Can you charge your phone faster?

By Alex Choros

Last updated 14 February 2019

There are plenty of myths about ways you can get your phone to charger faster, but how many are true?

For example, putting your phone in airplane mode (or turning it off entirely) is often spruiked as a solution for a speedier charge. While this can top up your battery a little quicker, the difference is marginal - at least when you're not actively using your phone.

Modern phones tend to use very little battery when in standby, so turning your phone off or switching to airplane mode won't have much of an effect on your charger.

Conversely, actively using your phone while it's plugged in can slow down the rate at which it charges - especially if you're watching a video or playing a game. This isn't because using your phone throttles its charging speed, but because you're burning through battery at the same time.

How faster charging really works

The biggest factor that will determine how fast your phone charges is the power source. As a general rule of thumb, a wall charger will deliver a speedier charge than a USB port on your desktop PC or laptop. This is because a PC USB port only delivers 2.5W of power, while wall chargers typically deliver 5W at a minimum. As such, your computer would take at least twice as long as to juice your phone when compared to the charger you get in your box.

However, not all wall chargers are made equal. The iPhone XS, for example, can fast charge at 15W, but the included wall charger delivers only 5W of power. Apple sells an optional 18W USB Type-C charger (for $49) that will increase the charge speed of any fast charging capable iPhone (iPhone 8 or newer), but you'll also need a USB Type-C to Lightning cable.

Most other phones - at least when it comes to premium devices - include wall chargers capable of fast charging. This bundled wall plug will typically give you the fastest top-up.

It's worth noting that the amount of power used is regulated by your phone, so it will never draw more than it can handle. As such, buying a 30W wall charger, for example, won't magically increase your charging speed if your phone can't accept that much power.

In addition, fast charging tends to be only be fast for the first 50% to 75%. After this stage, the speed of your charge tapers off a little.

Checking your charger's power

If you want to check how much power your wall plug can deliver, you'll typically find this information on the rear next to the pins. Some chargers will explicitly spell out their wattage, while others provide power information in the form of volts and amps. In the event of the latter, you'll need to do some maths.

Power (measured in watts) is equal to the current (measured in amps) multiplied by voltage (measured in volts). If the back of your charger 4.5V 5A, it can deliver 22W. If it says 5V 1A, it's only a 5W charger. The same applies to Power Banks / Portable Batteries, although the location of this information will vary from device-to-device.

And if you want to check how much power your phone can slurp, the best option is checking the official spec sheet on the manufacturer's website, or on GSM Arena.