Best iPhone 12 chargers 2023

Magsafe Charger Hero
Magsafe Charger Hero (Image credit: Joe Wituschek / iMore)

You'll want the best iPhone 12 charger for the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Don't worry! There are tons of great charging options already out for the iPhone 12, and the best iPhone 12 chargers will have a USB-C port that will let you take advantage of fast charging. You may also want to consider one of the best MagSafe charging stands too.

Power is the key to fast-charging

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Apple states that all models of the iPhone 12 can take advantage of fast charging, citing that each model can achieve a 50% charge in about 30 minutes. The catch? You'll need to make sure that the charger is 20W or more. Any less and fast charging doesn't appear to work — although there is more than meets the eye in that situation. However, the best iPhone 12 chargers will give you that 20W power and let you charge up your phone regardless of which iPhone 12 case you choose to slap on your phone.

What about charging with MagSafe?

The MagSafe charger is a neat little Qi wireless charger that snaps nicely on the back of your iPhone 12. However, to use it to its full ability, you will want to pair it with a 20W charger.

The MagSafe charger can charge your iPhone 12 with 15W of power if you pair it with a 20W USB-C charger. Wireless charging is always a little less efficient than charging directly via the lightning port, but 15W charging through a wireless charger like MagSafe is fast.

You'll only get these speeds using a 20W charger, any less, and MagSafe will charge much, much slower.

So why even mention 18W chargers?

The iPhone 12 models can only fast charge connected to a 20W charger. However, in our testing, an 18W charger had pretty similar results.

Our initial testing of charging an iPhone 12 using an 18W charger instead of a 20W charger shows that you can charge an iPhone 12 from 2% to 59% in about a half-hour. This was using the 18W charger with a USB-C to Lightning cable directly plugged into the Lightning port on the iPhone 12.

So, while you may not be able to use MagSafe to its full potential, an 18W charger will likely yield similar results to a 20W when charging your iPhone 12 directly via the cable. There are many great 18W chargers out there, so we've chosen some for this list.

Bottom line: If you want to ensure that you have the fastest charging speeds, no matter what on the iPhone 12, get a 20W charger — especially for MagSafe. But, if you're charging your iPhone directly via a cable most of the time, an 18W charger likely won't leave you waiting for much extra time.

Our recommendations

Our favorite iPhone 12 charger is the Anker Nano iPhone Charger. Due to its 20W power output, you'll get the fast charging Apple is talking about, and its small design makes it easy to carry around in your bag, purse, or jacket pocket.

Also, if you often travel, you may want to look at the Native Union Smart Charger. It comes with both U.S. and EU (and the U.K.) plugs, meaning you can charge up using USB-C in many more countries. Yes, it only puts out 18W of power, which means it won't fast-charge the iPhone 12. However, it will be faster than chargers with less output.

Luke Filipowicz
Staff Writer

Luke Filipowicz has been a writer at iMore, covering Apple for nearly a decade now. He writes a lot about Apple Watch and iPad but covers the iPhone and Mac as well. He often describes himself as an "Apple user on a budget" and firmly believes that great technology can be affordable if you know where to look. Luke also heads up the iMore Show — a weekly podcast focusing on Apple news, rumors, and products but likes to have some fun along the way. 


Luke knows he spends more time on Twitter than he probably should, so feel free to follow him or give him a shout on social media @LukeFilipowicz.