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The best way to charge your new iPhone

For some reason – probably related to saving money – Apple decided to ship all new iPhones with a charging cable and charger that don't support fast charging. Here's how to solve that problem.
Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributing Writer
Anker PowerPort Atom PD1 30W USB-C charger and Anker USB-C-to-Lightning cable

Anker PowerPort Atom PD1 30W USB-C charger and Anker USB-C-to-Lightning cable

While everyone got excited about the iPhone wireless charging feature, it's not the most exciting charge-related feature. Instead, that would be the iPhone's support for fast-charging using PD (Power Delivery) over USB-C. But for some reason – knowing Apple, the reason is related to saving money – the new iPhones come with a regular old mains 5W USB charger.

It's no surprise that Apple will sell you a USB-C charger and cable for your iPhone that supports fast charge, capable of taking the battery from flat to 50 percent in 30 minutes. But those two accessories will set you back almost $70.

But fear not, you can kit yourself out with a USB-C mains charger and cable for less than the hardware Apple wants to sell you.

Must read: 10 Apple products you shouldn't buy (March 2019 edition)

Here's what you need:

Anker PowerPort Atom PD1 30W USB-C charger

Apple's 30W USB-C charger is a huge thing, but Anker switched out the silicon with gallium nitride (GaN), which is more efficient and generates less heat, to create the world's smallest PD charger.

How small is the PowerPort Atom PD1?

No bigger than a golf ball, that's how small!

Price: $29.99

Anker PowerPort Atom PD1 30W USB-C charger

Anker USB-C-to-Lightning cable

The Anker USB-C-to-Lightning cable might only be a few dollars cheaper than the cable Apple sells, but it's far, far more durable. You can pull and yank and tug at this one to your heart's content and it just keeps on working.

Highly recommended!

Price: $17.99

Anker USB-C-to-Lightning cable

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