iPhone 18 Pro Fast Charging vs 17 Pro, 16 Pro and 15 Pro: 15, 20 and 30 Minutes to 50 Percent

Apple iPhone 18 Pro A20 Pro chip
Image: Apple

The iPhone 18 Pro reaches 50 percent charge in around 15 minutes on a 60W USB-C adapter, according to Apple’s tech specs. That is five minutes quicker than the iPhone 17 Pro’s 20-minute claim with a 40W adapter, and half the roughly 30 minutes Apple quoted for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro.

Apple iPhone 18 Pro 2up
Apple rates both iPhone 18 Pro models at 50 percent charge in around 15 minutes with a 60W adapter. Image: Apple

Apple has phrased its fast-charge claim as time to 50 percent since the Lightning era, so the figure can be tracked from the iPhone 13 Pro to today. What changes each year is not only the number of minutes but the adapter Apple assumes, which is never in the box. This article puts the claims and the adapters side by side; our charger guide covers which adapter to buy.

Key facts

FactFigure
iPhone 18 Pro, wired50 percent in around 15 minutes with a 60W USB-C adapter, sold separately
iPhone 18 Pro, wireless50 percent in 30 minutes with a 35W adapter plus MagSafe
iPhone 18 Pro MagSafe and Qi2Up to 25W each
iPhone 17 Pro, wired50 percent in 20 minutes with a 40W adapter
iPhone 16 Pro, wired50 percent in around 30 minutes
iPhone 15 Pro, wired50 percent in around 30 minutes with a 20W or higher adapter
In the iPhone 18 Pro boxA 1 m USB-C cable and no adapter
Apple iPhone 18 Pro color lineup
The 60W adapter behind the 15-minute claim is sold separately; the box holds a 1 m USB-C cable. Image: Apple

The 50 percent claim, generation by generation

Every figure below comes from Apple’s tech specs for the model named. The wired column is Apple’s time-to-50-percent claim; the adapter column is the power adapter Apple names in that claim.

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ModelWired 50 percent claimAdapter Apple citesMagSafeQi or Qi2Port
iPhone 13 ProAround 30 minutes20W or higherUp to 15WQi, 7.5WLightning, USB 2
iPhone 14 ProAround 30 minutes20W or higherUp to 15WQi, 7.5WLightning, USB 2
iPhone 15 ProAround 30 minutes20W or higherUp to 15WQi2, 15WUSB-C, USB 3 (10 Gb/s)
iPhone 16 ProAround 30 minutesNot stated in the claimUp to 25W with a 30W adapterQi2, 15WUSB-C, USB 3 (10 Gb/s)
iPhone 17 Pro20 minutes40WUp to 25W; 50 percent in 30 minutes with a 30W adapterQi2, 25WUSB-C, USB 3 (10 Gb/s)
iPhone 18 ProAround 15 minutes60WUp to 25W; 50 percent in 30 minutes with a 35W adapterQi2, 25WUSB-C, USB 3 (10 Gb/s)

The wired claim sat at around 30 minutes for four generations, from the iPhone 13 Pro through the iPhone 16 Pro. The iPhone 17 Pro cut it to 20 minutes, and the iPhone 18 Pro to around 15. Over two years the time has halved.

The Pro Max follows the same path with one exception. Apple rated the iPhone 14 Pro Max at 50 percent in around 35 minutes rather than 30; the 15 Pro Max and 16 Pro Max returned to 30, the 17 Pro Max to 20, and the 18 Pro Max carries the same 15-minute claim as the smaller phone. Apple’s press release adds that five minutes on a cable gives the 18 Pro Max about seven hours of video playback.

Apple iPhone 18 Pro Clear Case
MagSafe is rated at up to 25W on iPhone 18 Pro, the same as iPhone 17 Pro and 16 Pro. Image: Apple

The adapter each claim assumed: 20W, 40W and 60W

Apple’s 30-minute claims for the 13 Pro, 14 Pro and 15 Pro were written for a 20W or higher adapter. The 17 Pro’s 20-minute claim named a 40W adapter, and the 18 Pro’s 15-minute claim names a 60W adapter. In other words, the adapter Apple assumes has tripled in three years.

None of these adapters ship with the phone. Apple’s tech specs list the iPhone 18 Pro box contents as the phone with iOS 27 and a 1 m USB-C cable. The 60W adapter is sold separately, and Apple has not said what a lower-wattage adapter achieves on the new phone.

Wireless: MagSafe from 15W to 25W

MagSafe charging was rated at up to 15W on the 13 Pro, 14 Pro and 15 Pro. The iPhone 16 Pro raised it to 25W when paired with a 30W adapter, and the 17 Pro kept 25W while adding a wireless 50 percent claim of 30 minutes with a 30W adapter.

The iPhone 18 Pro holds MagSafe at up to 25W and repeats the 30-minute wireless claim, now with a 35W adapter. Qi2 has moved in step: 15W on the 15 Pro and 16 Pro, 25W on the 17 Pro and 18 Pro. On the older 13 Pro and 14 Pro, plain Qi charging was limited to 7.5W.

Port and cable

The iPhone 13 Pro and 14 Pro used Lightning at USB 2 speeds. Since the iPhone 15 Pro every Pro has used USB-C with USB 3 at up to 10 Gb/s, and the iPhone 18 Pro is no different.

If you are comparing the whole phone rather than the charging line, our 18 Pro vs 17 Pro guide and 18 Pro vs 16 Pro guide list every difference, and the battery and charging explainer covers the 36-hour and 45-hour ratings.

What Apple has not said

  • Apple has not published the peak wired charging wattage of the iPhone 18 Pro.
  • Apple has not said what time to 50 percent a 20W, 30W or 40W adapter delivers on the 18 Pro.
  • Apple has not published a time to a full charge for any Pro generation.
  • The 16 Pro’s tech specs give a 30-minute claim without naming the adapter wattage.

The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and the 18 Pro Max at $1,299, with pre-orders opening Saturday, September 12 at 5 a.m. PT and availability on Friday, September 18. Our launch story has the full spec list.