Best Travel Charger for iPhone: The Small GaN Brick That Replaces Two Chargers, and the $16 One for Phone-Only Trips

For most people flying with an iPhone and a laptop, the UGREEN Nexode Pro 65W is the travel charger to buy, because it pushes 65 watts out of a single USB-C port, enough to charge a MacBook, from a brick that still disappears into a coat pocket. If the only thing in your bag that charges is a phone, skip every 65W brick here and buy the Anker Nano 30W for $15.99 instead, because you will never use the extra watts and you will notice the extra bulk.

The decision on an iPhone travel charger comes down to one question, and it is not the brand. It is whether you also need to charge a laptop. A modern iPhone tops out around 27 watts of charging, so any charger rated 30W or higher already charges your phone at full speed. Everything above 30W is there for a laptop. Pay for the extra watts only if you actually carry the laptop, because those watts cost money and grams.

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UGREEN Nexode Pro 65W

Photo: UGREEN

This is the charger to buy if one plug has to handle a phone and a laptop. It lists at $55.99 on UGREEN’s site and drops to around $37.99 on Amazon at the time of writing, and it delivers 65 watts from a single USB-C port, which is enough to charge a MacBook Air at full speed. It uses GaN (gallium nitride) internals, which is why a 65W charger this powerful can be this small, and the plug folds flat so it does not gouge the inside of your bag. There are three ports, two USB-C and one USB-A, so a phone, a laptop, and a pair of earbuds can charge from one wall outlet at the gate.

The reason it wins for travel is the ratio of power to size. AppleInsider called it “a phenomenal charger that is lightweight, portable, and powerful,” and priced against comparable 65W bricks it lands as “solid value well under $50.”

The honest negatives are the two most reviewers flag. It “can get a little hot” under a full laptop load, which is normal for a compact GaN charger but worth knowing, and the folding-plug body can sit “a little wobbly in a socket,” so in a loose hotel outlet it may need a nudge to seat fully. If you split power across all three ports at once, the top port shares its budget rather than delivering the full 65W to each device, so plan to charge the laptop alone when it needs the most.

Check price at UGREEN

Anker Nano 30W

Photo: Anker

If your trip is phone-only, this is the charger to pack. The Anker Nano (model A2147) lists at $15.99 on Anker’s site and delivers 30 watts from a single USB-C port, which charges any current iPhone at its full speed. The whole body measures about 1.12 by 1.12 by 1.39 inches with the prongs folded, so it takes up less room in a dopp kit than a lip balm, and the prongs fold flat so they do not snag.

The reason to buy this instead of the 65W brick is honesty about what you carry. If nothing in your bag needs more than 30 watts, the extra capacity of a laptop charger is dead weight you pay for and haul. Anker fit 30 watts into a charger “just 1.12 inches thick,” and for a phone that is the whole job done.

The honest negative is the ceiling. This is a 30W single-port charger, so it will not fast-charge a laptop, and with only one port you cannot top up a phone and earbuds at the same time. If you travel with a MacBook, or you want to charge two devices from one outlet, this is the wrong pick and the UGREEN above is the right one.

Check price at Anker

Nomad 65W Slim AC Adapter

Photo: Nomad

The Nomad 65W Slim is the pick if you want the charger to lie flat against the wall and pack flat in a bag. It is a GaN charger with two USB-C ports, and its trick is the profile: with the prongs closed it is about 15 by 76 by 49 mm, thin enough to slide into a passport pocket. Both ports are USB-C, and when both are in use it splits to roughly 45W and 20W, which is exactly the pairing for charging a MacBook Air and an iPhone at the same time from one outlet. MakeUseOf titled its take “Your Travel Bag Needs This Charger.”

The reason it earns a spot next to the UGREEN is the flush, flat shape. A charger that sits flat does not lever itself out of a loose outlet under the weight of a cable, which is the failure that leaves you at 3 percent in the morning.

The honest negative is the price and the currency. Nomad lists it at CAD $79, which is meaningfully more than the UGREEN for the same 65W class, and the US price is not shown on the Canadian storefront, so confirm your local price before buying. Buy this if the slim flat profile and dual-USB-C layout matter to you; buy the UGREEN if you want the lowest price for the same wattage.

Check price at Nomad

A wall charger is not a power bank

Every charger here needs a wall outlet. On a long flight, a train with no working socket, or a day of walking a city, what saves your iPhone is a battery you carry, not a plug. Travelers on the Rick Steves forum make the point plainly: one wrote that an “Anker large PowerCore charger works well for us on European trips,” and another, after frying one brand, “replaced it with a Powerbase… It’s been surprisingly robust and worked well.” A wall charger and a power bank solve different problems, and most iPhone travelers need both. If you are shopping for the battery half of the kit, our best power bank for international travel roundup covers the watt-hour math airlines actually check at the gate.

The decision

• If you carry a laptop and a phone, buy the UGREEN Nexode Pro 65W. 65W from one USB-C port, three ports total, in a pocket-sized folding brick, at $55.99 list and often near $37.99 on Amazon.
• If you travel phone-only, buy the Anker Nano 30W. A 30W single-port charger that charges any iPhone at full speed, at $15.99, in a body the size of a lip balm.
• If you want a flat, flush profile with dual USB-C, buy the Nomad 65W Slim. A GaN charger that lies flat against the wall and splits to 45W and 20W for a laptop plus a phone, at CAD $79 (confirm your local price).
• Whatever wall charger you pick, pack a power bank too. A plug does nothing on a plane; the power bank roundup covers the battery you actually carry.