Frank Black / 14 June 2025 / Categories: Electronics, Education

Apple 20W USB-C Power Adapter and USB C Cable

Next level USB charging

I am the type of person who doesn’t care about having the latest and greatest. I’ve had three phones in 20 years. I use things until they stop working and absolutely hate built in obsolescence, where tech companies actually make things so they break. Yep built in obsolescence is a worrying thing. It’s how they keep us shopping. Built to last is no longer a thing. Who wants that? Not anyone manufacturing and selling any kind of tech hardware that’s for sure.

I don’t know if the 20W USB - C power adapter from Apple is going to be any better. I just decided to give it a go at £19 from Apple and have gone ahead and purchased a 20W usb - C charging adapter.

I got a few of the original plugs for the other USB cables now obsolete I suppose why I was reluctant to buy into a load of new kit but got so frustrated with cables just not bloody working and I’d found a USB - C cable I already had I didn’t know how, it must have come with something else, I decided to swap over and see if it worked better.

What’s the difference, the only thing visible is the shape of the connector that goes into the power supply. It is smaller than the rectangular flat USB we are all used to seeing.

I’ve had a few power packs, started with Boompod, now I have an Earldom I picked up for about £30 with two regular USB ports and one USB-C ports that I have to say I was struggling connecting to our phones, I put it down to the cables and the new system USB - C cable won’t connect either but the cable works fine with the new power adapter so that could just be the charging block USB - C port is knackered. I don’t really know.

I’ve read on Reddit, where I go for most of my tech research the best cable to get is called a native union USB - C cable but at £45 without really understanding the advantage and thinking I am going to need more than one I am holding off on this purchase short term and seeing how long the USB-C cable I already have actually lasts, even though it won’t connect to my Earldom power pack.

The only thing I will say the 20W usb - C power adapter is better. The you get a full charge in an Iphone in a couple of hours instead of needing it on charge all night and I guess the native union cable has two connectors so you can charge two phones at once off one power adapter so this would be a reason to buy it for couples or families with multiple phones to keep charged.

The 20W power adapter is better. It’s annoying all my other USB plugs are now obsolete. What are we supposed to do with them, I’ve probably got 6 or 7? Landfill??