With my previous iPhone 6 Plus, it was recommended that I use a 12W adapter and I found that (or at least convinced myself that) the phone charged faster with the 12W than with the 5W. However my iPhone 7 Plus ships with a 5W adapter.
- Can I charge my iPhone 7 Plus with a 12W adapter?
- Will my iPhone 7 Plus charge faster with a 12W adapter?
What's the fastest charging power adapter for an iPhone 7 Plus?
Best Answer
For some reason, Apple often chooses not to include the best charging option with its devices. This is particularly odd with 9.7” iPads, which ship with a 10W power adapter. Those haven’t been available for sale from Apple since 2013.
According to the Apple Online Store, the 12W USB Power Adapter is compatible with the iPhone 7 and 7+.
Both 4.7” and 5.5” iPhones can use up to 10W power adapters to charge faster, as measured by an ammeter and System Information.
Either way, power is drawn by the “receiving” device, so there is no risk in using an adapter that provides more power. If the charger can provide the requested wattage, it does; otherwise, the highest power output is negotiated.
If you plug into a Mac’s USB port, your Mac will deliver 2.1A (10W) to iPads and to the larger iPhones (6 and above). It will deliver 500mA to WATCH and 1A to smaller iPhones (SE and lower).
I have tested this with a 2013 iMac. It is possible that newer Macs are able to provide 2.4A to iPads.
Update 2017/03/22: iPad 5 and iPad mini 4 now ship with a 12W power adapter. According to the chosen verbiage, this may be the standard going forward.