The Best Fast Chargers for Phones, Tablets, and Laptops

If you’ve never tried a fast charger for your mobile devices, you’re missing out. They may not sound very exciting, but when you’re in a hurry, being able to charge your phone or tablet two or three times faster makes a world of difference.

That kind of speed also comes in handy when you have to charge several devices in a limited amount of time, or need to share one outlet amongst multiple people.

I’ve switched all of my old chargers over to new, fast-charging versions in the last couple of years, and can’t even tell you how much of an improvement it’s turned out to be.

Each of the chargers I recommend below is one that I use myself all the time, whether that’s at home, in my car, thrown in a daypack for whenever I need to charge my phone outside the house, or at a hotel on the other side of the world.

Let’s start with a quick look at how to wade through the acronyms to figure out what kind of charger you actually need.

Choosing a Fast Charger

Choosing the best fast charger gets a bit complicated due to the range of charging standards and power requirements between devices, but there are two basic things to consider.

First, compare the maximum output of the charger to what your device can take. This is measured in watts (W): the standard USB wall chargers that used to come with iPhones only put out 5W, for instance, but the latest iPhones can charge at up to 20W. Using a higher-rated charger won’t hurt your device: it’ll only use what it can handle.

Second, make sure that your charger and your device can agree on a charging standard. There used to be a huge mess of standards out there, but things have improved lately. If you have a recent phone or tablet, there’s a good chance that it supports USB C Power Delivery (PD).

This is true of almost all Android and iOS devices released in the last few years, including all iPhones and iPads that charge from a USB C port, and some of the older models that charge from a Lightning port as well. For the latter, you’ll just need a USB C to Lightning cable as well.

The other common standard, Qualcomm Quick Charge (QC) 3.0 or 4.0, is declining in popularity. As a result, you’ll often find modern phones and tablets that support QC also support USB C PD, so you can use a fast charger that supports either standard.

Note that I’m mostly focusing on phones and tablets in this article. That said, some of the best fast chargers, including my top picks, have enough juice to charge a laptop as well.

They’re necessarily larger in size, but not always by a lot, and if you want a true all-in-one charger, the trade-off is often worth it. If so, check the specifications of your current laptop charger to see how much power you need.

For very small and lightweight laptops, you may only need a USB C PD charger that can put out 30W. In most cases, however, you’ll need one rated for somewhere between 45 and 65W.

If the charger has multiple ports, make sure that’s the power rating for one USB C port by itself, not the entire charger.

Ok, let’s get into the recommendations!

Best Fast Charger Overall: Anker 715 Nano II

Anker is one of the biggest names in charging techology, and I’ve long used and recommended its products. If you’re looking for a small, powerful single-port charger that can live in a day bag and juice up everything from your phone to your laptop, the 715 Nano II is currently my top pick.

This charger weighs a bit over five ounces and fits easily in my hand, yet can still put out an impressive 65W of power. That’s enough to fast-charge any phone, tablet, or other small electronic device, along with pretty much any laptop you’re likely to have with you.

It’s my main travel charger these days: I just got back from a three-month trip, where I used it to power both my phone and laptop every day. I just keep it in the bottom of my daypack, along with one of Anker’s 240W USB C cables, and use it to charge up anything that’s running low on power as needed.

There’s a reason I mention the cable: with fast chargers like these, a high-quality cable is important. If you just use a cheap one you happen to have lying around, chances are you’ll end up with slower charging speeds, especially if you’re plugging it into a laptop.

I also make a point of using and recommending the braided versions of these cables, rather than the standard silicone ones: they just seem to be a lot more durable, especially around the plug ends where most of the bending and damage occurs.

In terms of output, there’s no difference between my factory laptop or phone chargers and the Nano II. It puts a rock-solid 50W+ into both my laptop and my partner’s MacBook Pro; the latter is particularly impressive, since it’s been notoriously fickle with non-Apple chargers in the past.

Sizewise it’s slightly larger than other single-port charger options, but not by a lot. Being able to fast-charge pretty much anything you’re traveling with makes that trade-off more than worthwhile as far as I’m concerned. The wall prongs on the US model also fold down, so they don’t snag in your bag while you’re on the move.

Whether you’re traveling or not, the high power output makes this the best fast charger for anything you’re likely to be traveling with, including laptops. It’s as simple as that.

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Best Fast Charger for Phones and Tablets: Anker 511 Nano III

If you’re only looking to fast-charge your iPhone, iPad, or other models of phone and tablet and want the best small fast charger on the market to do it with, look no further than the Anker 511 Nano.

