USB-C fast chargers and USB Power Delivery

Every current iPhone, Galaxy, and Pixel charges over USB-C, and all of them fast-charge from a charger that supports USB Power Delivery (USB PD). The wattage printed on a charger is the most it can supply. Your phone decides how much it takes, and it only takes its top rate when the charger supports the right parts of the standard. This Phone Balls guide covers what to look for, with the rates the major phone makers list as of October 2026.

What USB Power Delivery does

USB PD is the USB Implementers Forum's standard for negotiating power over USB-C. When you plug in, the phone and charger agree on a voltage and current, and the charger only raises the power when the phone asks for it. That's why a certified USB PD laptop charger is safe to use with a phone, since the phone draws only what it can handle. Revision 3.1 of the standard, announced in 2021, raised the ceiling from 100W to 240W for laptops and other large devices. Phones draw far less than either figure.

PPS and AVS

Basic USB PD offers a handful of fixed voltages. Programmable Power Supply (PPS), added in USB PD 3.0, lets the phone ask for the voltage in small steps, which reduces the heat generated inside the phone at high charging rates. Samsung's Super Fast Charging and Google's Pixel fast charging both rely on PPS. Samsung lists its 60W adapter as USB PD 3.1 with PPS, and Google specifies a 30W USB-C PPS charger for the Pixel 11's fast-charge figures. A Galaxy or Pixel plugged into a USB PD charger without PPS still charges, just more slowly.

Apple's iPhone 18 Pro adds a newer requirement. Apple's spec page lists its fastest wired rate for a 60W-capable charger that supports USB PD 3.1 or later with Adjustable Voltage Supply (AVS). Earlier iPhones reach their listed rates on ordinary USB PD chargers, and Apple's specs for them don't mention AVS.

What current phones accept

These are the makers' own wired figures. Apple measures its times from a drained battery, so a top-up from half full won't follow the same curve.

Sources are Apple's and Google's spec pages and Samsung's Galaxy S26 comparison. Samsung packs a 5A cable with its 45W charger and recommends using it, because that mode runs at more current than a standard cable is rated for.

Choosing a charger

For one phone, a single-port charger rated at or slightly above the phone's top wired rate is enough. A higher rating doesn't hurt, because the phone still sets the pace. If you also charge a tablet or laptop, a multi-port charger saves outlets, but read the listing's port table first. Multi-port chargers usually share their total output when more than one port is busy, so a 65W charger with two ports may give the phone far less than 65W while a laptop is plugged in beside it.

Gallium nitride (GaN) chargers use a semiconductor that runs efficiently at high frequencies, so makers can build smaller chargers at the same wattage. GaN is about size and heat and doesn't change what your phone draws. In the US, look for a safety listing mark such as UL or ETL from a recognized testing lab, and be wary of unbranded chargers that list no certifications at all.

The cable can cap the rate

Every USB-C to USB-C cable is built for at least 3 amps, which covers 60W at USB PD's 20-volt level and most phone charging. Samsung's 45W mode is the exception in the table, and any charger above 60W also needs a 5A cable to deliver its full rating. The USB-C cable guide explains the 60W and 240W ratings and how to spot a certified cable.

Wireless charging is slower

MagSafe and Qi2 top out at 25W on current phones, so a phone that takes 40W or 60W on a cable charges faster plugged in. Wireless charging also loses more energy as heat, and Apple notes that EU rules require iPhones to tell users that wireless charging might use more power than wired charging. MagSafe and Qi2 explained covers the wireless side, including the adapter a MagSafe charger needs.