Back in September of last year when Apple launched the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, they also quietly announced support for fast charging specifically for these new phones. And Apple’s fast charging is sort of different from like Qualcomm quick charging which has been on countless phones and products for years now. Apples fast charging, like anything else from the company, is sort of specific to Apple. They use USB-C PD or power delivery to fast charge the phones which requires a USB-C to lightning cable and a 29W or higher USB-C power brick. And, unlike pretty much every other device on the market, you don’t get these accessories in the box, you have to buy them after the fact. Apple sells their fast charge capable power brick and cord in stores of course, but after all is said and done, it ends up costing more than $75 for both of these things which in all honestly is ridiculous. It’s ridiculous that it doesn’t come in the box and it’s ridiculous how much Apple charges for them. Now I did a video on these expensive accessories back when they first came out, and they do definitely fast charge your devices, the iPhone can charge up about 50% in 30 minutes. But there’s no reason to pay that much just to charge a little faster. Fortunately, there are some cheaper options on the market now that do the exact same thing as Apple’s expensive stuff, and one of the cheapest and best options in my opinion is this little setup from Amazon which only costs $20 bucks.
USB-C Faster Charger and Cable (Amazon Link)
You get a proper USB-C PD 30 watt power brick and the required USB-C to lightning cable for the less a third the price, and I know what you’re thinking, that they’re probably cheap kinky 3rd party accessories that might last a week, but that’s not the case at all. The cable is identical to what you get from Apple, it looks and feels the exact same with that sort of rubber feel and hard plastic ends, and the power brick also is very solid, it doesn’t feel cheap or plasticy at all and it kind of looks cool too. Size wise, it’s similar to Apple’s 29w charger, it’s shaped and setup a little differently but in general it takes up about the same amount of space, but most importantly it does exactly what it’s supposed to, namely fast charge iPhones just as quickly as Apple’s stuff. I’ve used this set up back and forth with my actual Apple cable and plug and I was getting the exact same charging times from 0% and 50% and everywhere in between, it was just as fast as the real deal and hasn’t failed me yet.
I’ve looked all over Amazon for a better deal than this, but this is seriously the cheapest option right now that includes both the brick and the cable, and it doesn’t suck, so for $20 i think this is a must have accessory if you have either of the new iPhones. And you can tell me all about how fast charging is bad for the health of the battery and what not, but at this point I’ve only ever used the fast charger on my iPhone X for the last 6 or 7 months now, and it’s all been fine, my battery is still perfect. So if you’re in the mood for a little fast charging and don’t have $75 to spend, pick this up instead and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
