The Best Fast Chargers for Every Device in 2025 | Reviews by Wirecutter

By Nick Guy and Sarah Witman

We’ve updated this guide with new information on the latest Android and Apple devices.

The outdated USB chargers clogging store shelves and online listings won’t charge your latest gear as fast as possible. New fast chargers are safe, affordable, and up to three times faster than the old ones many people have had lying around for years.

We’ve tested the best fast chargers and collected our recommendations—no matter what phone, tablet, or computer you use—on this page.

Our favorite phone chargers with USB-C ports will charge any iPhone at its maximum speed.

No matter what kinds of USB-powered devices you own, we have picks to power them at their fastest charging speeds.

Every iPhone released since 2017 (starting with the iPhone 8 and iPhone X) is capable of charging roughly three times faster than it does with the 5 W charger that used to be included in the box—it just needs the right charger and cable to go that fast. That’s because modern iPhones can take advantage of a charging technology called USB Power Delivery (PD), which is enabled by the USB-C standard (though not all USB-C accessories support PD).

Fast-charging an iPhone requires a USB-C PD charger that supports at least 18 W (20 W chargers are more common, and will provide similar speeds). Whereas Apple’s old 5 W charger could power an iPhone 13 to about 17% from empty in half an hour and 34% in an hour, a good USB-C PD charger will get the same battery to 52% and 83% over the same intervals. Even if you have an older iPhone that doesn’t benefit from such speeds, our USB-C charger picks are inexpensive enough that you should choose one of them over a USB-A charger to future-proof your purchase.

To take advantage of PD charging rates with a compatible iPhone, you also need the right cable. For iPhones released before 2023 (the iPhone 14 lineup and older) you’ll need a USB-C–to–Lightning cable to charge it at top speed.

The best Lightning cable isn’t made by Apple. We tested dozens of options to find the best cable for charging an iPhone, iPad, AirPods, and Mac accessories.

If you have an iPhone from the 15 or 16 lineup, you’ll need a USB-C–to–USB-C cable to charge it at its fastest possible speeds.

Although USB-C cables look similar, they’re not one-size-fits-all. We have recommendations for every situation.

Apple no longer ships a charger with its iPhones, but it does include a fast-charging cable. For a while, Apple was the only source for such cables, but the company has since allowed third-party manufacturers to make them, and they’ve come down in price.

Most Android phones, especially flagship models from bigger companies like Google and Samsung, will charge quickly with a good USB-C charger.

No matter what kinds of USB-powered devices you own, we have picks to power them at their fastest charging speeds.

Even though some companies have promoted their own fast-charging standards, such as the declining Qualcomm Quick Charge standard, we’ve found that you can fast-charge today’s Android phones with any good USB-C Power Delivery charger. When we ran charging tests on the Samsung Galaxy S10+, for example, we saw the same battery increase from the bundled charger, Quick Charge 2.0 and 3.0 chargers, and an 18 W USB-C charger: All of them yielded about 41% after half an hour and 80% after an hour.

And a simple USB-C cable is all you need for rapid charging.

Although USB-C cables look similar, they’re not one-size-fits-all. We have recommendations for every situation.

Even if your Android phone came with a compatible charging cable, you may need a backup or replacement cable. If that’s the case, our guide to the best USB-C cables outlines which one to get based on our research and testing. They’re all relatively inexpensive, and they’ll ensure the fastest charging speeds for your phone.

You can double your iPad Pro’s charging speeds with a charger capable of 45 W or higher.

The best replacement for your original charger is the Nekteck 60W USB-C GaN Charger. It’s cheaper and smaller but just as powerful and reliable.

Even though iPad Pros can fast-charge with 45 W chargers, the USB-C charger that Apple puts in the box supports only 20 W speeds. The higher wattage makes a huge difference: A 45 W or faster charger will get the large iPad battery from empty to 33% in half an hour and to 65% in an hour—almost twice as quickly as the included charger.

Like most modern tablets, the latest iPad Pro models (starting with the 3rd Gen iPad Pro released in 2018) charge via a USB-C port.

