It's easy to get excited about new tech, whether it's buying a new phone, tablet, or computer. However, one category I always get excited about whenever major sales events come around — like Black Friday, for example — is charging accessories. From charging adapters to wireless chargers and cords, big sales are usually a good time to stock up on items to keep your phone juiced up.
There are different types of items you should consider looking into, as they're often not too expensive and can be pretty helpful around the house, especially if you have a big family and lots of tech. And these days, more and more smartphones are shipping without charging adapters, so this is your chance to grab some good ones.
Here are the types of accessories I like to use, and some that I want to buy:
Charging adapters
As stated, you won't really find charging adapters in the boxes of many phones, including newer iPhones and Android phones. But don't fret because there are plenty of USB-C wall chargers out there for you to get your hands on, often better than what you'll find bundled with a phone. That said, if you need a new charging adapter or two, there are some things I like to consider before buying one.
The most important thing is to check the charging speed of both your phone and the charger. You want a charger that has an equal or higher watt output than your phone. Some of the best Android phones from manufacturers, such as Samsung, charge at 25W, but others can go as high as 45W, 68W, or higher. We have some good options for the best 100W wall chargers, which should be more than enough for most people. Support for standards like Power Delivery (PD) and PPS is also ideal for compatibility with various devices.
Another thing you might want to consider is the number of ports. Many adapters have just one port, but some have two or even three ports, and they can be a mix of USB-C and USB-A. However, keep in mind that the different ports can charge at different speeds and that charging multiple items at the same time with an adapter that has multiple ports can result in slower speeds, so make sure to check the specs when you do so that you're still getting an optimal speed.
One charging adapter I like is the Anker 736 Nano II. It has three ports, with two USB-C and one USB-A, and it charges at a top speed of 100W, which is more than any of my devices need at once. It also supports various charging standards, making it a great choice for just about any device.
Charging cables
Just having an adapter is one thing, but you need a way to connect it to your device. Most tech products already come with compatible cables, but it's always helpful to have some of the best USB-C cables lying around as a backup.
Many devices, particularly Android phones and the new iPhone 15 series, support USB-C, so you'll want to make sure the cable has at least one port with this connector. It's up to you if you want a cable with at least one end with USB-A, since many adapters, cars, and public spaces still support this port. However, newer devices and cars support USB-C, so you can consider a cable with USB-C on both ends for future-proofing.
Also, make sure it supports a charging speed that matches or exceeds the adapter so you can truly take advantage of it on all your devices.
Wireless chargers
There are a lot of phones that support wireless charging, and while it's not always immediately obvious why they're so useful, I find it quite helpful to leave them scattered around my house. I have one next to my bed, on my desk, on my coffee table, on my kitchen counter, and in my bathroom. It's nice because while they often don't charge phones as fast as plugging them in, it's nice to be able to just set it down while I'm washing dishes or something, without having to fiddle around with wires. It's especially helpful if you can find a wireless charger that props your phone up so you can watch videos while doing what you need to do.
Aside from devices such as those from OnePlus and other Chinese brands that use proprietary charging tech, phones will generally top out at 15W wireless charging. It's not terribly quick, but it gets the job done, and many of the best wireless chargers support this speed. Some can even charge multiple devices at once.
Then there's MagSafe. Sure, it's an Apple tech, but there are many cases and accessories that can add magnetic rings to your Android phone. This means you can slap your phone on a MagSafe-compatible charger like the UGREEN Nexode 100W 2-in-1 GaN Desktop Charger.
Portable chargers
Of course, just having a bunch of chargers around the house isn't enough; you should also have some for when you're out and about. That's where the best portable chargers and power banks come into play, and they're great for when you go on hikes or find yourself spending the day at Disneyland.
Like the other accessories, charging speed is an important factor to take into consideration, but with portable chargers, you'll also want to look into the battery capacity. If you want something fairly pocketable, I would recommend at least 10,000mAh, which is enough to charge many phones at least two or more times. You can also spring for higher capacity chargers, but these tend to be a lot larger in size, although they're great to store in a bag if you need something with enough juice to charge a tablet or laptop on the go.
You may also wanna check out some car chargers for those particularly long trips.
MagSafe accessories
As noted before, add MagSafe to your Android phone using some of the best MagSafe accessories, which is nice to have as we wait for Qi2 to make its way to devices. These are best to add to any case that you have on your phone (which we highly recommend buying). My colleague Nick Sutrich has a Pixel 8 Pro case from Thinborne that he absolutely loves because it's incredibly thin and tough, which makes it ideal for adding a magnetic ring for MagSafe charging, such as the one below from Spigen.
Bonus: Furniture
One of the best things about buying new furniture is that sometimes you can find stuff that has built-in ports. This is always something I look for when I shop for items like standing desks, nightstands, end tables, and even bed frames.
I have a standing desk that includes a few USB ports, but if you look hard enough, you can also find some that have wireless charging. I would suggest you do some shopping around to see which desk best fits your space and has the specs you need. This FLEXISPOT desk looks pretty good and has some pretty positive reviews, but again, I would suggest doing some research and shopping around.
I also recently purchased a new bed frame with a headboard that has USB ports included. They support Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 and the headboard has a space where I can easily place my phone while it charges without me worrying about it falling on my face in the middle of the night. It's also just a pretty nice bed frame.
Be sure to check out our Black Friday hub for our favorite deals on all sorts of tech, from phones to smart TVs. We will continue to add new deals as they become available.
