What can I use to charge iPhone 12

Apple no longer includes the standard USB charging brick with the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, or iPhone 12 mini. There is only one cable included in the box - a USB-C to Lightning cable. But how do you charge the iPhone 12?

If you're coming from an older iPhone, you probably have a lot of USB-A to Lightning cables.

These cables have a rectangular USB connection on one end and a Lightning cable on the other; you put the Lightning connector into the iPhone to charge it. The iPhone 12 series of iPhones comes with a USB-C to Lightning cable. These cables have the same Lightning port as the iPhone, but the other end has a rounded "capsule" shape; this is a USB-C connector.

What's the best way to charge my iPhone 12?

The best way to charge the iPhone 12 is to use the included USB-C to Lightning cable (or any Lightning USB-C cable you can buy online) and a USB-C charger.

Apple will suggest that you use its 20W USB-C charger. There are many good third-party chargers out there like this 2-port charger from Anker, and many more available online.

Using a USB-C cable and a USB-C charger will allow the iPhone to charge at faster speeds. By using USB-C, you can charge the iPhone to 50% in about half an hour. The highest wattage the iPhone 12 will use is around 22 watts, so a 20 watt or 30 watt charger will give roughly the same charging speed. But basically any USB-C charger will be significantly faster than older USB-A chargers.

Can I use my existing charger and cable with iPhone 12?

You can still use USB-A to Lightning cables with the iPhone 12, if you have them. You'll just need a charger with an old-fashioned USB-A port. You probably already have one. By using USB-A, you can charge your iPhone 12 at a speed of 5 watts. This will charge your iPhone overnight and is perfectly safe, but it won't be the fastest method.

In fact, you might find that the iPhone 12 charges slower than your old iPhone when using USB-A. This is because the battery capacity of the iPhone 12 is larger and therefore, charging it fully requires more power. Newer iPhones have much larger batteries and therefore it is recommended to use fast chargers via USB-C as they will charge faster.

While charging via USB-A can take three to four hours, you can fully charge via USB-C in about half the time. However, charging via USB-A is just as safe and won't damage your iPhone's battery. So if you charge overnight, it doesn't matter how fast it takes and you can keep using your existing charger.

What about wireless charging?

Apple supports fast wireless charging up to 7,5 watts. You can use any Qi-compatible wireless charging mat, like the one from Anker or the one from Belkin. Wireless charging is convenient and secure, but it's not the fastest way to charge an iPhone. As the phone heats up on the pad, the amount of charge is reduced to protect the battery. This means that wireless charging is slower than charging via USB-C cable.

The iPhone 12 also includes a magnetic area on the back of the device, called MagSafe. This can be used with MagSafe accessories like the Apple MagSafe Washer Charger or the Belkin MagSafe Docking Station. MagSafe is essentially a better version of Qi because the magnets automatically align with the case. Thanks to the secure magnetic attachment, Apple allows charging of up to 15 watts for MagSafe chargers. So for the best wireless charging, choose MagSafe over Qi… but the USB-C cable is still the fastest overall.


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