We’ve written a comprehensive guide to fast charging, but let’s review. Fast charging uses a newer USB technology called USB Power Delivery (USB PD). This technology is only available in USB-C connections, which can route power as well as data and are suitable for charging a variety of devices. It’s a very flexible and efficient option that can optimize power management. By upgrading to a USB PD connection, you can achieve charging speeds far faster than Apple’s older Lightning cable connections.

You see, that 5W charger that comes with most iPhones is not capable of fast charging. It can supply enough power for a basic recharge, but it’s not able to transmit a charge fast enough to juice anything with a higher-capacity battery, like an iPad. Most iPads come with a 12W charging block instead. If you own an iPad, you can use one of these to speed up your iPhone’s charging rate — it won’t harm your phone in any way since the phone will never take more charge than it can handle.

The iPhone 8 and newer devices are capable of even faster charging with support for 18W connections and beyond. But getting those kinds of speeds requires an even better charger.

If you’re wondering how much quicker fast charging is, Apple claims it will refill up to 50% of your iPhone’s battery in a mere 30 minutes. This means you can finally say goodbye to waiting around for your phone to charge, and bid farewell to overnight charging entirely. Needless to say, fast charging will ease the anxiety you get when you’re about head out the door and realize your phone is at 17 %.

Note that this is only the beginning of fast charging trends. Oppo recently came out with a 125W charger that can charge a 4,000mAh battery in 20 minutes. This is a burgeoning sector in the phone market, and it’s likely that charging speeds will continue to get even faster.