What is fast charging, you may ask? Fast charging is a popular and kinda new-ish feature that lets you charge your device in a fraction of the time it used to.
To understand how fast chargers work we’ve got to delve into a bit of physics. The power your device receives from the mains electricity depends on the voltage and current.
For example, traditional Apple iPhone chargers deliver 5W of power via 5 Volts and 1 Amp of current. Now thinking about fast chargers, they work by either increasing the voltage or current to get a higher power output. With USB-C technology, manufacturers can now create chargers capable of delivering 100W and 20 volts. That is a massive increase compared to Apple’s older iPhone charger.
Even though you may be able to find 100W smartphone chargers out there it doesn’t mean that your phone can necessarily receive this. It all depends on the charging infrastructure of your device and how much power it is actually able to take in.
Fast charging is an amazing feature, which most smartphone brands already offer to their customers. If you have still not joined this bandwagon, you should! It can save you heaps of time.
Let’s continue exploring fast chargers, for the Apple iPhone.
Apple Fast Charging
Apple was a bit late to the game when it came to implementing fast charging on its iPhones when compared to its Android competitors.
The original Apple iPhone charger features a 5W wall adapter and a USB to Lightning cable. You may have noticed when using this charger that it can take a couple of hours just to get your iPhone from 0% to 100%. By today’s standards, that is very long. It is so long, in fact, that some users even opt to charge their phones overnight!
Thankfully, Apple has developed fast chargers for us iPhone users! As it currently stands, only the iPhone 8 models and newer have the capability of fast charging.
To achieve fast charging you must have a USB-C to Lightning cable. As for wall adapters, if you have an iPhone released between the iPhone 8 and 11, you need an adapter with a minimum power of 18W. If you have an iPhone 12 or older, you require at least a 20W wall adapter for fast charging to work.
Once you have this all set up you will be able to fast charge your iPhone. Apple claims the fast chargers will be able to charge your smartphone from 0% to 50% in 30 minutes. That’s pretty ideal if you ask me.
Best iPhone Fast Chargers in 2022
So you want to get on the fast-charging train? Luckily, we have made a list of a few high-power wall adapters that can be paired with your iPhone’s USB-C to Lightning cable to enable fast charging:
- Google 30W USB-C Charger, $25
- Apple 20W USB-C Power Adapter, $18 (save $1)
- Anker 20W Fast Charger with Foldable Plug, USB-C Charger $14.99
- Apple USB-C to Lightning Cable, $17.95 (save $1)
What Is The Difference Between Fast Charging And Charging?
As you would expect, fast charging refers to the fast increase in battery charge via high-wattage chargers. The high-power capabilities mean that charging time is way shorter than that of a normal charger.
For context, traditional chargers have power ratings between 5-10W whereas fast chargers can have power ratings all the way up to 100W.
Is It Better To Fast Charge Or Slow Charge?
When it comes to fast charging the main concern is about damaging your battery. The good news is that using a fast charger will not compromise your battery’s health.
The reason for this is very clever. Manufacturers have built fast chargers to work in phases. The first phase is to deliver lots of volts quickly. You would have noticed this if you have ever used a fast charger. Your battery will quickly jump to either 50% or 70% in no time.
Once your phone has reached this stage, we go to phase 2. Phase 2 is much slower with the sole reason to preserve your battery health. So you may notice that it takes quite a while to go from 70% all the way up to 100%.
With all this in mind, we conclude that fast chargers are better than slow chargers.
Summary
Fast chargers are a great little addition to our lives. This technology has been around for some time so if you still have not joined the fast-charging club we highly recommend you do so soon. Not only will it save you loads of time, but it also won’t ruin your battery’s health either – result!
If you enjoy articles just like these, be sure to check out our dedicated iOS section for more Apple guides.
- NOW READ iPhone Charger VS Android Charger
