Which phone charger and cable do you actually need? A plain-English guide

Chargers are the accessory people overthink and overpay for in equal measure. Buy the wrong one and your phone charges slowly; buy the official version and you can pay three times what the same performance costs from a good third-party brand. Here is everything that actually matters, and nothing that does not.

First, which cable does your phone take?

Every phone made in the last few years charges over USB-C — that includes the iPhone 15 and newer, every recent Samsung Galaxy, and every Google Pixel. If your iPhone is a 14, 13, 12, 11, SE or older, it uses Apple's Lightning connector instead, which means you need a USB-C-to-Lightning cable.

The one thing worth insisting on for Lightning cables is that they are made to a proper standard so they charge at full speed and are recognised by iOS. A braided cable also lasts far longer than the thin cable that came in the box — cable fraying near the connector is the single most common charging complaint.

How many watts do you need?

Wattage is how fast a charger can deliver power. For a modern phone, 20W is the sweet spot — it delivers Apple's advertised 'up to 50% in 30 minutes' fast charge, and it is all most people ever need. Stepping up to 30W charges large-battery phones (Pro Max and Ultra models) a little faster and is handy if you also top up a tablet.

Above 30W, the extra speed goes to laptops and tablets rather than phones. A 65W charger is worth it only if you want one plug that fast-charges a phone, tablet and laptop — which brings us to the technology that makes that practical.

What is GaN, and is it worth it?

GaN (gallium nitride) is simply a newer material inside the charger. It runs cooler and smaller than the older silicon, so a GaN charger squeezes far more power into a much smaller brick, and usually adds several ports. A single GaN charger with two or three ports can replace the tangle of separate plugs by your bed or on your desk — it will fast-charge your phone and keep a laptop or earbuds topped up at the same time.

For most homes, one 20W charger by the bed and one multi-port GaN charger on the desk covers everything.

Wireless and MagSafe

Any recent phone can charge on a Qi wireless pad — just set it down, no cable. It is slower than a cable but effortless for overnight or desk-side topping up. On iPhone 12 and newer, MagSafe adds magnets so the charger snaps into the exact right spot and charges faster than plain wireless. If you like the idea of a phone that docks itself, a magnetic puck or a 3-in-1 stand (phone, watch and earbuds on one base) is the upgrade to look at.

The bottom line on price

There is no performance benefit to paying Apple or Samsung prices for a charger — the fast-charging standards (USB Power Delivery, Qi) are universal, so a well-made third-party charger delivers identical speed for a fraction of the cost. That is exactly how we price our own charging range: the same real-world performance, without the brand tax.