Belkin Debuts 36W USB-C Car Charger That Offers Fast Charging for iPhone X, 8, and 8 Plus

[elfxmilhouse]

Im a tad bit confused. I thought regardless of what companies advertised the wattage of their chargers *like this car charger for example is 36W* Ive read the iPhone caps the wattage at 12W even if its higher? Or does this only apply to wireless fast charge?

iPhone 8 and iPhone X can charge at around 18 watts using the 9 volt USB PD spec. you need to use the Apple lightning to USB C cable. This Belkin charger, and many other chargers, support the higher profiles of USB PD. it's the same thing that the new MacBooks use to charge.

you are correct however when talking about chargers that don't do the higher voltages from the USB PD spec. a 2 port charger that advertises 24 watts usually means it can do 24 watts combined.

There are so many ways to confuse these specs, there are going to be so many people buying/selling the wrong things.

 

[QuarterSwede]

No - it's not a USB-C charger it's just 2x USB-A ports at 12w each.
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What 24w charger? The fastest USB charger Apple make (and is possible with USB-A) is 12w.

Sorry, that was worded confusingly. I meant it you already have a faster charger that you’ve been using to quick charge then paying double for the usb-c charger and cable likely isn’t worth it for you.

I mentioned 24w only because that’s the one I’ve had for years. It has two ports at 12w each.
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15 minutes is a lot when you're talking in car charging. In the car is where you likely need it most. That extra speed allowed by USB-C is well worth it for many of us.

You’re talking about 1:15 vs 1:30, according to YouTube video reviews at least. That’s a few percentages at most in a 10-15min charge in a car. Not worth double the price (or significantly more as 12w chargers are dirt cheap now) to many of us either.
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Perhaps he meant the 24W Anker with two USB-A ports?

Nailed it. I wasn’t thinking. Sorry for the confusion.
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It's interesting that there isn't much discussion of the consequences of fast-charging on overall battery performance.

That’s because if you’ve been using one there isn’t any noticeable drop in holding capacity. I’ve been using a 12w charger for 3 years now on my 6 Plus and it still has stellar battery life.

Personally, I think it’s sad that Apple is shipping the 5w charger with all iPhones. Now that the flagship X is out and has a larger battery even than the Plus charging times on the 5w are pathetic.

 

[Archer1440]

That’s because if you’ve been using one there isn’t any noticeable drop in holding capacity. I’ve been using a 12w charger for 3 years now on my 6 Plus and it still has stellar battery life.

.

That is not "fast charging" in the context of these devices being discussed here.

 

[Pointer]

Does it have to be an official Apple USB C to Lightning cable? I have a third party USB C to lightning cable, will that work with this charger and fast charge my iPhone X?

 

[dannys1]

I mentioned 24w only because that’s the one I’ve had for years. It has two ports at 12w each.

Right yes, you can charge at 5amp x 2.4amp or 12w. If you've got a new MacBook Pro it probably makes sense to pick up the lightning cable to do the 18w charging. But yeah, otherwise, unless you drastically need to charge from 10% often I agree with you, it's not really necessary. I've got the cable and multiple USB-C chargers that can do it and i've never utilised it yet, I still just plug into a 12w charging port each night. I suppose it's nice to know the feature is there if I need it at any point in a squeeze (perhaps better suited to a car charger actually if case you're running low out and about)

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

Does it have to be an official Apple USB C to Lightning cable? I have a third party USB C to lightning cable, will that work with this charger and fast charge my iPhone X?

In all likelihood, yes. I'm not saying there aren't other good cables out there (and I own my fair share of Anker Powerline cables), but as revealed in Mobile Reviews-Eh's recent cable review/comparison, even Anker's cables are technically inferior to Apple's.

 

[dannys1]

In all likelihood, yes. I'm not saying there aren't other good cables out there (and I own my fair share of Anker Powerline cables), but as revealed in Mobile Reviews-Eh's recent cable review/comparison, even Anker's cables are technically inferior to Apple's.

No one else makes an MFI USB-C to Lightning cable so yes it has to be the official one - it's the only one with the chip in it. All the fake cables just do 5v at 2.4amp max like standard USB.

 

[QuarterSwede]

That is not "fast charging" in the context of these devices being discussed here.

It’s literally 15 minutes slower than the USB-C PD quick charger. Normal people don’t care what spec it uses. Heck, I don’t care what spec it uses. The technology isn’t drastically different to change the historical use data.

