The charging glossary
- Watt (W)
- The power. The higher it is, the faster a device can charge, provided it accepts it. Check how many watts your devices accept before buying something bigger.
- Volt (V)
- The “pressure” of the current. A USB-C charger starts at 5 V and then steps up (9, 15, 20 V…) after an automatic handshake with the device. Nothing to set: the device and the charger agree on their own.
- Amp (A)
- The flow of current. Above 3 A you need a so-called “5 A” USB-C cable (100 W or 240 W). To get the most from a 100 W charger, use a cable rated 100 W or 240 W.
- USB-C (C)
- The oval, reversible plug. Mandatory in Europe on new phones and tablets since the end of 2024, and on laptops since April 2026. Every charger on this site has at least one USB-C port.
- USB-A (A)
- The old rectangular plug. It does not support USB-C fast charging (USB PD), so its power stays limited. Fine for a watch or earbuds, not for a laptop.
- USB Power Delivery (PD)
- The common language of USB-C fast charging: the device asks for a voltage and the charger supplies it. iPhone, Pixel, Samsung and laptops all use it. A USB PD charger fast-charges almost every recent device.
- Programmable voltage (PPS)
- A USB PD option that adjusts the voltage in very small steps. Samsung needs it for its 25 and 45 W “Super Fast Charging”, and so do Google Pixels. Got a Samsung or a Pixel? Look for “PPS” on the charger's page.
- Adjustable voltage (AVS)
- A newer USB PD option (version 3.2), very close to PPS. The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max use it, the iPhone 17 models do not; only the Pro Max really gains speed from it. Without AVS, an iPhone 18 Pro Max charges about 17% slower at its peak; the iPhone 18 Pro keeps the same speed.
- Gallium nitride (GaN)
- A material that replaces silicon in the components: fewer losses, so a smaller charger for the same power. For the same power, a GaN charger fits more easily in a pocket.
- Dynamic power (⇄)
- With several devices plugged in, the charger shares its power according to each one's needs and keeps adjusting it, instead of using fixed splits. Useful if you charge a laptop and a phone at the same time. On some models, plugging in a device pauses charging for a second while it recalculates.
- Proprietary charging (W+)
- Xiaomi HyperCharge, OPPO SUPERVOOC, Huawei SuperCharge: brand protocols that go from 65 to 120 W, but only with that brand's own charger and cable. With Apple, Anker or Ugreen, these phones charge much more slowly: see My needs.
- Efficiency (%)
- The share of the electricity drawn from the wall that actually reaches the device. At 90%, 10% is lost as heat. Better efficiency = cooler charger.
- Heat (°C)
- A charger that gets too hot lowers its power to protect itself. Phones do the same. A charger slightly more powerful than you need works less hard, so it runs cooler.
- E-marked cable (5A)
- A chip in the cable announces that it can handle 5 A. Without it, the charger limits itself to 3 A, so 60 W. For more than 60 W, you need a 100 W or 240 W cable.
- Foldable pins (EU)
- The plug's pins fold back into the case. Handy in a bag: nothing gets scratched or broken.
- Watt-hour (Wh)
- The size of a battery. A phone has about 15 to 20 Wh, a MacBook Air about 53 Wh. The bigger the battery, the more time a higher power saves.
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