Joel Barron·

How Much Faster Is iPhone 8 Plus Fast Charging Vs iPhone 7 Plus Regular Charging? [Video]

Here’s iPhone 8 Plus fast charging Vs iPhone 7 Plus regular charging cycle to gauge how fast the former really is.

Fast charging is a feature many competing phones have been capable of for years. This year, Apple has finally brought it to their latest iPhones including the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and soon to be released iPhone X. With fast charging, devices can go from 0 to 50% in just 30 minutes. Before you get too excited and expect your new iPhone 8/X to quickly charge, there are some things to be aware of.

For fast charging added, you will need separate accessories. Typical Apple move here. The standard 5W power adapter, and USB-A to Lightning cable that is provided in the box will not suffice. Instead, you have to go out and buy a 29W power adapter and a USB-C to Lightning cable, which will set you back at least $75 in total. A bit expensive, but if you really want fast charging capabilities on your iPhone, this is what you will need.

Apple did release some good news that it supports third-party USB-C power adapters, so this means you will be able to find cheaper power adapters as well. Unfortunately, you will still need to buy the Apple USB-C to Lightning cable.

Here though, we wanted to put fast charging to the test and compare it to the previous generation iPhone 7 Plus. In our test, for the iPhone 7 plus, we used the 5W power adapter and Lightning cable that is provided in the box. The iPhone 8 Plus, of course, is using the 29W USB-C power adapter and USB-C to Lightning cable. When comparing the battery size, the iPhone 8 Plus actually has a smaller 2691mAh battery, while the iPhone 7 Plus has a larger battery boasting a 2900mAh capacity.

On paper, it does look weird that the new iPhone 8 Plus has the smaller battery, but according to Apple, with the new A11 Bionic chip, you’ll get the same battery life as the iPhone 7 Plus.

Our iPhone 8 Plus vs iPhone 7 Plus charging video comparison results are as shown below:

  • Apple boot up: 70 seconds (8 Plus) vs. 96 seconds (7 Plus)
  • 10 minutes: 17% (8 Plus) vs. 6% (7 Plus)
  • 20 minutes: 31% (8 Plus) vs. 13% (7 Plus)
  • 30 minutes: 45% (8 Plus) vs. 20% (7 Plus)
  • iPhone 8 Plus took 33 minutes to get at 50% while the iPhone 7 Plus was at 22%
  • 40 minutes: 58% (8 Plus) vs. 26% (7 Plus)
  • 50 minutes: 70% (8 Plus) vs. 32% (7 Plus)
  • 60 minutes: 77% (8 Plus) vs. 39% (7 Plus)
  • 70 minutes: 84% (8 Plus) vs. 46% (7 Plus)
  • 80 minutes: 90% (8 Plus) vs. 52% (7 Plus)
  • 90 minutes: 94% (8 Plus) vs. 59% (7 Plus)
  • iPhone 8 Plus took 117 minutes (1.95 hours) to get to a full 100% charge while the iPhone 7 Plus took longer than 2.5 hours

Personally, I think fast charging is a must for all devices. I am very glad Apple has brought this along with wireless charging to their latest iPhones. Is spending $75+ worth it for you to start taking advantage of this feature?

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