What is a PD Charger and How Do They Work?

PD is just one of many device charging standards that offer faster charging speeds, but it’s becoming a universal standard, with more and more chargers and devices supporting the technology to get the fastest charge. As experts in charging technology, we’ve investigated exactly what PD is, how it works and how you can utilize it for your charging needs.

PD stands for Power Delivery. It is a type of fast-charging technology that delivers a higher power wattage to certain devices. This means that those devices charge much quicker than when using other types of charging technology.

Power Delivery works by increasing the amount of power that is transferred to your device from the charger. For example, most standard chargers only deliver 5W. However, an iPhone can take 18W of power. A PD charger will capitalize on this capability and deliver the full 18W of power, which will make the charging time a lot quicker.

There are a few different versions of PD, with the speeds being improved as the technology develops. Most PD chargers can deliver a maximum of 100W of power, but the latest PD iteration can deliver up to 240W. All versions of PD use a chip to determine how much power the device it’s plugged into can tolerate. The charger will then adjust how much power is delivered, in order to deliver the maximum amount without ever delivering too much.

As a general rule, PD charging can be 70% faster for smartphones and tablets. However, the exact speed will vary between devices. For example, the iPhone 14 Pro Max takes around 110 minutes for a full charge using a PD charger. With the 30W charger that comes in the box, a full charge will take around 130 minutes. With the more common 5W charger however, that time is increased even further.

An iPhone X will take nearly an hour and a half to charge from 0% to 50% with a 5W charger, which is the charger that came in the box with that model. However, PD charging can get the iPhone X from 0% to 50% in just 30 minutes. To reach full charge on an iPhone X with a 5W charger will take over three hours, but with a PD charger, it takes just two hours.

Obviously, the major benefit of PD is that it can charge your devices much faster than traditional charging. This means you don’t have to wait as long to get your device powered up and back in your hands. It also means that if you only have a small window of time, you can give your device a quick top-up of power, which could mean the difference between having enough juice to get you through the day and running out of power whilst you’re out.

But that’s not the only advantage of PD. In the past, when you connected a cable from your phone to your laptop, the power could only run in one direction. Now, with PD cables, the power can run in both directions. So, technically, you could charge your laptop with your phone.

Another benefit of PD is that it has safety features incorporated into the technology, so your device will never overcharge. It will only ever provide the amount of power that each device requires and will adapt automatically to whatever it is plugged into. This means that your devices and their batteries will stay safe when using PD, as the in-built safety features will prevent overheating, so the delicate circuits and components won’t be damaged.

No – PD can only be used via cabled charging. PD is a charging standard that requires a cable and a charger that both support PD to deliver the necessary power.

Cable charging will usually always be faster than wireless charging. However, by choosing a Qi-certified wireless charger, like those available from MAGFAST, you can be sure you’re using state-of-the-art wireless charging technology to deliver the fastest and most efficient charge possible.

PD cables will require at least one connector to be USB-C – some cables will be USB-C to USB-C whilst cables for some Apple devices will require USB-C to Lightning. USB-C uses the latest technology and has been designed with PD in mind and so it has the necessary set-up to handle the high speeds and high levels of power that come with PD. The components have been built so they won’t overheat, and safety features are included as standard to protect both the user and their device.

On the other hand, USB-A was first created over 25 years ago. At this time, much lower levels of power were being transmitted between devices. For this reason, USB-A is not capable of supporting PD and the higher levels of power. Charging your devices with a USB-A connector will result in slower charging speeds.

However, as technology is being developed, USB-C is becoming the standard for cable connectors. As USB-C becomes more common, it is likely that we’ll see more devices that can also support PD and more chargers and charging accessories that have PD as standard.

No, not every device will support PD. To properly utilize PD, you will need a device that supports it as well as a charger and a charging cable that can deliver it.

There are many types of device that support PD, including smartphones, tablets, hard drives, headphones, cameras and laptops. Most modern smartphones from Apple, Google, Samsung, and some other Android brands, all support PD and can get a fast charge when using the right charging accessories.

Each type of device will require a different amount of power. The right PD charging accessory will be able to deliver the necessary power for each device. For example, a laptop will need between 29W and 100W of power. A tablet will need between 18W and 30W and a smartphone will need between 18W and 45W. You can also use PD to charge your compatible power banks, which can take between 18W and 25W.

All MAGFAST chargers use PD for optimal power delivery. Simply connect your PD-supported device with our built-in USB-C cable or with MAGFAST Lux, our premium charging cable, to utilize the high transfer of power. MAGFAST chargers implement state-of-the-art technology to deliver the fastest and most efficient charge that your device needs, with safety features in place to protect your batteries and the components in your tech.

As well as fast charging via USB-C PD, MAGFAST chargers also have Qi-certified wireless charging, for when you want to power up your devices without the hassle of cables. Our Qi wireless charging, featured with MAGFAST Extreme, MAGFAST Life and MAGFAST Air, has been built with high-quality components to deliver a super-quick charge that will never overheat or damage your devices.

Attend our demo to find out more about MAGFAST’s family of chargers and you’ll be in with a chance to win $1,000 of premium tech gear!