iPhone 13 Pro Max can charge faster with this kind of charger

The iPhone 13 Pro Max held in the hand with the camera array on display.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Yesterday, reports first emerged that the iPhone 13 Pro Max could actually charge faster than Apple let on. While the handset is officially listed as having a charging speed of 20 watts, plugging it into a higher rated charger showed it hitting nearly 27W speeds, albeit with plenty of fluctuations.

Now a number of other sources have confirmed this, including the ChargerLAB YouTube channel, and MyDrivers. That’s an improvement on last year’s iPhone 12 Pro Max which 9t o 5Mac claims capped out at 22W on a 30W charger. What this means is that you can go from zero to 100% in under 90 minutes on the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

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While Apple has closed the feature gap between the Pro and Pro Max models of iPhone 13, this marks a clear discrepancy between the two, as Twitter user @duanrui1205 has revealed that the smaller iPhone 13 Pro caps at 20W. And if you use MagSafe wireless charging, you can expect things to slow down further.

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Although clearly not the original intent, this somewhat vindicates Apple’s controversial decision to abandon bundling chargers with new handsets from the iPhone 12 onwards. Without a power brick in the box, you’re free to go and pick up whatever charger you want — though it’s worth taking inventory of your existing chargers before you do.

As The Verge notes, if you’re already deeply embedded into the Apple ecosystem then you may have a new MacBook Air charger (30W) or MacBook Pro plug (61W) lying around. And it doesn’t need to have an Apple logo to work, of course: if the charger doesn’t say its wattage in plain English, you can figure it out by multiplying the amps by voltage.

If that sounds too much like hard work, then Apple will gladly sell you its own branded 30W charger in store or via its official online shop for $49. Cheaper third-party alternatives are available, of course, but just make sure the one you pick can manage 9V at 3A, because ChargerLAB’s video shows one 30W charger maxing out at 18W on the iPhone 13 Pro Max (5:09 in the video).

Alternatively, if you’re looking for something for the road, be sure to consult our list of the best portable chargers and power banks.

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Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.