iPhone 17 Pro Tops 33-Phone Charge Test as Galaxy S26 Ultra Leads Wired at 76%

4 articles · Updated · CNET · May 14

CNET Labs ranked the iPhone 17 Pro the fastest overall charging phone after testing 33 models, with the device also taking the fastest wireless title by adding 55% in 30 minutes.
Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra was the fastest wired charger, adding 76% in 30 minutes, and finished second overall thanks to 60W wired charging and 25W Qi2.2 support.
Apple's edge came from pairing 40W wired and 25W wireless charging with a smaller 4,252-mAh battery, while its five tested phones posted the strongest brand average at 54.6%.
Phones using silicon-carbon batteries, including the OnePlus 15, showed even faster potential—72% in 30 minutes on a 7,300-mAh pack—but many rely on proprietary chargers or are sold mainly outside the US.
The results underscore how charging speed now depends on battery size, Qi2.2 compatibility and charger availability as much as headline wattage, with 58% of surveyed users still frustrated by battery life.

Is the industry's obsession with faster charging speeds secretly accelerating the death of our phone batteries?

Why are US phone giants avoiding the superior silicon-carbon batteries their Chinese rivals already use?

With US manufacturing reshoring, will the next generation of advanced phone batteries become more expensive?