Why I pick flexible charging over raw speed every single time

Regular Android Authority readers will know I’m a stickler for brilliant battery life backed up by proper fast charging. And by that, I don’t necessarily mean the faster the better, a battery needs to remain cool too. Instead, one of my top requirements for any phone that claims to charge quickly is that it has to be able to do so regardless of what plug you have at hand. It’s absolutely no good to anyone to boast 100W charging from a specific plug, only for your power banks to trickle in the juice when you need it most.

Fortunately, brands are improving support for the most common charging standards. However, there are holdouts, particularly among the larger names. Apple is stubbornly fixed to sub-25W charging, as are Samsung’s non-Ultra flagships, while Google’s Pixel 9 Pro XL requires a rare protocol to achieve its hardly groundbreaking 37W power level.