Right yes, you can charge at 5amp x 2.4amp or 12w. If you've got a new MacBook Pro it probably makes sense to pick up the lightning cable to do the 18w charging. But yeah, otherwise, unless you drastically need to charge from 10% often I agree with you, it's not really necessary. I've got the cable and multiple USB-C chargers that can do it and i've never utilised it yet, I still just plug into a 12w charging port each night. I suppose it's nice to know the feature is there if I need it at any point in a squeeze (perhaps better suited to a car charger actually if case you're running low out and about)

Exactly.

MR members have been blowing up what I meant. All I was saying was that if you already have a 12w charger for your iPhone then paying much more for slightly faster charging doesn’t seem worth it. That’s it.

I don’t care what spec the new devices use. The real world benefit just isn’t that much better.

 

[elfxmilhouse]

Does it have to be an official Apple USB C to Lightning cable? I have a third party USB C to lightning cable, will that work with this charger and fast charge my iPhone X?

Yes (if you want the 18 watt charging speed), third party USB-C Lightning cables are not yet licensed by Apple. The most you'll get is 12 watts using these non-certified cables.

In all likelihood, yes. I'm not saying there aren't other good cables out there (and I own my fair share of Anker Powerline cables), but as revealed in Mobile Reviews-Eh's recent cable review/comparison, even Anker's cables are technically inferior to Apple's.

See above. Apple has yet to approve any third parties from making USB-C Lightning cables. I've tested several and they were only capable of delivering 12 watts and 5 volts only.

No one else makes an MFI USB-C to Lightning cable so yes it has to be the official one - it's the only one with the chip in it. All the fake cables just do 5v at 2.4amp max like standard USB.

exactly my point. they "work" in the sense that it will charge or sync but not using the greater than 5 volt profiles.
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It’s literally 15 minutes slower than the USB-C PD quick charger. Normal people don’t care what spec it uses. Heck, I don’t care what spec it uses. The technology isn’t drastically different to change the historical use data.


Exactly.

MR members have been blowing up what I meant. All I was saying was that if you already have a 12w charger for your iPhone then paying much more for slightly faster charging doesn’t seem worth it. That’s it.

I don’t care what spec the new devices use. The real world benefit just isn’t that much better.

I see your point. I already thought 12 watt charging was already pretty quick.

If you are comparing full charges then it makes sense that its not worth it.

The most benefit will be when charging from 0-10% to 50-60%. This is when the fastest charging rate is used (both with the 12 watt and 18 watt chargers). once you get to around 70% the charging rate slows down to where both the 12 watt and 18 watt chargers are the same.

So the people that will benefit most are those that find their phone almost dead and have about 15-30 mins to charge.

Currently if you don't already own an Apple USB C power brick from your MacBook its not worth the cost of entry.

 

[dannys1]

Currently if you don't already own an Apple USB C power brick from your MacBook its not worth the cost of entry.

I concur with this, or if you don't already have a charging block with a USB-C port on...in other words I wouldn't bother buying a 60w/87w Apple charger for this (100% not) the 29w only does 15w so that's really not worth the investment - you'd have to go 3rd party to get your moneys worth and even then it's not worth it. I used to cable to charge my X up last night from about 8% battery remaining and I wasn't exactly blown away by the difference. I could have just used it plugged in anyway.

To be honest I can't really ever imagine a time where i'd need it over 12w charging. Much ado about nothing really which I think is why Apple never even bothered to mention it in the keynote but at least Android users can't hark on about it now like 6w extra charging speed is life changing.

 

[elfxmilhouse]

I concur with this, or if you don't already have a charging block with a USB-C port on...in other words I wouldn't bother buying a 60w/87w Apple charger for this (100% not) the 29w only does 15w so that's really not worth the investment - you'd have to go 3rd party to get your moneys worth and even then it's not worth it. I used to cable to charge my X up last night from about 8% battery remaining and I wasn't exactly blown away by the difference. I could have just used it plugged in anyway.

To be honest I can't really ever imagine a time where i'd need it over 12w charging. Much ado about nothing really which I think is why Apple never even bothered to mention it in the keynote but at least Android users can't hark on about it now like 6w extra charging speed is life changing.

yea, I see it more like a fringe benefit if you already have USB-C PD devices. Since I have a MacBook Pro I have some chargers already. Also things like this Belkin charger would help me with my phone and my laptop. not worth switching everything over just for your phone unless you have money to burn. USB-C stuff is still like the Wild West so it would be better to wait until manufacturers catch up.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

Yes (if you want the 18 watt charging speed), third party USB-C Lightning cables are not yet licensed by Apple. The most you'll get is 12 watts using these non-certified cables.



