Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus ship with higher capacity batteries that deliver exceptional battery life, but as pointed out by iLounge and MacRumors forum members, the two new iPhone models can also charge significantly faster when used with an iPad charging adapter rather than the smaller adapter included with the iPhones.

iphone6-charging
According to preliminary tests using a Kill-A-Watt device and OS X system information, the charging profile for the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus match that of the iPad, allowing them to charge using 2.1A. Unlike earlier iPhone models which would only draw 5W regardless of the charger being used, the new phones are capable of drawing up to 12W, allowing them to charge at a faster rate. Early feedback from owners suggest the larger iPhone 6 Plus can charge fully in approximately two hours from an iPad adapter.

iphone6-chargingB

iPhone 5s (l) versus iPhone 6 Plus (r) charging profiles in OS X system report

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus include the standard square 1A/5W charging block that shipped with previous iPhone models. To obtain these faster charging rates, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners may use the 2.1A/12W charger from the iPad or the high-power USB port of a newer model Mac.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

BigBeast Avatar
145 months ago
It maybe safe, but it is not good for the battery to do this. I swear the quality of MR reporting his hitting rock bottom recently. I mean is this article for real?

Any device will charge quicker if you pump up the amps. Likewise it will charge slower if you use less amps. I don't recommend anyone does this regularly.
Actually, it is fine to do this. Apple officially supports using the 12W adapter for iPod 4th gen. and newer, and all iPhone and iPad models. On the flip side, charging your iPad with a charger that supplies less current that what it needs will damage your device.

I swear the contempt of MR readers sure has skyrocketed recently. I mean, are these people for real? :rolleyes:
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fivedots Avatar
145 months ago
Before anybody says it: Yes, it is safe. The phone draws the power and only the power it needs, not the other way around. They are intentionally designed this way.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fivedots Avatar
145 months ago
It was designed for that amperage.

Makes no sense.

The charging circuit controls how much it wishes to draw. The charger does not decide how much to push.

The iPhone is entirely in control of how much juice it pulls, thus it is also clearly designed this way. Unless you're claiming to know something that the engineers who designed the thing don't.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fivedots Avatar
145 months ago
don't be stupid, your iPad battery is designed for that specific amperage. The iPhone is not - ask yourself this. If it was good for the iPhone battery to take higher amps would Apple not give you a higher amp charger?

I mean:

1. They could standardise to a single charger for all products.
2. Happy customers because their phones charge super fast.

Common sense people!
Because the higher amperage charger is much larger and less convenient than the one included with the iPad?

This isn't an accident: the iPhone 6(+) circuit is intentionally designed to draw more amps. If they didn't want it to work this way, it wouldn't do it. The iPhone 5(S) do not work this way.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nozuka Avatar
145 months ago
it even says on the website, that you can use this charger.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD836LL/A/apple-12w-usb-power-adapter?fnode=3c
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SirOmega Avatar
145 months ago
Charging with more powerful adapters is hard on the li-ion battery. While it will give you a quick charge it will take a major toll on the batter life after a few months. There are hundreds of articles/videos on why this is so.

It maybe safe, but it is not good for the battery to do this. I swear the quality of MR reporting his hitting rock bottom recently. I mean is this article for real?

Any device will charge quicker if you pump up the amps. Likewise it will charge slower if you use less amps. I don't recommend anyone does this regularly.

So you're saying that my iPad battery is doomed?

Ya, I'd be concerned about the ramifications on the battery and long term performance. If this was the case, why wouldn't Apple just have included the more powerful charger?

Its clear no one here understands Li-Ion battery chemistry. I've been following this stuff for a while now for EVs (http://sequence-omega.net/?cat=4) (I drive a Volt).

A Li-Ion battery's usable life is determined by three variables - calendar life, cycle life, and charging rate (measured in "C" which is the ratio between charging rate and battery capacity in mAh - so "1C" is discharging or recharging the battery in 1 hour, 0.5 is two hours, and 2C is 30 minutes).

