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With all the talk of smartphone makers deciding to nix the charger in the box this year. It might be a good time to pick up a new phone charger or two. And the Galaxy S21 is the first, of what we assume to be many, to remove the charger from the box.
There are many (probably millions) of different phone chargers on the market. From some popular brands like Anker, RAVPower, AUKEY, Samsung and many more. But which ones are the best for you to buy and use with your smartphone?
That’s what we’re here to tell you. We’ve used just about all of the chargers on this list, with many different phones. And know which ones are the best. Phone chargers mostly fall into two categories. USB-C chargers and USB-A chargers. Almost all phones released since 2018 have USB-C, which means that both kinds of chargers will work for most smartphones. But USB-C is more future-proof and will offer faster speeds (depending on the device). So that is our recommendation.
Best smartphone charger
Anker PowerPort III
- Price: $11.99
- Buy: Amazon
The Anker PowerPort III is our favorite phone charger. That is because it is super compact, and can still charge at a decent speed. This one does up to 18W. So it’s not the fastest charger out there. But where most smartphones are capped right around 18W for USB-C PD charging right now. It makes it a good, and cheap, option.
This will work on older smartphones too, since the PowerPort III is able to adapt its speed based on what is plugged in at the time.
For only $12, this is definitely a charger you’ll want to pick up and maybe even carry in your bag to work.
Best dual-port charger
Anker Nano Pro
- Price: $35.99
- Buy: Amazon
Anker has been embracing GaN chargers in the last couple of years, and the Nano Pro is a really impressive charger from the company. It’s a dual USB-C charger, so you can charge two USB-C devices at the same time here. It can output 40W total, or 20W each port. So even if you plug in something else, you’re still going to get the full 20W.
This is a great charger for everyone, whether you use an iPhone, Galaxy, OnePlus or even want it for a laptop. Though it will charge a laptop pretty slowly since it is only 20W.
Best 100W USB-C PD phone charger
Anker PowerPort Atom PD 4
- Price: $99
- Buy: Amazon
This is by far my favorite phone charger, and actually one that I use on my desk right now. If you are now working from home for the foreseeable future, this is worth picking up.
This has two USB-C PD ports and two USB-A ports, that can output 100W total. It can do 100W total on the USB-C port, so it is fast enough to charge a laptop. But if you have other devices plugged in at the same time, then the power will be distributed among the four ports.
It’s a killer charger to have, as you can charge many different things at the same time and not worry about having enough outlets.
Anker PowerPort Atom PD 4 - Amazon
Best USB-C PD Car Charger
Spigen SteadiBoost
- Price: $19.99
- Buy: Amazon
You likely know Spigen from the many cases that it makes for different smartphones. But they also make different smartphone accessories too. Like this car charger.
This is a 45W car charger that offers USB-C PD up to 27W and then a USB-A port. So you can get fast charging even while you are driving down the road, which is definitely a really cool thing to have.
The USB-A port uses Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 for speed too, so even if you aren’t using the USB-C port, you are still getting some good speed here.
Best 25W phone charger
Samsung 25W PD Fast Power Adapter
- Price: $12.99
- Buy: Amazon
This is the charger that Samsung includes in the box with the Galaxy S20, Note 20 series and the Z Fold 2. It’s a 25W USB-C PD charger that can also be used with other devices, and since it’s only $13, it’s a really good option.
It uses USB-C PD and PPS, which is a newer technology designed to make faster charging even safer. So it’s no surprise that Samsung is using it. But we will see more smartphones using it in the near future. Basically, if you own a Samsung smartphone and want to use the full 25W speed that it has, then this is the charger to get. And it can never hurt to have a second one laying around.
Samsung 25W PD Fast Power Adapter - Amazon
Best travel-friendly phone charger
AUKEY Swift 18W Fast Charger with Foldable Plug
- Price: $9.99
- Buy: Amazon
AUKEY has made a really great charger to take when you travel. This charger here is a 18W USB-C PD charger that has a foldable plug. That is really awesome because it’ll take up less room in your bag and also protect the plug from getting damaged from other things in your bag.
This is a pretty small charger in the first place, but still offers up some really good charging speeds. Which makes it a great option for taking on the go with you. That is, when we are able to travel once again.
AUKEY Swift 18W Fast Charger with Foldable Plug - Amazon
Best portable charger
UGREEN 25,000mAh Power Bank 145W
- Price: $149.99
- Buy: Amazon
If you’re on the go often, then you’re going to want to get a nice battery pack that can charge your phone (smartwatch, tablet and laptop) on the go. And that includes this UGREEN 25,000mAh power bank. This power bank is able to charge at up to 145W, which is really impressive for a battery. This breaks down as the USB-C1 port doing up to 100W, USB-C2 port doing up to 45W and the USB-A port doing up to 18W. Now that does equal more than 145W max, so the more you plug in, the slower each one will charge.
UGREEN has also included a digital display on the side, next to the power button, that will show you the battery percentage. So you no longer need to guess off of the four of five LED lights that blink on a battery pack. Which is really nicely.
So how quickly can this charge a laptop? Well, UGREEN claims that it can charge a MacBook Air 2022 13-inch in only 90 minutes. While other batteries will only get it to 60% in that same time. Making this really impressive and worth the price.
UGREEN 25,000mAh Power Bank 145W - Amazon
Best four-port phone charger
AmazonBasics 40W 4-Port Multi USB Wall Charger
- Price: $19.99
- Buy: Amazon
This is one of the best four-port USB chargers on the market. Now this is not a USB-C charger, in fact, it’s all USB-A. And it also does not offer fast charging. But even with those that do have fast charging, you won’t really get “fast” charging when you use all four ports. As that speed is split up between all four.
And where this AmazonBasics model is just $20, it’s definitely a good option. And you can charge your smartphone, smartwatch, tablet and more here. All with one outlet.