See above. Apple has yet to approve any third parties from making USB-C Lightning cables. I've tested several and they were only capable of delivering 12 watts and 5 volts only.



exactly my point. they "work" in the sense that it will charge or sync but not using the greater than 5 volt profiles.

Here's the video I was referencing (not so much for you since we're agreeing here), but in general:

https://www.mobilereviews-eh.ca/not-all-apple-lightning-cables-are-created-equal/

 

[haruhiko]

Just got one from Apple Store in Hong Kong. Only one left and the staff had no clue of whether it supports the iPhone X's fast charging and kept introducing other models. I compared the part number and confirmed that it's the same introduced here.

Curiously, the box doesn't mention iPhone 8 or iPhone X.

 

[dan9700]

I found mine slower than the old belkin 2.4 one no way is this fast charging like the 29w apple usb c chargers

 

[mbaturin]

I picked up this 36W Belkin car charger and an Apple 2m USB-C to Lightning cable today. Phone was at 83% when I left the apple store. Took me 30 min to get where I was going - using Waze with screen brightness around 75% and listening to a podcast over bluetooth. Phone was at 84% when I got to my destination. I thought fast charging was supposed to still charge (maybe not fast, but charge normal speed) while using the phone and having it plugged in the car? I had it plugged into the front console car charging port of a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee - I believe it is a 12V plug.

 

[dan9700]

I picked up this 36W Belkin car charger and an Apple 2m USB-C to Lightning cable today. Phone was at 83% when I left the apple store. Took me 30 min to get where I was going - using Waze with screen brightness around 75% and listening to a podcast over bluetooth. Phone was at 84% when I got to my destination. I thought fast charging was supposed to still charge (maybe not fast, but charge normal speed) while using the phone and having it plugged in the car? I had it plugged into the front console car charging port of a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee - I believe it is a 12V plug.

Its a lie i done same and toke them back my old 2.4 belkin charges much faster using waze the usb c one was way slower

 

[mbaturin]

Its a lie i done same and toke them back my old 2.4 belkin charges much faster using waze the usb c one was way slower

I don't get it! How can that be? I found the same thing though. This Anker charger I purchased before charges the phone faster. Anyone here who understands this stuff well have an explanation for this?

 

[elfxmilhouse]

I picked up this 36W Belkin car charger and an Apple 2m USB-C to Lightning cable today. Phone was at 83% when I left the apple store. Took me 30 min to get where I was going - using Waze with screen brightness around 75% and listening to a podcast over bluetooth. Phone was at 84% when I got to my destination. I thought fast charging was supposed to still charge (maybe not fast, but charge normal speed) while using the phone and having it plugged in the car? I had it plugged into the front console car charging port of a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee - I believe it is a 12V plug.

where did you buy the charger? I haven't been able to find it in the apple store yet. Only the belkin website has it for sale.

 

[mbaturin]

where did you buy the charger? I haven't been able to find it in the apple store yet. Only the welkin website has it for sale.

Actually bought it at the Apple store near me. Just got off the phone with support and they said to exchange it. They said they’ve seen a high number of these 36W USB-C Belkin car chargers that are defective.

 

[Hustler1337]

Why does Belkin make the news on MacRumors for iPhone products?

There's tons of brands out there, not least some good quality manufacturers of fast charging devices which have been around for a long time that cost a fraction of the price.

 

[mbaturin]

Why does Belkin make the news on MacRumors for iPhone products?

There's tons of brands out there, not least some good quality manufacturers of fast charging devices which have been around for a long time that cost a fraction of the price.

If i understand correctly there isn’t any other USB-C PD car charger out there with this same voltage/wattage/amperage combination. That’s how it reads at least.

 

[mbaturin]

Update on my own situation. Apple Support recommended I try to swap out the charger for a new one. I stopped over after work yesterday and did that. New one is FAST charging like expected! @dan9700 did you try to get a new one? Seems there is a high level of these that are defective. Apple store guy said he thought Fast Charging was unsafe for car use and thinks Belkin should not have made them...his words. It does get SUPER hot...