This charger is remarkably tiny for what it does: roughly the same size as most generic USB C wall chargers yet able to put out up to 30 watts, it’ll charge any iPhone or iPad at top speed while weighing just over an ounce.

Starting from completely dead, you can plug in an iPhone 16 for fifteen minutes and then stream video on it for over three hours. A quick charge in an airport coffee shop will give you enough battery life to last an entire medium-haul flight.

The charger has worked perfectly with every phone and tablet I’ve used it with, plus accessories like wireless earbuds and smartwatches. It’s only really designed for smaller mobile devices, though: most laptops charge slower than usual from it, if they charge at all.

This handy quick charger doesn’t cost a lot, is incredibly small and light, and even comes in a range of attractive colors. As if it’s not small enough to start with, the prongs fold down when not in use, so they don’t catch on anything by mistake.

I keep it (and a USB C cable) in a pocket of my daypack so I can charge anywhere I find a power outlet, and barely even know it’s there.

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Best Fast Charger for International Travel: UGreen Nexode 65W Travel Charger

The UGreen Nexode 65W Travel Charger is a great little fast charger that comes with its own plug adapters for international outlets. When I’m tight on space and traveling to multiple countries, this is the one I usually take with me: fewer chargers and adapters to deal with is always a good thing.

I reviewed it in detail here, but to summarize: it has two USB C PD ports and one USB-A port, with a maximum of 65W from the former. That’s enough to charge phones, tablets, and most travel-sized laptops at full speed.

You’ll get up to 22.5W from the USB-A port, but note that the charger’s max output is also 65W, which gets spread across all of the ports that are in use at the time.

At the end of most days, I usually find myself charging my laptop from one of the USB C ports and my phone from the other, and both of them charge at something very close to full speed. One puts out 45W and the other 20W, which is a very sensible split.

I’ve been able to charge my laptop from empty to 50% in half an hour, and everything else I travel with at a similar pace.

A small button on the top releases the clip-on adapter so you can connect a different one: there are North American (Type A/B), EU (C/E/F), and UK (G) plugs in the box, which covers most places you’re likely to be going.

The only real frustration is that the prongs on the North American plug don’t rotate, so you can’t use it in China, Australia, or New Zealand. We’ve written much more about the different plug types in use around the world here.

It’s a bit larger than other options, and probably feels a bit heavier in my hand than I might have expected, but it’s still small enough to easily fit in my pocket. The adapters are separate, of course: I keep them in a zipped pocket in my bag so I don’t lose them!

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Best Fast Car Charger: UGreen 130W Car Charger

Whether you’re trying to get as much juice as possible into your phone during a short drive to the store, or need to quickly charge the kids’ iPad back up on a lengthy road trip, a good car fast-charger makes a big difference.

The best I’ve come across so far is the UGreen 130W, which is powerful enough to charge any USB-powered device you’ll have in the car with you, including laptops.

The charger has two USB C PD ports, one of which can output at an impressive 100W, while the other manages up to 30W. There’s also a USB-A port that’ll put out up to 18-22.5W depending on your device.

You’ll still get full charging speeds even with two devices plugged in at once, which is fairly unusual: the combined output of the two USB C ports is 130W.

It’s the perfect car charger for vanlifers and anyone else who lives or works in their vehicle, but it’s useful for a wide range of other people as well. It certainly got a lot of use on a recent road trip when I had three people in the car who all had flat phones at the same time!

My one lives in my car most of the time: the only time it gets taken out is when I’m off on a trip somewhere that’s going to involve driving a rental or someone else’s vehicle. It’s been super-reliable, and being able to fast-charge everything, including my laptop, at full speed while driving around is a gamechanger.

It also doesn’t have the eye-searing LED on the front that’s so common with car chargers, opting instead for a relatively subtle blue ring that lets you know where it is without lighting up your car like a nightclub when darkness falls.

To sweeten the deal (not that it needs it), UGreen even includes a 100W USB C cable in the box. I honestly don’t have anything bad to say about this car charger. If you want to fast-charge your phone, tablet, or laptop while you’re driving, just buy it.

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🚗 Looking for a different way of powering mobile devices in your vehicle? We looked at many of the best car chargers on the market, including wireless and multi-purpose models.

Bottom Line

Fast chargers can charge your devices much more quickly than the generic versions that ship with many phones and tablets, and often don’t take up any more space. If you’re an impatient person or just often find yourself needing to charge in a hurry, they’re certainly worth the small investment. 

Whether you need a speedy charge at home, in the car, or thousands of miles from home, there’s a reasonably-priced option out there that’ll do the job. Check the wattage, make sure it’s compatible with the devices you hope to charge, and you’re good to go! 

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