB cable with these chargers is also quite fragile, and this can also impact its performance.
The most common reason for a slowly charging phone is the easiest to troubleshoot, and faulty connections should be one of the first things that you check. Oftentimes, the power adapter isn't fully plugged into the wall socket, or the cable has come loose either at the adapter port or the phone port.
You can buy more powerful chargers—at up to 100W—but they won't speed up the charging process as the iPhone can only take so much at a time. However, a more powerful charger means you can use it to power up a tablet or MacBook, too, and with multiple ports, you can charge devices simultaneously.
Yes, it will just charge as fast as the phone is capable of. So if you charge a 18W capable phone using a 30W charger, then the phone will charge at 18W maximum. The phone will not get damaged at all and it's completely fine.
20w adaptor will work great on your iPhone 11 and enable fast charging. You likely will notice the phone get warmer. This extra heat does “stress” the battery but it's designed for the added stress.
25W super fast charging has a clear advantage
After 30 minutes, the 25W charger was able to take the phone up to 33 percent charge, while the 15W charger only charged it to 26 percent.
Is a 30W charger fast?
The 30W USB‑C Power Adapter offers fast, efficient charging at home, in the office, or on the go. While the power adapter is compatible with any USB‑C device, Apple recommends using it with MacBook Air. You can also use it with select iPhone and iPad Pro models to take advantage of the fast-charging feature.
The short answer is yes, it will charge very slightly faster with the 18 watt adapter; about 20% faster. Not a material difference, however. As an alternative, charge the phone overnight, every night and it won't matter how fast it charges.
The 20W charger doesn't harm your battery. The major factor that affects your battery health is how much you use your phone.
Your MacBook charging brick may be rated at 30 watt, 67 watt, 97 watt or more. However, your iPhone will max out at 30 watt charging speeds, so using a higher-rated charger will not make your phone charge any faster than that.
You need a 20W or higher power adapter to fast charge your iPhone 12 and later.
Featuring an ultracompact design, this power adapter offers fast, efficient charging at home, in the office, or on the go.
You can fast charge your iPhone 8 and later up to 50 percent battery in around 30 minutes. Fast charging works when you use an Apple USB-C to Lightning cable and one of these adapters: Apple 18W, 20W,2 29W, 30W, 35W, 61W, 67W, 87W, or 96W, or 140W USB-C Power Adapter.
Using USB-C for charging is faster, more affordable, and more reliable than ever. At Wirecutter, we're increasingly recommending USB-C accessories as the best options for phone chargers, car chargers, and power banks.
USB-C PD can charge your device up to 70% faster than standard 5W charging*. This means less time plugged in while your smartphone reaches 100% charged. When you're looking for an urgent battery boost, a quick 10-minute charge with USB-C PD might be all you need.
The standard 5W adapter takes 3.5 hours or more to charge an iPhone 11 entirely. Assuming the iPhone 12 has a similar battery size as iPhone 11 and adopts the same fast charging technology, the 20W fast charger will be able to charge up to 50% in 30 minutes, and up to 100% in 2 hours and 8 minutes or so.
Which watt charger is best for fast charging?
Almost any laptop that charges over USB-C, including most of Apple's MacBooks and top picks from Asus, Dell, and Samsung, charge at their fastest rate with a 60-watt charger. Even if a laptop doesn't need that much power, a faster charger is still safe to use and doesn't have any negative effects.
Certain Android phones are capable of up to 15W wireless charging — but you'll need a compatible power adapter for wattage that high. Most chargers advertise the highest power at 10W. The RAVPower Fast Wireless Charger ($39.99) is capable of charging at 10W with the included power adapter.
Clearly, USB-C is much faster than Lightning, although some believe that Lightning is not necessarily worse simply because it's slower. It's not usual to transfer big data files via mobile phones or other devices. Furthermore, you don't have to use a cable to transfer data.
The Mi Braided USB Type-C Cable is a good option if you are looking for a good quality cable for your device. It is a braided cable, ensuring that it does not get damaged easily. It is 1 meter long and can withstand over 10,000 bends.
USB-C, explained
This means that it can be a standard connector for both computers and phones, as well as other devices like game consoles. Some popular devices that use USB-C cables are the Nintendo Switch, MacBook Pro, and Samsung Galaxy line of phones.
Unless there's some technical flaw with your battery or charger electronics, however, using a fast charger won't do your phone's battery any long-term damage.
C (the new "reversible" plug)
Its default protocol is USB 3.1 (the latest release, as mentioned above), and max speed is 10 Gbps. You'll find this newer port on everything from smart phones to laptops.
The good news is that, because USB-C is smart, you can't overcharge your device. That means, plugging into a 60 Watt charger, when you only need 15 Watts, is completely fine.