Charging cable speed

[kowalsky]

Hello.

I bought an Apple Watch Series 5 back in 2019. To charge it in my usual places, I bought two additional USB-A cables: one to leave at my parents' house and one for the office.

A few weeks ago, I bought an Apple Watch Series 11 (quite an upgrade!). Right now, I'm using the same magnetic USB-A cables I used with my Series 5 to charge it (at home, at my parents' house, and at the office). I don't see the need to unpack the included USB-C cable. But I'm wondering... will my Apple Watch Series 11 charge faster with the included USB-C cable? I use a Belking 12W + 12W USB-A charger.

At the office, I don't need it to charge faster, but perhaps at home, when I charge it a little before bed to monitor my sleep, it would be useful.

Thanks for your attention and cheers!

 

[oric1sg]

The Apple Watch Series 11 is massively faster than the Series 5. Apple introduced fast charging with the Series 7, and they upgraded it again with the recent models (Series 10 and 11), leaving the Series 5 way behind.

The charging speeds and full comparison reveal distinct differences between the two models:

Apple Watch Series 5 (Standard Charging)​

• Real-World Charging Speed: It maxes out at around 1.5W to 2W of actual power draw.
• Time to Charge: Taking a Series 5 from 0% to 80% takes about 1.5 hours, and a full 0% to 100% charge takes roughly 2 to 2.5 hours.
• The Puck: It shipped with an older USB-A magnetic charging cable that does not support modern fast-charging protocols.

Apple Watch Series 11 (Fast Charging)​

• Real-World Charging Speed: It draws roughly 5W to 6W of power at its peak, using a USB-C Fast Charger paired with a Power Delivery (PD) wall adapter.
• Time to Charge: The Series 11 can rocket from 0% to 80% in just 30 minutes. A complete 0% to 100% top-off takes just over 1 hour.
• The Puck: It ships with the newer aluminum-backed USB-C Magnetic Fast Charging cable.

Which charger is faster or the same?​

The Series 11 charger (USB-C Fast Charging cable) is physically capable of delivering much faster speeds, but only if paired with the right watch. Here is how cross-compatibility works:

• If you use the Series 11 charger on a Series 5: The Series 5 will still charge at its normal, slow Series 5 speed. The watch itself lacks the internal hardware to accept fast charging.
• If you use the Series 5 charger on a Series 11: The Series 11 will charge painfully slowly (taking over 2 hours). It requires both the modern USB-C cable and a power brick that supports at least 5W+ USB-PD (like Apple’s standard 20W phone brick) to activate its fast-charging speeds.

No, a Belkin 12W + 12W USB-A charger is not comparable to a proper Apple Watch Series 11 fast-charging setup.

Even though 12W sounds like it should be enough power for a smartwatch, the architecture of the charger completely blocks the Series 11 from fast charging. Here is why:

The USB-A Bottleneck​

• No Power Delivery (PD): Apple’s fast-charging protocol requires a USB-C connection supporting USB Power Delivery (USB-PD). Because the Belkin brick uses older USB-A ports, it lacks the digital "handshake" protocol required to negotiate fast charging.
• Cable Limitations: There is no official Apple Watch fast-charging cable that ends in a USB-A plug. If you use an older USB-A magnetic puck (or a USB-A to USB-C adapter) with that Belkin charger, the Series 11 will automatically drop back to standard slow-charging speeds (drawing only about 2.5W to 5W).

What this means for your charging times​

If you plug your Apple Watch Series 11 into that Belkin 12W USB-A charger:

• The Slow Experience: It will take 1.5 to 2 hours to fully charge.
• The Missed Feature: You lose the ability to get an 80% charge in 30 minutes, which is one of the standout features of the Series 11.

If you want to unlock the true speed of your Series 11, you'll need to skip the USB-A blocks entirely and plug its included USB-C magnetic cable into any dedicated USB-C brick rated at 18W or higher (like Apple’s 20W cube or a third-party USB-C PD charger).

 

[MarkX]

Hello.

I bought an Apple Watch Series 5 back in 2019. To charge it in my usual places, I bought two additional USB-A cables: one to leave at my parents' house and one for the office.

A few weeks ago, I bought an Apple Watch Series 11 (quite an upgrade!). Right now, I'm using the same magnetic USB-A cables I used with my Series 5 to charge it (at home, at my parents' house, and at the office). I don't see the need to unpack the included USB-C cable. But I'm wondering... will my Apple Watch Series 11 charge faster with the included USB-C cable? I use a Belking 12W + 12W USB-A charger.

At the office, I don't need it to charge faster, but perhaps at home, when I charge it a little before bed to monitor my sleep, it would be useful.

Thanks for your attention and cheers!

Unpack the puck from the box, you paid for it!

Charging speed will be much improved.

 

[AppleForeverandEver]

If charging overnight, what is the hurry.