Dorothy

What About Wattage? For USB-C and USB-A ports, retractable cables, and wireless charging, travel adapters and chargers usually state the wattage they can deliver. If you're interested in getting the fastest rates possible, you'll want a charger and cable that can deliver the maximum wattage to your device. A laptop might want 100 watts, while a phone only needs 30 watts. There's no need to worry if the charger can deliver more wattage than is required because the device will dictate how much power to draw. If the wattage is lower than required, most devices will simply charge slowly. You can find out more about charging standards like Power Delivery (PD), Quick Charge (QC), and others in my guide on how to fast charge your phone.

Don't see anything you like? Check out our buying guides to the Best Travel Totes, the Best Laptop Backpacks, and the Best Toiletry Bags. Here's our guide to packing your carry-on correctly.

Excessive temperature is a key factor in premature battery wear. Car charging is the perfect storm when it comes to overheating.

Batteries are going to die -- you can't change the laws of physics -- but you can give them a fighting chance. Apple itself warns that high temperatures can permanently reduce battery capacity (this is why iPhones go into a "Charging on Hold" mode when things get too hot).

Why? Well, I followed all the rules with my last iPhone. I turned on Optimized Battery Charging, was careful not to keep the phone on charge for hours on end, and even did my best to keep it cool. Despite doing all this, the battery barely lasted two years before it became so bad it was frustrating to use, and a handset I'd planned on keeping for three years got replaced after only two.

The results so far This one small change seems to be making an appreciable difference. My iPhone is currently at 196 recharge cycles, and the battery health is still at 100%. That's impressive, considering Apple claims newer iPhone batteries are designed to retain up to 80% of their original capacity after 1,000 full charge cycles.

Also, I've replaced all my in-car chargers with ones that make use of thermoelectric cooling to actively cool the iPhone while it's charging (more information on thermoelectric coolers here).

What about those built-in charging pads? Bottom line, they're awful. Partly this is down to the fact that my iPhone 17 Pro Max is too big to fit most charging pads, and because I have it in a big, thick case, but also because they're just so poorly designed most phones -- especially ones that have a "camera bump" -- don't interface with the charger well enough.