The best iPhone 12 chargers starting at just $10 – CNET [CNET]

Apple always put a USB cable, power adapter and a pair of wired EarPod headphones in new iPhone boxes — until the release of the iPhone 12 series, which doesn’t include a power adapter or headphones in the box. All that’s included is a USB-C-to-Lighting cable, which offers the fastest charging speeds if you pair it with the right Apple iPhone charger.

Apple’s new 20-watt USB-C power adapter sells for $19, which is $10 less than its overpriced and discontinued 18-watt USB-C power adapter. But several attractive alternatives can be considered among the best iPhone chargers. We’ve pulled together some of our favorite Apple device chargers to give a boost to your battery life, many available for less than $20 and some even less than $10. A few quick ground rules before we start: 

• You’ll need a charger with a USB-C port, or you’ll need to get a USB-A-to-USB-C adapter. At the prices below, you might as well just get a new charger. 
• Two ports are always better than one, allowing you to charge two phones at once, or a phone and an accessory like wireless headphones.
• Chargers with USB-C or PD (power delivery) support can generally charge devices faster than chargers with USB-A ports.
• Higher wattage is better up to a point. But getting 18 watts or better will allow you to charge tablets and even a Nintendo Switch. Get 65 watts or more and you can charge most newer laptops, too.
• Many of these new chargers use a new, fast semiconductor material called gallium nitride (or GaN) that is replacing the old, slow, silicon chip. Chargers with “GaNFast” have a charging speed up to three times faster than traditional chargers — and they’re half the size and weight. They’re compatible with everything in today’s Apple range from AirPods and the iPhone 12 all the way to the big 16-inch MacBook Pro. They might not be optimal for an older iPhone model, however.
• Every charger here can also juice up an Android phone (so long as you supply a compatible charging cord or USB cable) and the Nintendo Switch.

While there are a plethora of charging brands available, we can broadly recommend three phone-charger brands: Anker, Aukey and RAVPower. All three have similar offerings at similar wattage, and prices fluctuate almost daily. Our latest iPhone favorites are below, including some power bank (battery), wireless, charging stand and car options. We’ve used all of these over the past few months (or their direct predecessors).

None of these incorporate Apple’s new MagSafe charging standard — an upgrade from the Lightning connector. That’s brand new and will have a price premium for the foreseeable future — don’t expect to pay less than $39. 

While we haven’t yet tested these iPhone charger models with the iPhone 12, they should all work based on our experience with previous iPhone models. We’ll update this periodically in our quest for the absolute best iPhone charger.

Read more: Best headphones for iPhone 12

Read more: Best iPhone 2021: Apple currently sells 7 different models. Here’s how to pick one