Nowadays when you buy an iPhone, Apple no longer provides a wall adaptor. All you get is a charging cable, and that’s a good thing. Because the best iPhone chargers doesn’t necessarily come from Apple.
Apple’s new slate of iPhones can already charge pretty quickly. And even though Apple offers a decent 20-watt wall adapter to take advantage of that speed, you may be surprised by how much faster your phone charges when you’ve got it hooked up to a competing power source. Plenty of options from brands like Anker and Belkin have emerged with high-powered options that will not only resuscitate your dangerously-close-to-dead phone, but also throw a lifeline to your other tech devices. Some even use MagSafe technology that connect to your phone wirelessly, or hook up to your car’s adaptor so that your Maps app doesn’t drain your battery while you’re using it to get around. You’ll just have to figure out which cable your phone needs to single out the best ports to dock them in (more on that below), and then you’re good as gold.
GQ’s Shortlist for the Best iPhone Charger
Double Check Those Ports Before Adding To Cart
Stop, hammer time. Sorry, we meant charging time. Before you dive in, it’s important to understand what type of charging cable your iPhone accepts. If you have an iPhone 15, you have a USB-C to USB-C cable. Anything earlier than the iPhone 15, you’ll have either a USB-C to Lightning cable or USB-C to USB-A cable. With all this in mind, we’ve gathered our five favorite iPhone chargers for (almost) every use case.
Your Shopping-Related FAQs, Answered
→ A Mini Charging Glossary
→ How We Chose These Chargers
The Fastest Charger for iPhone Users: Anker 735
We don’t use the term “gold standard” lightly. But if you’re looking for the fastest charger for your smartphone, it’s an easy choice. Part of Anker’s GaN Prime lineup, the 735 will power up your iPhone faster than you thought possible. When using one of the USB-C ports, you can achieve 65W fast charging. To be clear, your iPhone won’t take nearly that much power, but other devices like laptops and tablets will. And with this device, you can fast-charge your iPhone, plug in additional phones or devices, and still achieve impressive power delivery. And thanks to the GaN materials, this fast charger is surprisingly compact. This writer regularly uses this charger to power up two iPhones at once, with no impact on charging time.
While the 735 is more expensive than 20W iPhone chargers from other brands like Apple and Belkin (which will also achieve fast charging speeds), we believe it’s well worth the investment. Another small caveat is that it’s a tad heavy, and can slide out of older, looser A/C wall outlets.
The Best Portable Power Bank: Anker
If you want a portable power bank for your iPhone, we would also recommend going with an Anker product. (The company makes reliable, affordable power products, what can we say?) Specifically, we’d go with the Anker Magnetic Power Bank, which conveniently clings to the side of MagSafe devices. This power reservoir has a built-in phone stand, so you can stand up your iPhone as you work. Keep in mind that you can only achieve 20W when using a cable connection. For wireless charging, it maxes out at 7.5W. However, it makes up for this with a strong magnet and thinner dimensions than most other magnetic power banks. For the convenience factor, this one’s our top pick for Apple shoppers.
The Best MagSafe Charger: Apple
For desk-side charging, we do recommend sticking with the official Apple MagSafe wireless charger. This puck-shaped device has a maximum power delivery of 15W, so it will charge your phone as quickly as any other device. It also comes with an integrated USB-C cable, so there’s no need to purchase a separate one. With both MagSafe compatibility and Qi wireless charging, it’s a smart addition to your laptop bag or desktop, all backed by the Apple brand name.
The Best Charger for Multiple Devices: Anker Prime GaN
At first glance, you might mistake this for the 735 GaNPrime featured above. However, this Anker GaN Prime gadget raises the stakes with up to 100W of power delivery. Those watts will be divided up the more cables you connect to the charger, but it’s still enough juice to power your AirPods, iPhone 15, and MacBook Pro all at once. Anker’s PowerIQ technology automatically detects the power needs of your devices and alters the output accordingly. The end result: faster, more efficient charging for multiple devices at once. This device is almost half the size of a standard Apple charging block, which is another neat little detail.
The Best Car Charger: Belkin BoostCharge Pro
Of course, you’ll need a power solution for your car, too. How else will you know where you’re going? This Belkin Magsafe device securely clips onto your air conditioning vent, and you can easily rotate the angle of your device with a turn of your wrist. With the included car adapter and cable, you can achieve 15W wireless charging, the maximum for new iPhones. And if your smartphone doesn’t support MagSafe accessories, opt for the Belkin BoostCharge 30W Fast Car Charger, which slides right into your vehicle’s A/C outlet.
A Mini Charging Glossary
Look, we don’t want to get too in the weeds about electric currents, amperes, and lithium ion, but there are some things you need to know to make it easier to close in on the right charger. Fortunately, there are really only two terms you need to learn—watts and GaN. A watt is a standardized unit of power used to measure energy transfer. The higher the wattage, the more power a given device absorbs or delivers over time. GaN, on the other hand, refers to gallium nitride, a highly effective semiconductor material. Just know that GaN products are smaller, more efficient, and produce less heat. That means GaN chargers can deliver more juice to more devices in a much more compact form.
How We Chose These Chargers
Several of the devices in this guide have been personally tested by this writer, while others we know by reputation. When considering the best iPhone chargers, we’re typically looking for high watt devices, GaN materials, or both. (Multiple USB ports or MagSafe compatibility won’t hurt, either.) For this guide, we selected a variety of charger types, including the fastest iPhone chargers and wireless options.
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