Shop by Charging Power

Chargers sorted by their watts

A charger's watts are the most power it can send, and on a phone that decides how quickly the battery fills, up to what the phone itself will take. These pages gather the wall chargers, car chargers, wireless chargers, charging docks and power banks by the watts in their own name and description. Each product goes under its top figure, so a charger is easy to compare with others of the same power whatever kind it is.

The four power pages

• Up to 20W: today mostly 15W wireless chargers and 20W USB-C plug chargers. Enough for many iPhones, for earbuds and watches, and for a bedside.
• 20W to 45W: the fast-charging middle, covering most recent phones. Power banks, a car charger and a fast wireless station are here today.
• 45W and over: for Galaxy phones on 45W charging, for tablets, and for charging two things at once.
• 65W and over: where chargers start to cope with many laptops as well. Everything here is also on the 45W and over page.

What the watts mean

Watts are volts multiplied by amps. A charger at 5 volts and 2 amps gives 10 watts; at 9 volts and 3 amps, 27 watts. Plain USB starts at 5 volts, and Electrical Safety First puts the older kind of USB charging at around 7 to 10 watts. Fast chargers check what is plugged in and then raise the voltage. The common language for that on USB-C is USB Power Delivery, written PD.

The figure on a charger is a ceiling, not a promise. The phone decides how much it will accept, and takes less as it fills. Apple asks for 18W or more with PD for fast charging on earlier iPhones, 20W for the iPhone 17e and iPhone Air, and quotes its fastest times on the iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max with 40W or more. Samsung's Galaxy phones take 25W or 45W over PD with PPS, depending on the model. The guide to fast charging explains it in full.

Questions people ask about charging power

Is a higher-watt charger safe for my phone?

Yes. The phone and charger agree a speed between them, and the phone takes only what it can use. A bigger charger simply holds the rest back.

Why does a multi-port charger seem slower than its number?

Its watts are the total, shared between the sockets in use. With two things plugged in, each gets part of it.

Does the cable matter?

Yes. Most USB-C cables carry up to 60W; above that you need a 5A cable. See USB-C to USB-C cables.

More to look at

• Wall chargers
• Car chargers
• Wireless chargers
• Power banks
• Shop by connector
• Guide: Fast charging explained: watts, USB Power Delivery and PPS
• Guide: Choosing a safe phone charger in the UK