If you charge your iPad or iPhone while waiting for it, the newer 20-watt charger is a significant improvement over older power adapters. It's really fast—50% in just 35 minutes according to Apple's official testing. Even just charging for a few minutes when you've let your device run down adds a useful amount of charge.
It's called the Apple 20W USB Type-C Power Adapter. Much faster than the old 13W adapters. And of course you need a USB-C-to-Lightning cable to go with that (all phones up to iPhone 11 came with USB-A cables), and it needs to be one made to Apple's "Made for iPhone" (MFi) standards; the simple way to make sure of this is to buy the Apple-brand charging cable, formally called the Apple USB Type-C to Lightning Cable (3.3'). They make a 6-foot one, too, if you need that.
If you don't go with Apple, be sure to look for the MFi certification sticker when you buy off-brand power adapters and cables. Did you know off-brand el-cheapo Lightning cables can kill iDevices? I didn't either, until I read this invaluable tip sheet by Lawrence Finch all about charging and battery health. Turns out that sticker isn't just advertising—it means the accessory meets Apple's compatibility standard.
You can buy a 30W charger too, but there might be diminishing returns: your device will only draw as much power as it wants. 30W makes sense if you're charging a laptop, but then, your MacBook probably came with the charger it works best with, whereas a lot of people with iPhone 8 and newer phones are still using the old 13W adapters and USB-A cables. See here for a list of products that are compatible with the 20W adapter.
Power to you!
Mike
'Golden Oldie' Books o' the Week
I was going to link to The Life of a Photograph by National Geographic ace Sam Abell, the book version of Sam's video talk we've been discussing, but guess what? Sold out since we mentioned it the other day. You can still score one of the few remaining copies of the 4-volume Sam Abell Library from 2013, but buy it directly from the publisher—they still have it at the $75 publication price (I called them in Santa Fe to check), and Amazon is already charging four times more. We need a reprint of Sam's classic Stay This Moment!
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