The Apple Charging Situation — Built by Grumbles

The Charging Curve

Three phases. One that matters.

0 → 50%

Full-speed constant current. Your charger matters here. Only here.

50 → 80%

Current tapers. Better charger still helps. Less than you'd think.

80 → 100%

Trickle charge. 140W and 20W finish the same. Chemistry doesn't negotiate.

Stock

The charger most people already have -- usually the 20W that came with a previous device, or whatever's in the box.

Optimal

The fastest charger the device can actually use. More watts than this won't help -- the device caps out.

iPhones

No charger since 2020. Good for the planet. Confusing for everyone else.

Device	Max W	0→50% Stock	0→50% Optimal	Faster
iPhone 17 Pro Max (19.6 Wh)	40W	~38m	~20m	47%
iPhone 17 Pro (16.0 Wh)	40W	~31m	~20m	35%
iPhone 17 (14.0 Wh)	~27W	~28m	~20m	29%
iPhone 16 Pro Max (18.0 Wh)	30W	~30m	~26m	13%
iPhone 16 Plus (18.0 Wh)	~27W	~30m	~27m	10%
iPhone 16 (13.7 Wh)	~23W	~30m	~27m	10%
iPhone 15 Pro Max (17.3 Wh)	27W	~30m	~27m	10%
iPhone Air (12.3 Wh)	~20W	~30m	~30m	—

The Air is thermally capped — no charger helps. I checked.

iPads

Where the right charger matters most.

Device	Ships With	Max W	0→50% Stock	0→50% Optimal	Faster
iPad Pro 13" M4 (39.0 Wh)	20W	~35W	~1h 30m	~45m	50%
iPad Pro 11" M4 (31.3 Wh)	20W	~35W	~1h 15m	~37m	51%
iPad Air 13" M3 (36.6 Wh)	20W	~31W	~1h 25m	~55m	35%
iPad Air 11" M3 (28.9 Wh)	20W	~31W	~1h 10m	~45m	36%
iPad mini 7 (19.3 Wh)	20W	~20W	~45m	~45m	—

The Pro costs $1,299. Apple included a half-speed charger. I have feelings about this.

MacBooks

The Airs ship slow. The Pros ship right.

Device	Ships With	Max W	0→50% Stock	0→50% Optimal	Faster
MBP 16" (Pro/Max) (100 Wh)	140W	140W	~26m	~26m	—
MBP 14" (all configs) (72.4 Wh)	70–96W	96W	~30–35m	~30m	0–14%
Air 15" M4 (66.5 Wh)	35W	~70W	~60m	~30m	50%
Air 13" M4 (10-core) (53.8 Wh)	35W	~70W	~55m	~26m	53%
Air 13" M4 (8-core) (53.8 Wh)	30W	~70W	~55m	~26m	53%

Airs fast-charge at 70W but ship with 30–35W. The base M4 and 12-core Pro ship with 70W — below their 96W fast-charge threshold. Only the 14-core Pro and Max ship right.

Wearables

Any charger. Don't overthink it.

Apple Watch Series 10, Ultra 2 · AirPods Pro 2, 4, Max (USB-C)

All draw 3–7W. A 2012 cube and a 140W brick finish identical. Save the good ports.

Anker Prime 160W 3-Port (A2687)

One charger. All of it.

USB-C1 (up to 140W)

MacBook — priority port, gets the most watts

USB-C2 (up to 140W)

iPad, second laptop, or iPhone 17 Pro

USB-C3 (up to 140W)

iPhone, Watch puck, AirPods — whatever's left

Ports Active	Split
One port	140W
Two ports	~78W + ~76W
All three	~60W + ~50W + ~35W

160W total. Splits dynamically. The display shows you exactly who's getting what.

That Little White Charger

Found one in the drawer. Did the math.

Device	0→50% That charger	0→50% 20W	0→50% Optimal
iPhone 17 Pro Max	~2h+	~38m	~20m
iPhone 17	~1h 45m	~28m	~20m
iPad Pro 13" M4	~4h+	~1h 30m	~45m
iPad Air 13" M3	~4h+	~1h 25m	~55m
MacBook Air 15" M4	won't charge	~3h+	~30m

Apple shipped this 5W charger with every iPhone from 2007 to 2019. Then stopped including chargers entirely. Hundreds of millions still in drawers. And yes — it's USB-A, so you need a USB-A to USB-C cable for anything made after 2023. Still in use. Still slow.