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Bought a New iPhone 15? Try These USB-C Accessories First – CNET [CNET]
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John Falcone Senior Editorial Director, Shopping
John P. Falcone is the senior director of commerce content at CNET, where he coordinates coverage of the site’s buying recommendations alongside the CNET Advice team (where he previously headed the consumer electronics reviews section). He’s been a CNET editor since 2003.
Expertise Over 20 years experience in electronics and gadget reviews and analysis, and consumer shopping advice Credentials
- Self-taught tinkerer, informal IT and gadget consultant to friends and family (with several self-built gaming PCs under his belt)
Russell Holly is a Managing Editor on the Commerce team at CNET. He works with all of CNET to assemble top recommendations as well as helping everyone find the best way to buy anything at the best price. When not writing for CNET you can find him riding a bike, running around in Jedi robes, or contributing to WOSU public radio’s Tech Tuesday segment.
Expertise 7 years experience as a smartphone reviewer and analyst, 5 years experience as a competitive cyclist Credentials
- Author of Taking your Android Tablets to the Max
CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.
The iPhone 15 arrived with a plethora of upgrades, including a more comfortable-to-hold design, camera improvements, and the switch to Type-C from the Lightning port. USB-C has been a technological standard that’s been included on nearly all mobile devices and computers — not to mention, many Apple products — for several years now. People are still dealing with drawers, travel bags and car consoles full of Lightning cables. If you are one of them, your cable situation needs a revamp.
Aside from USB-C upgrades, and other must-haves for a new iPhone (like a new case), there’s a sturdy collection of “nice to haves” out there (which could include new wireless speakers or headphones). It’s worth noting that the current version of the list below includes products we’re confident will work with Apple’s new iPhones.
Amazon customer sentiment
People who bought this charger rated it 4.8 out of 5 on average. Reviewers were happy with the fast charging speed and mentioned that its compact size and folding prongs make it convenient for travel.
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The iPhone 15 line is the first to have USB-C ports on the phone itself, but Apple has been shipping cables with USB-C on the power source end for the past couple of years. Still have an old-school wall adapter with a rectangular USB-A port? That’ll work with the addition of some cheap dongles (see below), but it might result in a slower charging speed. For the best experience, invest in a wall adapter with native USB-C ports with at least 20 watts of power or more. For under $20, we like the Anker 323, which offers a maximum of 33 watts of power and includes both USB-C and USB-A ports, for maximum flexibility. We charged an iPhone 14 Pro from zero to 57% in 30 minutes with this model; it should have no problem doing the same fast charging on the iPhone 15 series.
Pro upgrade: If you want an even more capable charger, step up to Anker’s 735 charger. It’s got an extra USB-C port and can handle charging up to 65 watts enough for most laptops.
Amazon customer sentiment
People who bought this charger rated it 4.8 out of 5 on average. Reviewers were happy with the fast charging speed and mentioned that its compact size and folding prongs make it convenient for travel.
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Pro upgrade: If you want a cable that’s fully rated for higher-wattage charging, faster data speeds and 8K video output, step up to the Anker 515 USB 4 cable instead.
Amazon customer sentiment
The Anker 333 USB-C cables have an Amazon rating of 4.7 out of 5. People love the convenience of the 10-inch length, the durability of the braided cable and the fast charging speed. A few reviewers noted that these cables aren’t ideal for fast data transfer, while a handful reported issues with using these adapters for iPhones. The latter could indicate this product doesn’t work with every car with Apple CarPlay onboard
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To be clear, your new iPhone 15 includes a 1-meter (3.3-foot) Apple USB-C cable in the box. You’ll want some extra cables for other rooms in the house, or for traveling. Most recent generic USB-C cables should suffice, but we like these Anker cables, which are braided for high durability and rated for up to 100 watts of charging power. Even better, Anker gives you a two-pack of 6-footers for $16. That beats the $19 that Apple charges for its 1-meter braided cable (presumably the same one that ships with the new iPhones), and the $29 the company chargers for its Lightning to USB-C adapter. (Do yourself a favor and buy these cables instead of that adapter.)
Pro upgrade: If you want a cable that’s fully rated for higher-wattage charging, faster data speeds and 8K video output, step up to the Anker 515 USB 4 cable instead.
Amazon customer sentiment
The Anker 333 USB-C cables have an Amazon rating of 4.7 out of 5. People love the convenience of the 10-inch length, the durability of the braided cable and the fast charging speed. A few reviewers noted that these cables aren’t ideal for fast data transfer, while a handful reported issues with using these adapters for iPhones. The latter could indicate this product doesn’t work with every car with Apple CarPlay onboard
Amazon customer sentiment
With a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, the Baseus magnetic power bank won approval for its long battery life and how securely the magnet fits against a phone. People also loved the bonus features, which include a hidden kickstand and its digital battery percentage display.
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Like recent iPhones, the iPhone 15 series supports MagSafe charging — Apple’s take on the Qi wireless charging standard — which lets you magnetically attach battery packs and other accessories to the rear of the handset. (In fact, Apple has confirmed that the iPhone 15 supports the emerging Qi2 standard, but the company hasn’t specified exactly what that means in terms of charging speeds or wattage limits.) This Baseus magnetic battery pack isn’t fully MagSafe compliant — it won’t charge the iPhone at full speed — but for its sub-$50 price (with the Amazon instant coupon), it’s a better buy than Apple’s own, now-discontinued $95 battery pack, which has less battery capacity, requires a Lightning cord and lacks the built-in kickstand. If colors are your thing, this one has more options than the standard Apple White. It also has twice the capacity of the similar Anker 622 MagGo (which is a good choice if you want a lighter option).
Amazon customer sentiment
With a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, the Baseus magnetic power bank won approval for its long battery life and how securely the magnet fits against a phone. People also loved the bonus features, which include a hidden kickstand and its digital battery percentage display.
Amazon customer sentiment
With a rating of 4.6 out of 5, the PopSocket is praised for its strong magnet and ease of installation and removal. While many people loved the sleek and attractive design, others considered it to be a bit bulky.
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For a lot of folks, the big question with every new phone and new case is, “Can I use my PopSocket on this?” The great news is that when it comes to the iPhone 15, the answer will always be yes. All you need to do is make sure you have the right thing to connect your favorite PopSocket design to, which is why we recommend everyone pick up the new MagSafe Round. It’s packed with magnets to ensure a sturdy connection either straight to the back of your phone or to any MagSafe case. If you’re looking at a case that doesn’t come with MagSafe, the Round comes with an adhesive ring of magnets you can stick to the inside and keep that sturdy connection. When you’re ready to charge your phone, just pull down on the PopSocket and you’re good to go.
Case option: Prefer a case with an integrated PopSocket? The company offers that for the full range of iPhone models.
Amazon customer sentiment
With a rating of 4.6 out of 5, the PopSocket is praised for its strong magnet and ease of installation and removal. While many people loved the sleek and attractive design, others considered it to be a bit bulky.
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