Although USB-C cables look similar, they’re not one-size-fits-all. We have recommendations for every situation.

The cable that comes with your iPad Pro will work with any fast-charger. But if you need to replace a broken or lost cable, or just want a secondary cable for your car or office, our USB-C cable guide has sturdier and cheaper options than the Apple-branded cable.

In addition to newer fast chargers, we have USB-A charger picks that will work great if your device has a Micro-USB connection.

No matter what kinds of USB-powered devices you own, we have picks to power them at their fastest charging speeds.

Android phones that charge via Micro-USB are becoming less common, though plenty of other accessories—from e-readers to wireless headphones—still rely on that connection. Micro-USB charging is generally limited to 12 W, regardless of whether the other end of the cable is USB-A or USB-C.

Micro-USB cables are cheap and ubiquitous, but that doesn’t mean you should settle for a bad one. We tested six top brands to find the best at a great price.

Any USB-A charger from a reputable brand will charge your Micro-USB devices as fast as possible, and we still recommend a few in our multiport charger guide. You can pair the charger with the Micro-USB cable that came with the device, or pick up one of our recommended USB-A–to–Micro-USB cables.

We’ve tested all the top USB-C laptop chargers, and our favorites are compact, safe, and fast-charging.

The best replacement for your original charger is the Nekteck 60W USB-C GaN Charger. It’s cheaper and smaller but just as powerful and reliable.

Almost any laptop that charges over USB-C, including most of Apple’s MacBooks and top picks from Asus, Dell, and Samsung, charge at their fastest rate with a 60 W charger. Even if a laptop doesn’t need that much power, a faster charger is still safe to use and doesn’t have any negative effects.

We also have picks for high-powered laptops, such as the MacBook Air (2022 or later), the 14-inch MacBook Pro (2021 or later), the 15-inch MacBook Pro (2019 or later), and the 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019 or later). These laptops are the biggest exception to the 60 W rule, as they require between 67 W and 140 W to fast-charge at full speed. Apple provides sufficiently powerful chargers in the box with most configurations of these machines. But if you need a replacement or backup charger, we’ve found some great options that safely provide as much as 140 W of power for a fraction of the price of Apple’s chargers.

Although USB-C cables look similar, they’re not one-size-fits-all. We have recommendations for every situation.

Likewise, most laptops and laptop chargers come with a compatible cable. But if you need a spare, our USB-C cable guide also includes recommendations for cables that can pass 60 W, 140 W, and more to a laptop.

A USB-C car charger is great for keeping your phone powered while you’re driving, as well as for making sure you arrive at your destination with more charge than when you departed.

We’ve tested the best car chargers, and we have recommendations for affordable, reliable options that can fast-charge any device while you’re on the road.

And if you have a power bank, the faster it charges your phone, the less time you have to worry about dealing with it.

The Anker 747 PowerCore 26K is our favorite power bank for charging modern laptops as fast as possible while you’re on the go—no need to hunt for a power outlet.

Everything we said above about wall chargers holds true for car chargers and portable power banks. Paired with the right cable, a good USB-C charger offers the fastest charging speeds possible for your phone or any other handheld device equipped with a USB-C port.

This article was edited by Ben Keough and Erica Ogg.

Nick Guy

Nick Guy is a former senior staff writer covering Apple and accessories at Wirecutter. He has been reviewing iPhones, iPads, and related tech since 2011—and stopped counting after he tested his 1,000th case. It’s impossible for him not to mentally catalog any case he sees. He once had the bright idea to build and burn down a room to test fireproof safes.

Sarah Witman

I research and test a wide variety of batteries, including some that are smaller than a Tootsie Roll (for tiny gadgets such as a stylus or penlight) or bigger than an overweight English bulldog (to keep vital electronics running during a power outage or camping trip). To test chargers, I’ve spent countless hours waiting for the batteries in my phone, laptop, and other household appliances to die—just so I could recharge them. Outside of my usual coverage areas, I’ve reported on the best wooden pencils, mousetraps, massage chairs, and scented candles for Wirecutter.

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