There's no such thing as an 'Android charger' or 'iPhone charger' and that's a good thing. Here's how you can charge your phone using your laptop charger and other powerful tips.
You may think charging your gadgets is simple – just plug them in at night and unplug in the morning. But actually there’s more to it than that. Our guide will help you charge your gadgets more efficiently and save you time and money.
The first thing to know is that there’s no such thing as an ‘Android charger’ or ‘iPhone charger’, despite these terms becoming widespread.
There are three dominant types of charging port:
USB-C
Lightning
microUSB.
This is what they look like, examples of the devices they’re found on and what the device-side connector looks like on the corresponding charging cable.
USB-C: not just for Android
Credits: Alan Lu
The connectors of USB-C cables have a symmetrical design so they can be inserted either way up - there is no 'wrong' way. Lightning cables also have this design trait.
Credits: Alan Lu
USB-C ports are commonly called ‘Android chargers’ but this is incorrect. They’re found not just on most Android devices released in the past two to three years, but also all iPad Pros made since 2018, iPhones starting with the iPhone 15 lineup introduced in 2023, Nintendo Switch consoles, many new laptops, the latest wireless headphones and power banks.
Lightning: iPhones introduced before 2023, older iPads, AirPods and more
Credits: Alan Lu
Lightning cables are easily identifiable from the miniature metal plates visible on both sides of the connector.
Credits: Apple
Lightning ports are found on iPhones, from the iPhone 5 in 2012 to the iPhone 14 lineup in 2022. They're also found on the charging cases for AirPods (apart from the AirPods Pro introduced in 2023), some wireless keyboards and mice for Macs, and some Beats headphones and earphones.
microUSB: an old friend
Credits: Alan Lu
MicroUSB cables are easily identifiable as their connectors have an asymmetrical five-sided shape so they have to be inserted the right-way up. This contrasts with Lightning and USB-C cables which can be inserted either way up as their connectors have symmetrical shapes.
Credits: Alan Lu
microUSB has largely been phased out in favour of USB-C. microUSB ports are found on older Android phones and tablets, as well as numerous other devices such as Amazon Kindle ebook readers, power banks, wireless headphones and older, now uncommon types of smartphone, such as Windows Mobile and Blackberry devices.
Plugging away
So if you lose the charging cable for your phone, or have left it behind at your workplace, you may be able to make do by borrowing a compatible cable from another device until you can buy a replacement.
If you’ve just lost your phone’s charger rather than the charging cable, you can also probably use another that you already own. All smartphone charging plugs use either USB-A ports or USB-C ports. USB-A is not only the most widespread port found on charging plugs, it’s the type of USB connector commonly found on computers and thus widely known just as USB.
Credits: Alan Lu
USB-A ports are the most common type of charging port you'll encounter.
Credits: Alan Lu
USB-C ports look very similar to Lightning ports, but they're distinguishable by the visible 'prong' - a common characteristic of all USB ports.
As a result, many charging cables have a USB-A connector on the charger end and a microUSB, Lightning or USB-C connector on the device end. It’s therefore natural to choose a charging plug with a USB-A port when buying replacement or additional units as it’ll charge almost everything.
But if your phone, tablet or computer uses a Lightning or USB-C connector then there’s a very good reason to choose a charger that has a USB-C port instead – fast charging.
Fast charging
Fast charging will typically halve the amount of time it takes to recharge a flat battery fully. But both your phone and your charging plug need to support it.
The industry standard for fast charging is called USB Power Delivery (USB-PD). For Android phones that support it, all you need is a charging cable with USB-C connectors at both ends as well as a charging plug with a USB-C port that supports USB-PD.
Look for USB-PD certified cables and chargers, such as the Belkin models available from Vodafone’s retail stores in the UK.
Some Android phone manufacturers sell proprietary alternatives to USB-PD under a variety of brand names such as QuickCharge, SuperCharge, Pump Express and VOOC.
These can allegedly deliver even faster charging times, but the required charging plugs aren’t usually compatible with each other so you need to use the one specific to your phone. They all work with USB-PD though, so you can always fall back on that.
Contrary to popular belief, iPhones can also get the benefits of fast charging. Although only the iPhone 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max and all subsequent iPhones come with the necessary cable in the box, you can buy a Lightning-to-USB-C cable separately and use them with any iPhone going back to the iPhone 8.
You don’t have to miss out if you own an older iPhone.
Models as old as the iPhone 6 can charge more quickly if you plug them into an iPad charger. The chargers with USB-A ports included in the box with most iPhones before 2019 can only deliver 5W (Watts) of power, but chargers included in the box with iPads can deliver 10W or 12W of power (depending on the iPad model).
So charging an iPhone with an iPad charger dramatically shortens charging times – almost to USB-PD levels with some iPhones, according to independent testing by Macworld US.
This is a boon, whether you already have an iPad charger or you want to buy one and save the cost of a Lightning-to-USB-C cable.
Charging top tips
As long as you’re using a USB-C charging plug and cable from a reputable manufacturer, you can safely use your USB-C laptop charger to recharge your phone. The reverse won’t always be possible though as not all USB-C charging plugs and cables designed specifically for phones support the higher wattages demanded by laptops.
The lithium-ion batteries in smartphones don’t like very hot or cold temperatures. Researchers at the University of Michigan recommend that you avoid charging your phone in temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius or below zero degrees Celsius.
Batteries don’t charge at an even rate, so it takes longer for your phone to reach 100% charge than say 50%. This is normal behaviour and nothing to worry about.
To maximise the usable life of your phone’s battery, especially if you’re working from home more and going out less, consider charging your phone only to 80%. iPhones running iOS 13 or later have an optional feature called Optimized Battery Charging. This will delay charging your phone past 80% if its algorithms reckon you won’t be unplugging and using your phone soon, based on your previous usage.
Wireless charging
Wireless charging involves resting your phone on top of a charging pad that is plugged into the mains via a cable. So it’s not truly wireless and charging times tend to be much slower than cable charging.
But wireless charging can still be useful for minimising cable clutter around your home workspace. Plus, resting a phone on top of a charging pad is easier than plugging a cable into a port if you are visually impaired or have dexterity issues due to age, illness or a chronic condition.
Thankfully, there’s just one dominant standard for wireless charging tech – Qi. Many modern Android phones, as well all iPhones since the iPhone 8, support Qi wireless charging.
All iPhones since the iPhone 12 series also work with Apple’s MagSafe wireless chargers (which shouldn’t be confused with Apple’s MagSafe laptop chargers). Here, magnets on the back of the phone should snap it into alignment with the MagSafe charger’s charging elements to ensure that charging can begin. MagSafe also supports faster charging speeds than Qi.
Some smartwatches running Google’s WearOS can be charged using Qi as well, but Fitbit fitness trackers and the Apple Watch use their own device-specific wireless chargers instead.
Originally published March 2020; last updated September 2023.
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