iPhone XS Max has a large battery capacity of 3174 mAh. However, it ships with a very slow 5-watt Apple charger that takes ages to charge this huge battery. The good news is that iPhone XS Max supports 18-watt fast charging via USB-C PD that dramatically increases charging speed to zero to 50% charge in just about 30 minutes. To fast charge the iPhone XS Max, all you need is either a 18+ watt USB-C PD charger or USB-C PD power bank and a USB-C to Lightning cable. Fast USB-C adapters for XS Max will also fast-charge all iPhone 13/12 series phones. As new iPhones no longer come with a power adapter, a USB-C adapter will also be useful when you upgrade in future.
If you want the lowest-cost fast-charging solution without buying a USB-C to Lightning cable , then you can also use 12-watt adapters. These are not as fast as the USB-C PD charging, but still charge the XS Max two times faster than the Apple stock 5-watt charger and can use your existing charging cable.
Here are some ways to fast-charge the iPhone XS Max at its highest possible speed –
Charge iPhone XS Max fast with USB-C PD charger (also fast-charges iPhone 13/12)
iPhone XS Max can be fast-charged with any 18-watt or higher USB-C PD wall charger at the speed of zero to 50% charge in about 30 minutes. Our most recommended single USB-C port chargers for XS Max and other USB-C fast-charging capable iPhones are Anker Nano 20-watt PD charger and AmazonBasics 30-watt PD charger.
If you want to fast-charge the iPhone XS Max and also charge another phone (or iPad) from the charger simultaneously, then two port chargers are the best solution. We recommend, Anker 32-watt PowerPort Speed Duo charger and Anker 40-watt Powerport 3 for this. The Anker 40-watt Powerport 3 is a dual USB-C port charger (20-watt USB-C + 20-watt USB-C) that can fast-charge two newer iPhones/iPads at the same time. For example it can fast charge your iPhone XS Max and an iPhone 13/12 series phone or 11, 11 Pro/XR/X/8/8+ at the same time. Or you can charge the XS Max and a USB-C PD power bank simultaneously at fastest possible speeds.
If you own a MacBook, a high-output multi-port PD chargers are the best solution. We recommend AmazonBasics 68-watt PD charger. It is an excellent well-built charger that will supply 60 watt current to fast-charge the MacBook and 18-watt PD to fast-charge XS Max at the same time.
Another great choice is the high-output dual PD port Anker PowerPort 60-watt dual PD charger. It can also charge two USB-C PD devices at once as it supports 30 watt + 30 watt PD output. When charging Macbook alone, it will output 60 watt.
Chargers with GaN (Gallium Nitride) components are a new trend. These GaN chargers are lighter, slimmer and more compact than conventional chargers and excellent for carrying-around. We recommend AmazonBasics 30-watt GaN PD 3.0 charger, Anker 32-watt Gan PD charger and Anker Atom III PD 60-watt charger (45-watt PD) for XS Max.
Fast-Charge iPhone XS Max with USB-C PD power bank (also fast-charges iPhone 13/12)
USB-C PD power banks deliver the same fastest possible charging speed for the XS Max as USB-C PD chargers – zero to 50% charge in about 30 minutes. These power banks are really future-proof as they will also fast-charge the latest iPhones and iPads including the iPhone 13/12, 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, and 2020/2019/2018 iPads.
Our top picks as PD power banks for XS Max are ZMI 10K Powerpack USB-C, and Anker PowerCore Slim 10000 PD. All of these are very similar with comparable build quality, and 18-watt USB-C PD charging output and 18-watt USB-C charging input. If we have to choose one, we will choose ZMI 10K Powerpack USB-C, as it offers maximum PD charging, good build quality and good set of free USB-C cables at killer price. ZMI is a brand of Xiaomi, world’s 3rd largest phone maker after Apple and Samsung.
All these 10000 mah PD chargers mentioned above give two full charges from 20% to 100% for the iPhone XS Max. All these chargers take around 3.5 hours to get recharged fully via any 18+ watt PD charger.
