Other devices, like headphones, will use either MicroUSB or
Most Android devices and certain iPad models like the iPad Pro and the latest iPad Air use the USB-C standard. If you want to charge your iPhone, you'll need a Lightning cable. Some are longer while others have multiple connectors, allowing you to charge different devices with the same cable.īefore you buy, you'll want to consider the type of cables that you actually need. There are plenty of charging cable options out there. First and foremost, a great charging cable should be durable so that you can get plenty of usage out of it.
Most phones now support wireless charging, but it is still faster and more affordable to charge using standard cables. The best chargers support their fastest rates on each port at the same time, without added devices slowing anything down.By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from InsiderĪs well as other partner offers and accept our
We use the Total Phase USB Power Delivery Analyzer and its Data Center Software to measure and record this data, including the advertised power profiles, the steady state output, and whether any errors occur in charging. USB-C ports: USB-C uses digital communication between devices to verify charging speeds in a way that USB-A doesn’t with the right tools, you can interpret exactly what’s going on in the communication between the charger and the device you’ve plugged in.But if size is not a chief concern for you, a slightly larger charger with multiple ports is often a better value than a smaller one that can charge only a single device. Multiple USB ports: This feature is nice to have, but it’s not as necessary as it used to be now that particularly small, affordable, and properly performing options are more readily available.Accepting a little more volume is fine if that means more power or more ports, but all other things being equal, smaller is better.
Size: Although absolute size is not the top determining factor, we naturally prefer smaller chargers to larger ones.
We use this as a comparative figure, ruling out models that are unnecessarily expensive. Power-to-dollar value: Simply put, we consider how good of a value each charger is for the total power it can put out across its ports.Considering the generally low prices of these chargers, you won’t find significant savings by choosing a charger slower than 12 watts. USB-A ports with 12-watt or QuickCharge 3.0 output: USB-A charging maxes out at 12 watts (5 volts, 2.4 amps) for Apple devices and many Android phones, though some of the latter can charge faster via Qualcomm’s QuickCharge 3.0 standard.Those more-powerful and more-expensive chargers are better options if you need to charge a tablet or a laptop. Although having higher output doesn’t hurt since your device draws only as much power as it’s rated for, paying more for power you won’t use doesn’t make much sense, so there’s no reason to buy anything over 45 watts specifically for your phone. USB-C ports with 18- to 45-watt output: USB-C ports allow many phones to charge faster-with the right cables-drawing power at 15, 18, or 20 watts (the higher two levels are designated as USB-C Power Delivery, or USB-C PD).