How Fast Is iPhone 8's Fast Charging?
iPhone 8/8 Plus/X supports fast charging, which can satisfy users' requirement of faster battery refilling. This feature is the same standard as the Google Pixel, but differs from Samsung, Sony, OnePlus and most other Android brands.
1. How to Fast Charge iPhone 8/8 Plus
When fast charging iPhone, iPhone can charge up to 50% in 30 minutes. However, the 5-watt power adapter and regular USB 8 lightning cable that comes with your iPhone 8/8 Plus/X doesn't support fast charging. To fast charge iPhone 8/8 Plus, you need to purchase a right Apple USB-C power adapter and USB-C to Lightning cable separately.
You can purchase a compatible fast charger from Apple. Here are Apple USB-C Power adapters that support fast charging:
- 29W USB-C Power Adapter - $49.00
- 61W USB-C Power Adapter - $69.00
- 87W USB-C Power Adapter- $79.00.
Apple USB-C to Lightning Cable for fast charging:
- One-meter cable USB-C to Lightning Cable - $25.00
- Two-meter cable USB-C to Lightning Cable - $35.00
If you are not sure which Apple Power Adapter you are using, you can check its wattage on the bottom of the adapter.
If Apple's fast charger is too expensive for you, you can purchase a compatible third-party USB-C power adapter that supports the USB Power Delivery (USB-PD), that are chargers with "USB PD" in the description.
A third-party power adapter can save you $25 or more compared to Apple's $49 and up adapters. But you still need an Apple USB-C to Lightning cable since the standard USB-A Lightning cables only support USB 2.0, which will limit the charging speed. The USB-C one supports USB 3, which can charge at a faster speed.
Aukey has a few cheaper third-party options available on Amazon:
- 29W USB-C Power Adapter — $22.99
- 46W USB-C Power Adapter — $39.99
2. How Fast Is the Fast Charging?
An exciting news shows that with the right charger, the iPhone 8/8 Plus will charge faster than ever. But how fast is Apple's fast charging actually? Let's dig into this new feature.
A software engineer Dan Loewenherz has conducted a test on iPhone 8 Plus's charging speed by exerting various wattage of chargers. He has charged an iPhone 8 Plus from empty to full charge with 5W, 10W, 12W, 29W, 61W, and 87W chargers. Here is the result.
From the above chart, we can find that some amazing facts about iPhone 8/8 Plus's fast charging:
- It takes three hours or longer to charge your iPhone 8 Plus fully on the 5W charger, while 50% power costs more than one hour.
- When changing from 5W to 10 chargers, there is a significant improvement on the charging speed.
- 10W and 12W charger need two hours to charge fully. The 12W adapter will get 50% power after 30 minutes, which is a few minutes faster than the 10W.
- Upgrading from 12 W to 29W adapter, the charging speed is slightly faster, which takes 30 minutes can get 40% power.
- While using a 61W adapter can get better fast-charging performance than 29W one, similar to that if 87W charger.
- By increasing the wattage up to 87W, iPhone charges up to 50% in 30 minutes, just as Apple claimed it will be.
Comparing to a regular charger, the fast charger can truly charge iPhone 8/8 Plus faster. Though higher wattage adapter will be more expensive, it's worth the price.
To conclude, fast charging incredibly provide us a prompt and efficient way to charge iPhone 8/8 Plus, so that users needn't worry the emergency situation of power off. If you want to update your phone to iPhone 8/ 8 Plus/ X, the fast charger is your necessary component.
