Despite the proliferation of wireless charging technology, you’ve probably realized by now that wireless charging is slower than using a regular cable. But even when using a cord, there are significant differences in charging speeds, depending on the power adapter you use. In this review, I’ll answer the question: What is the fastest way to charge an iPhone Xs?
The short answer is, you need a USB-C Power Adapter with at least 18W to achieve the highest charging speeds.
Unfortunately, Apple still includes a mediocre 5W charging brick, even with its latest iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max and iPhone Xr. Upgrading to an Apple USB-C power adapter and the required USB-C to Lightning cable is relatively expensive, but there are third-party options of comparable quality available, such as the iClever 30W Type C Wall Charger.
Note that Apple introduced fast charging with the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. That means, if you own an older iPhone, you might still benefit from a more powerful power adapter, but you won’t be able to recharge your iPhone to 50% battery capacity in only 30 minutes.
Reviewed Chargers and Cables
| Product | |
|---|---|
| iClever 30W Type C Wall Charger | $15.99 |
| Apple 12W USB power adapter (iPad) | $49.00 |
| Apple 30W USB-C power adapter | $49.00 |
| Apple 87W USB-C power adapter | $79.00 |
| Apple USB-C to Lightning Cable (1M) | $26.99 |
Charging Speeds Compared
In 2017, Julie Clover of MacRumors did a test, comparing the iPhone X charging speed of various wireless and wired methods. Since Apple hasn’t announced any improvements in the area of quick charging with the iPhone Xs, I assume we can still rely on those test results.
Apple’s official statement is that you’ll need one of the following adapters to take advantage of fast charging:
- Apple 29W, 30W, 61W, or 87W USB-C Power Adapter
- A comparable third-party USB-C power adapter that supports USB Power Delivery (USB-PD)
So according to Apple, you need at least 29W of power supply to fast-charge an iPhone 8 or newer. The question is, does using an 87W MacBook power adapter further increase the charging speed? Apple doesn’t say, but according to the MacRumors tests, a higher wattage doesn’t necessarily result in faster speeds.
| 5W Wireless | 7.5W Wireless | 5W Wired | 12W Wired | 18W USB-C | 29W USB-C | 30W USB-C | 87W USB-C | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 Minutes | 38% | 46% | 39% | 72% | 79% | 78% | 77% | 79% |
| 45 Minutes | 29% | 36% | 30% | 56% | 68% | 66% | 65% | 66% |
| 30 Minutes | 20% | 27% | 21% | 39% | 49% | 49% | 45% | 49% |
| 15 Minutes | 11% | 14% | 11% | 21% | 28% | 27% | 26% | 27% |
| 0 Minutes | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Based on Julie’s findings, you only need an 18W power adapter to get the fastest charging speed, which seems to contradict Apple’s statement.
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