The Best Chargers (and Cables) Now That Apple Won’t Give You One
When Apple released its new lineup of phones in October — including the 5G iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, both of which are available in mini and max versions — it snuck in a bit of news: The phones no longer come with the classic Apple wall charging brick or EarPods. (There are rumors that new Samsung phones will be similarly chargerless come 2021 too.) Apple claims this is meant to help the environment, but it also means if you don’t already have a charger, you’ll need to buy one of your own. Plus, to make things a bit more difficult, instead of the traditional USB-A to lightning cables, the new phones come with USB-C to lightning cables, which are not compatible with all those old chargers you’ve held on to.
If you’re not familiar with USB-C, it’s much faster than traditional USB-A and can power larger devices, including monitors. And unlike one-sided USB-A cables, you never have to flip it over to plug it in. The solution Apple would love for you to choose is its new MagSafe wireless charger, a magnetic disc that charges through the back of the phone. But if you’re interested in other options — or just want something that’ll work with your other gadgets — we’ve found the best new USB-C cables and chargers to choose from.
Chargers
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The Anker Nano is around the same size of the traditional Apple 5W charger that used to come with new iPhones, but with 20W of charging power, it’s three times faster. You’ll be able to get your iPhone charged up to 50 percent in under half an hour.
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Apple’s 20W charger is slightly larger than the Anker but has the same fast charging speeds.
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Another reliable 20W charger, for even less than the Anker or Apple versions.
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It won’t charge quite as quickly as a 20W version, but this 18W charger from Aukey is a tiny bit cheaper — and it’s still faster than all those old 5W chargers you’ve accumulated.
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This 36W charger can power two devices at once, with 18W of charging power per port. That’s plenty to quickly charge both your tablet and your phone at the same time.
Cables
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We’re fans of nearly all of Anker’s products, but this six-foot USB-C to lightning cable gives you plenty of length for most charging setups, and its nylon braided fabric makes it much more durable than other cables.
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Strategist contributor Steven John loves these Aukey cables, which have built-in 90-degree bends that avoid the constant weak point for most charging cables.
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