GoKawiilMan holding three phones. Adam Doud/ZDNET
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I tested three fast-charging smartphones.
I used OEM and third-party chargers.
Two phones beat their rated speeds; one fell short.
Charging speed is one of those numbers that marketing people love to toss around. That's especially true when it comes to OnePlus. It can be a throwaway line, but when new phones launch, you'll often hear about advertised charging speeds. From 25 watts all the way up to 120 watts, how fast your phone can charge might matter to you. It also matters how fast the plug you buy is, too, because two of our three competitors don't come with a wall plug.
Also: I cracked open a '1,000W' portable charger after it failed me in minutes - and wished I hadn't
It's a little-known fact that, just because a phone can charge at 60W, that won't be the charging speed for most of its charge time. It's not even close. But you may be wondering how close it gets. To find out, I charged up a Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, an iPhone 17 Pro Max, and a OnePlus 15 and recorded the results. I learned a few things and uncovered a few surprises along the way.
The candidates
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