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Apple iPhone 12/Pro 18W vs 20W vs 5W vs MagSafe adapter charging speeds

By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Jul 06, 2021, 7:51 AM

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Apple

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For all of Apple's nature-friendly argumentation, the fact of the matter is that the new iPhone 12 series have nothing in their boxes but the phone and a cable. A USB-C cable at that, so if you don't have any oldie charging brick, cable and earphones lying around, off to the store you go to complete Apple's set, as the company is evidently now gunning to be the IKEA of the consumer electronics realm.

On the plus side, Apple did equip 2020 iPhones with fast MagSafe wireless charging, and issued a brand new 20W charger for them, just outside the box, at its stores. If you are curious how long does it take to bring the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro batteries to 100% from depleted state with it, or with Apple's legacy 5W and 18W chargers you may have in your house, here's the scoop.

Apple iPhone 12 Pro 20W adapter charging speed

102 minutes (1 hour and 42 minutes)
The only MagSafe adapter that will make it output its peak 15W

The new 20W charger that Apple outed concurrently with the 2020 iPhones is not a simple bump from the iPhone 11 Pro/Max 18W chargers in the box. It is actually the one that ships with the new iPad Air 4, so you can use those interchangeably.

It is also your best bet for fast iPhone 12/Pro charging if you don't already have the 18W brick of yesteryear, as it costs less than the iPhone 11 Pro/Max adapter in the box.

Here is a breakdown of charging times using the iPad Air 4's 20W Apple power adapter:

in 15 minutes - 27%
in 30 minutes - 55%
in 45 minutes - 74%
in 1 hours - 85%
in 1 hour and 30 minutes - 95%
FULL 100% CHARGE - 1 hour and 58 minutes

Apple iPhone 12 Pro 18W adapter charging speed

106 minutes (1 hour and 46 minutes)

Last year, Apple finally ditched the puny 5W brick for its $999 and up iPhones, and shipped the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max with a fast 18W charger in the box. Those were the days, as, in the spirit of this already wretched leap year, the 2020 iPhones don't have it in the box.

They also don't have the 5W one, or anything, for that matter, so if you are upgrading from the iPhone 11 Pro/Max, you'd better keep your charger. We are already seeing an avalanche of charger-less iPhone offers on Craigslist and eBay, but we digress, the point is to use your new iPhone 12 and 12 Pro charge with the 18W brick.

Despite Apple's claims that the iPhone 12's fast charging is only compatible with the $19 20W adapter, your oldie 18W power will charge the iPhone 12 Pro for about the time that the 20W adapter does.

Apple iPhone 12 Pro MagSafe pad wireless charging speed

176 minutes (2 hours and 56 minutes)
MagSafe and 20W adapter bundle price will set you back nearly sixty bucks

Moreover, if you need your new magnetically-attachable MagSafe wireless charger to top up your iPhone 12 models at its peak 15W power that Apple promises, that can only be achieved with the fresh 20W brick.

Not even Apple's 96W MacBook charger will ensure the optimum charging speeds with MagSafe, as the puck's fastest output is specifically designed to be paired with the new 20W adapter. Sometimes less is more, here's the output wattage each of Apple's top chargers results in when paired with MagSafe:

Apple's 20W Power Adapter - 15W
Apple's 18W Power Adapter - 13W
Apple's 96W MacBook Pro Power Adapter - 10W

Apple iPhone 12 Pro 5W adapter charging speed

187 minutes (3 hours and 7 minutes, 32% in an hour)

Next in our list of iPhone charging grievances is the situation when you upgrade from the iPhone 11, or the ones before it. Then you would have just Apple's ancient slow 5W charger on you, and, believe us, you are better off selling that one off together with the phone you upgraded from, as it takes forever to charge the new iPhone 12, even though it has a smaller battery than the iPhone 11 Pro, and even the iPhone 11.

Charging the iPhone 12 Pro with Apple's top 61W or 96W adapter speeds

We saved the best for last, as Apple's corner shop also sells a mighty 61W USB-C or 96W bricks for... its MacBooks, even though Android manufacturers are now shipping 65W chargers with their phones.

Hey, we clocked the record 32 minutes it took to completely charge the OnePlus 8T's big 4500mAh battery with one such adapter, would Apple's 61W brick work similar magic if you splurge $69 for it?

Of course not, as the battery in the OnePlus 8T is split in two parts that charge simultaneously, plus the phone-cable-charger symbiosis is more than the pure brick output number, as it has to be synced and carefully managed by the circuitry along the whole charging route, from the outlet, to the battery chemistry.

Just as the 61W adapter wouldn't make the MagSafe puck release its peak wattage better than the official 20W pairing, it also won't charge your iPhone 12 faster than Apple's new 20W adapter.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.