The New iPhone’s Ultra-Fast Charging Comes At A Cost

iPhoneApple made waves when it announced its new series of iPhones, the iPhone 8 the, iPhone 8 Plus, and premium tenth-anniversary model, the iPhone X. The iPhone X features a sleek edge-to-edge display that removes the home button and replaces the Touch ID fingerprint sensor with Face ID, which uses facial recognition technology to unlock the smartphone. Apple also announced another new feature that will revolutionize how the phone charges—fast charging.

According to 9to5Mac, the fast charging feature on the new iPhone models will be able to charge 50% of the battery in just 30 minutes, starting from a fully-drained battery. The iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X all support fast charging as well as wireless charging, but the fast charging comes with a catch: wireless charging doesn’t support fast charging, and the Lightning to USB-A cable included in the box won’t either. To make use of the fast charging capabilities, you’ll have to shell out some extra money for a USB-C to Lightning Cable—available for $25 on Apple’s website—as well as a 29W USB-C Power Adapter, available on their website for $49.

It’s unfortunate to have to pay up extra money after potentially having spent over $999 or more on the iPhone X, but at this point, perhaps it’s a small price to pay for a great amount of convenience. Being able to go up to a half charge in just a half hour is a big time saver and can help a lot in the long run. Of course, this fast charging feature is completely optional, and you can have a new iPhone that simply charges at the normal charging speed without it.

Will you be purchasing one of the new iPhone models? If so, will you be shelling out the extra cash to take advantage of the fast charging feature? Let us know what you think in the comments!