Recent research from Stanford Univ. (http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/19/recharging-lithium-ion-batteries-rapidly-harmful/) has shown the effects of "slow charging" to be overstated, and the effects of fast-charging less harmful than originally thought.

Recharging an iPhone 5S at 1A is about .63C (1000mA / 1570mAh). Recharging an iPhone 6 Plus at 2.1A is .71C (2100mA / 2950mA). The difference there is not enough to dramatically effect the lifespan of the battery cell. The 6 has a higher charge rate of 1.16C, but I don't beleive that its very harmful to the battery and the higher charge rate will not shorten the overall lifespan of the battery. For reference, recharging an iPad Air at 2.1A is .24C ( 2100mA / 8820mAh).

Its not until you go over 2C that you start to see substantial impacts. Even Tesla owners who fast-charge frequently still have 99% original battery capacity after more than 100 cycles (http://gas2.org/2014/06/16/video-28000-miles-tesla-model-s-still-99-range/).
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

M5 MacBook Pro

Apple Announces New 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M5 Chip

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:07 am PDT by
Apple today updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, which is also available in updated iPad Pro and Vision Pro models. In addition, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage on Apple's online store, whereas the previous model maxed out at 2TB. However, the maximum amount of unified RAM available for this model remains 32GB. Like...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

Apple Debuts New iPad Pro With M5 Chip, Faster Charging, and More

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips. The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new iPad Pro to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing ...
apple oct 2024 mac tease

Apple Expected to Announce These Two to Three Products 'This Week'

Sunday October 12, 2025 7:05 am PDT by
Apple plans to announce new products "this week," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple's "Mac Your Calendars" teaser last October In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the products set to be updated this week include the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, and "likely" the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, with all three likely to receive a spec bump with Apple's next-generation M5 chip. Gurman...
maxresdefault

Here's Everything Apple Announced Today

Wednesday October 15, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We didn't get a second fall event this year, but Apple did unveil updated products with a series of press releases that went out today. The M5 chip made an appearance in new MacBook Pro, Vision Pro, and iPad Pro models. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up our coverage and highlighted the main feature changes for each device below. MacBook Pro M5...
joz macbook tease

Apple Teases Upcoming M5 MacBook Pro Launch: 'Something Powerful is Coming'

Tuesday October 14, 2025 11:59 am PDT by
Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak today teased the launch of an upcoming product, saying "something powerful is coming" on social media. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. A short animation accompanying Joswiak's teaser reveals a brief glimpse of a MacBook Pro along with the words "coming soon." The shape of the MacBook Pro is a V, which is the Roman numeral...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday October 14, 2025 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's AirPods Max have now been available for almost five years, so what do we know about the second-generation version? According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but exactly how much is as yet known. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds (386.2 grams), excluding the charging case, making it one of the heavier...
Vision Pro M5 Announcement

Apple Updates Vision Pro With M5 Chip, Dual Knit Band, and 120Hz Support

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:14 am PDT by
Apple today updated the Vision Pro headset with its next-generation M5 chip for faster performance, and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band. The M5 chip has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and we have confirmed the Vision Pro still has 16GB of RAM. With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro offers faster performance and longer battery life compared...
macbook pro blue

Apple's M5 MacBook Pro Imminent: What to Expect

Tuesday October 14, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is going to launch a new version of the MacBook Pro as soon as tomorrow, so we thought we'd go over what to expect from Apple's upcoming Mac. M5 Chip The MacBook Pro will be one of the first new devices to use the next-generation M5 chip, which will replace the M4 chip. The M5 is built on TSMC's more advanced 3-nanometer process, and it will bring speed and efficiency improvements. ...
MacBook Pro M5 Screen

New MacBook Pro Does Not Include a Charger in the Box in Europe

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:59 am PDT by
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip does not include a charger in the box in European countries, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, and others, according to Apple's online store. In the U.S. and all other countries outside of Europe, the new MacBook Pro comes with Apple's 70W USB-C Power Adapter, but European customers miss out....
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...