Apple’s flagship handset — iPhone 17 Pro — claimed the crown as the fastest-charging phone in a rigorous new lab test, beating out rivals from Samsung, Google, Motorola, and more, according to a new report.
iPhone 17 Pro wins charging speed test
CNET’s lab team put 33 current smartphones through their paces over the past year, evaluating both wired and wireless charging performance. Rather than testing under ideal or artificial conditions, the publication focused on the scenario most of us actually find ourselves in: a phone nearly drained to empty. And iPhone 17 Pro, a key part of an immensely popular lineup, came out on top.
In the test, each device was taken down to a maximum of 10% battery, then given a 30-minute charge — either wired or wireless — to see how much juice it could recover. The final rankings were determined by averaging each phone’s wired and wireless scores into a single composite result.
iPhone 17 Pro takes the overall crown
When wired and wireless results were combined, the iPhone 17 Pro landed at the top of the rankings, earning a CNET Labs Award for fastest overall charging phone tested in the past year.
That’s a significant achievement given the breadth of the competition. It included flagship and mid-range devices from across the Android ecosystem.
A close race on wires — but Apple leads wirelessly
The wired charging results told a slightly different story. Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra edged ahead to claim the top spot there. It recovered 76% of battery in 30 minutes. iPhone 17 Pro came in joint second alongside the Motorola Moto G Stylus (2025). They both reached 74% in the same window. OnePlus 15 followed at 72%, with iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 FE each hitting 69%.
Where Apple truly dominated, however, was wireless charging:
- iPhone 17 Pro led the wireless rankings with an impressive 55% charge gained in 30 minutes.
- Four of the top five wireless charging spots went to iPhones. iPhone 17 Pro Max came in second at 53%, iPhone 17 added 49% and iPhone Air reached 47%.
- The sole Android device to crack the top five? Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, finishing fifth at 39%. That’s a full 16 percentage points behind the iPhone 17 Pro.
Why iPhones charge so fast wirelessly
CNET’s team speculated that MagSafe‘s precise magnetic alignment plays a key role in Apple’s wireless charging advantage. By holding the phone in perfect position over the charging coil every time, MagSafe minimizes energy loss caused by misalignment. That can quietly drag down wireless charging efficiency on phones without a comparable system.
Notably, Apple licenses its Qi2.2 standard to third-party accessory makers, yet the iPhones still pull ahead. That suggests hardware integration between Apple’s own devices and chargers plays a meaningful role.
What you need to hit peak speeds
To get the most out of iPhone 17 Pro’s charging capability, pair it with a 30W or higher power adapter and a MagSafe charger that supports fast charging. Using slower or non-Apple-certified accessories may reduce real-world charging speeds.
For iPhone users who have long heard Android phones charge faster, this result is a welcome reversal. The iPhone 17 Pro doesn’t just hold its own — it leads the pack.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