If you also own an iPad or a Macbook, then it is better to invest in a high capacity USB-C PD power bank such as ZMI 20000 PD 3.0 45-watt. High battery capacity PD power banks are also handy if you own iPads as iPads have quite large batteries. Newer 2020/2019/2018 iPads can such as iPad Pro 2019/2018, iPad Mini 5, and iPad Air 3 also benefit from PD fast charging as well.
ZMI 20000 PD 3.0 45-watt will charge the iPhone XS Max as well as all the latest iPhones/iPads/Macbooks at fast speeds with a charging output of 45-watt for the MacBooks and 18 watts for the iPhones and iPads. The power bank has a battery capacity of 20000 mAh, which is adequate for one full charge for almost any iPad + one full charge for the iPhone XS Max.
If you need a compact 20000mah PD portable charger solution, then the top options are the Anker PowerCore 20000 PD and AmazonBasics 20000 PD. Both these power banks can be recharged in just about 5 hours with PD chargers such as Anker 30-watt PowerPort Speed Duo charger, AmazonBasics 18-watt PD charger.
If you want power banks in the maximum capacity allowed by the TSA for in-flight carrying, then AmazonBasics 26800 PD 45-watt, and Luxtude 26800 PD 45-watt are our two favorite PD power banks in maximum capacity allowed by TSA. Luxtude 26800 PD 45-watt is our favorite pick if you do not already have a PD wall charger. It comes with a 60-watt PD charger that is perfect for Macbooks and charges this large power bank in just 3 hours. That is right, you get battery-backup for 5 full recharges for the XS Max in just 3 hours of charging. Both these power banks usually get recharged in just about 4.5 hours by 30-watt PD chargers such as any Macbook 29/61/87 watt charger or the AmazonBasics 30-watt GaN PD 3.0 charger, or Anker 30-watt PowerPort Speed Duo charger.
Charge iPhone XS Max fast with 2.4 amp chargers or power banks
PD charging is the fastest method to fast-charge the XS Max. However, it is a bit expensive as you also require an USB-C to Lightning cable as well. If you are looking for the lowest possible cost solution for charging iPhone XS Max faster than its stock charger, then 2.4 amp chargers or power banks are our recommendation. These will charge XS Max from zero to 50% in about 55 minutes i.e. about 25 minutes slower than the PD charging but still twice as fast as the stock charger. Among 2.4 amp chargers, we recommend Anker Elite 24-watt dual port charger.
Fast-Charge iPhone XS Max with iPad Pro 2020, iPad Pro 2018, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max Chargers
Apple now ships many latest iPads and even iPhones with 18-watt USB-C PD chargers. This includes iPhone 13/12 Pro Max, iPhone 13/12 Pro, 12 Pro, and 12 Mini, iPad Pro 2020, iPad Pro 2018, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. These chargers will also fast-charge the XS Max as well as all the PD power banks/portable chargers mentioned above.
Charge iPhone XS Max fast with Macbook USB-C port
A MacBook Air/Pro with a USB-C port will also fast-charge the iPhone XS Max. All you need is a USB-C to Lightning cable to connect the Macbook to the iPhone XS Max.
Fast-charge iPhone XS Max with Older Quickcharge chargers or power banks
If you already own a Samsung/Android charger, then Quickcharge power banks are yet another low cost way to charge iPhone XS Max – though not as fast as PD chargers.
QuickCharge charging is used by almost all Android phones including Samsung phones. A Quickcharge charger will charge the iPhone XS Max by supplying it 2 amp current and charge it from zero to 50% in about 55 minutes (slower than PD chargers but still twice as fast as XS Max Apple 5-watt charger). All new Samsung phones or most latest Android phones come with a Quickcharger phone charger that can be used to charge XS Max at faster speeds.
If you already own Quickcharge portable chargers such as Anker PowerCore 10000 Slim, then these will also fast-charge Samsung/Android phones and charge XS Max at zero to 50% in 50 minutes. Quickcharge power banks take half the time to recharge than traditional 2.4 amp power banks and are therefore better.
However, if you do not already own a Quickcharge portable charger we recommend only getting a PD charger such as ZMI 10K Powerpack USB-C . The reason is that these will cost same as Quickcharge chargers and charge your XS Max much faster. Also, you can continue using these without buying the USB-C to Lightning cable as they come with micro-USB charging ports and regular USB ports for charging your XS Max.