Which charger do you need for your iPhone? Adapter and cable by model

You unpack your new iPhone and there’s only a cable in the box. No adapter. That has been the case with Apple for years, which is why we get the same question at our counter every day: which charger should I buy with it? The answer depends on your model, and luckily it isn’t complicated.

I’m Job from ThePhoneLab. My colleague Zohra, our purchasing manager who has worked in the repair trade since 2012, picks every charger and cable in our shop herself. I’ll list per iPhone which adapter and cable you need, and bring in Zohra where quality comes in.

In this blog, we discuss:

1. Which adapter do you need for your iPhone?
2. USB-C or Lightning: which cable do you need?
3. One adapter for your iPhone, iPad and laptop
4. A second charger for your bedside table: MagSafe
5. Does your old charger still fit your new iPhone?

Which adapter do you need for your iPhone?

For most iPhones, a 20-watt USB-C adapter with Power Delivery is enough to charge fast: to 50 percent in about half an hour. Power Delivery (PD) is the language in which the adapter and the iPhone agree on how much power may flow. Only the newest models get more out of a heavier adapter. This is what Apple says per model:

• iPhone 16 and older, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air: a 20-watt adapter.
• iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max: at least 40 watts, which gets you to 50 percent in about 20 minutes.
• iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max: at least 60 watts.

A heavier adapter never hurts: your iPhone only takes what it can handle. Do you have an iPhone 17 or 18 Pro? Then choose our 60W adapter or the 3-in-1 adapter of 65 watts. With the latter, you also charge your iPad or AirPods from one wall socket at the same time. For most other iPhones, the 20W adapter is just right.

USB-C charging adapter 20W

Power Delivery: your iPhone to 50 percent in about half an hour. Also in 60 watts, for your iPad or a light laptop.

Shop the charging adapters

USB-C or Lightning: which cable do you need?

Do you have an iPhone 15 or newer? Then you charge with a USB-C to USB-C cable. An iPhone 14 or older has a Lightning port and charges via a USB-C to Lightning cable. With both, pay attention to two things: the cable must be able to handle fast charging, and a Lightning cable must be MFi certified.

That first point is less obvious than it seems. Zohra puts it like this in her tip in the shop: “A cheap cable might deliver 5 watts, just enough to charge a phone slowly.” Our USB-C to USB-C cables deliver 60 watts (1 metre) or 120 watts (2 metres), plenty for iPhone, iPad and almost any laptop.

For an iPhone 14 or older, we have USB-C to Lightning cables that charge at up to 20 watts. MFi means Apple has checked the cable for safety and performance. A cable without MFi regularly shows the message that the accessory may not be supported. That’s why we don’t sell Lightning cables without MFi. How to spot a counterfeit cable, you can read in our blog New iPhone charger? Here’s how to recognize a counterfeit cable.

USB-C charging cables

USB-C to USB-C up to 60 watts, or 120 watts in 2 metres. And MFi-certified USB-C to Lightning for iPhone 14 and older.

Shop the charging cables

One adapter for your iPhone, iPad and laptop

If you also have an iPad or a laptop with USB-C besides your iPhone, one heavier adapter is handier than three separate ones. Our 60W adapter charges your iPhone, your iPad and a light laptop such as a MacBook Air. Want to charge more devices at once? Then the 3-in-1 adapter of 65 watts has two USB-C ports and one USB-A port in one plug.

Worried that a heavy adapter gives your iPhone too much power? That can’t happen. With Power Delivery, the adapter and the iPhone agree together on how much power may flow. So the adapter of your MacBook is safe for your iPhone too, and when travelling one adapter is all you need.

Zohra picks our adapters on three points: the right protocols (Power Delivery, and Quick Charge where applicable), protection against overheating, short circuits and overload, and European safety standards. What she adds herself in her tip: “good chargers don’t have to be expensive.”

A second charger for your bedside table: MagSafe

If you charge with a cable during the day, a MagSafe charger on your bedside table is a nice second charger. Wireless charging is slower than with a cable, but at night that doesn’t matter. Our MagSafe chargers charge an iPhone at up to 15 watts. Your iPhone clicks magnetically into the right spot, so it’s never lying slightly off.

Do pay attention to the adapter behind it. Don’t connect your wireless or MagSafe charger to the old 5-watt plug, because then your charger is waiting just as hard as your iPhone. Use at least 20 watts. How those magnets work exactly, you can read in my blog What is MagSafe?

3-in-1 MagSafe charger

iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods at the same time on your bedside table, and foldable to take in your bag. USB-C cable in the box.

Shop the 3-in-1 charger

Does your old charger still fit your new iPhone?

Your old adapter usually still works, but not always fast. The white 5-watt plug that came with every iPhone for years takes three to four hours for a modern iPhone. That’s fine at night, but during the day you want it faster. A 20-watt USB-C adapter does it in about half the time. This is how it works with what you probably still have in a drawer:

• The 5-watt plug with USB-A: works, but charges slowly.
• A 12-watt USB-A adapter: a bit faster, but not fast charging yet.
• A Lightning cable: doesn’t fit an iPhone 15 or newer, which has USB-C.
• The USB-C adapter of your Samsung or MacBook: works fine, if it supports Power Delivery.
• The USB-C cable of your laptop or Android phone: works, but whether you charge fast depends on the cable.

So if you go from an iPhone 14 or older to an iPhone 15 or newer, you need a new cable in any case. Take an adapter that can handle fast charging along with it, and a MagSafe charger for your bedside table. Then you pay for two of the three: the cheapest one is free, online and in our stores.

3 for 2 on all accessoriesOnline and in our stores. Mix & match: combine whatever you like, the cheapest one is free.

About ThePhoneLab

For more than ten years, ThePhoneLab has been repairing phones, tablets and laptops, every day, throughout the Netherlands. Every repair starts with an honest diagnosis, no cure no pay, and then you choose what suits you: original parts or a more affordable alternative from our own brand, for every budget. Because repairing is almost always smarter than replacing, for your wallet and for the planet. No wonder customers give us a 9.5, in tens of thousands of reviews.

View all repairs or find a store near you.