Apple Watch Series 7 Fast Charging Requires 5W or Greater USB-C PD Adapter

The Apple Watch Series 7 includes a new charging architecture that allows it to refuel up to 33% faster than the Series 6, charging from 0 to 80% in 45 minutes.

apple watch series 7 fast charge
The fast-charging capability requires a new USB-C charging cable that Apple includes in the box with the watch and also sells separately, but until now Apple hasn't provided details on what wattage of power adapter is required for fast charging. Apple no longer includes a power adapter in the box with the Apple Watch, so users will need to provide their own.

In a new support document published today just as the first Apple Watch Series 7 orders have started arriving, Apple reveals that any of its USB-C power adapters rated at 18 watts or higher will support fast charging on the new watch. In addition, third-party USB-C adapters rated at 5 watts or higher will allow for fast charging as long as they support the USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) protocol.

Fast charging requires an Apple USB-C Magnetic Fast Charging Cable. This cable has aluminum around the magnetic charger and a USB-C connector.

You also need one of these power adapters:

  • Apple 18W, 20W, 29W, 30W, 61W, 87W, or 96W USB-C Power Adapter
  • A comparable third-party USB-C power adapter that supports USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) of 5W or greater

Apple says that fast charging is not available in Argentina, India, or Vietnam, but the company has not offered a reason for this limitation.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone Like 'Two Titanium iPhone Airs' Joined at the Hinge

Monday September 22, 2025 2:16 am PDT by
Next year's rumored foldable iPhone will showcase an ultra-thin design resembling "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple's first foldable device will be "super thin and a design achievement," combining Apple's thinnest iPhone form factor with cutting-edge folding...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

Some iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Users Experiencing Intermittent Wi-Fi Issue

Monday September 22, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple's latest iPhone models launched on Friday, and some early adopters of the devices are experiencing intermittent Wi-Fi issues. Affected customers say Wi-Fi connectivity periodically cuts out on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, with hundreds of comments about the issue posted across the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, and the Apple Support Community over the...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

iPhone 17 Pro Max Teardown Reveals Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 Modem for 5G

Friday September 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone Air is equipped with Apple's custom C1X modem for cellular connectivity, all of the iPhone 17 models are outfitted with Qualcomm modems still. A teardown video shared on Chinese platform Bilibili today (via Reddit) appears to confirm the iPhone 17 Pro Max is equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 modem in particular. The same modem is likely used in the iPhone 17 and iPhone ...

Top Rated Comments

Caliber26 Avatar
52 months ago
Who needs a USB-C 20W brick. We’ve been collecting them for years and years. Everyone has a couple extras somewhere in their kitchen junk drawer, right? ?
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ANDJOE Avatar
52 months ago
A jeez I just bought a bunch of 2.5 watt USB-C chargers. Boy is my face red.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
52 months ago
USB-C sweet. So, we have to buy the fast charging charger? Apple really eliminated the charger from an Apple Watch?

Apple, can you please come up with something like this so I can charge my iPhone and Apple Watch with one charger continuously? Now this is how you save the environment! ?



Attachment Image
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nitramluap Avatar
52 months ago
Ah, yes... the fantastic USB-C 'standard'...
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
52 months ago
unsurprisingly ...
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ian87w Avatar
52 months ago

Is there a technical reason they couldn't implement USB-PD with type-A jacks? Or did they just want to kill type-A?

It's annoying because 99% of USB charging outlets provided to the public out in the real world are type-A.
I believe USB-PD requires certain pins and circuitry that is just not available on type-A.
And it's not like you cannot use the old type-A cable. It's just regular charging speed, and since the Apple Watch battery is small enough, I don't think it's a big deal for most people.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)