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Apple's iPhone 12 can now charge wirelessly at 15W with non-MagSafe chargers
The latest iOS 17.4 release now allows third-party Qi2 chargers to charge the iPhone 12 at the maximum rated 15 watts of power.
The best fast chargers for 2024
In order to figure out what the fastest charger on the market is across a range of power outputs, we tested 14 adapters across five different devices. Here are the results.
Anker charging accessories are up to 52 percent off
If you've been waiting for a sale, you can now grab a number of Anker chargers and other smartphone accessories at Amazon with discounts of up to 52 percent.
Hyundai EVs will support Tesla's NACS charging starting in Q4 2024
Hyundai has reached a deal to adopt Tesla's NACS charging standard in North America starting in Q4 2024 in the US, with Canada to follow in the first half of 2025.
Jaguar signs on to use Tesla's chargers too
Jaguar is joining Mercedes, Polestar and other automakers in adopting Tesla's NACS chargers for vehicles sold in North America starting in 2025.
Tesla will open up 7,500 charging stations to other EVs by 2024
The Biden administration has unveiled new initiatives in its $7.5 billion plan to install 500,000 EV chargers on US roads by 2030.
GM opens its first Level 2 community charging stations in two states
GM has installed its first Level 2 charging stations in Wisconsin and Detroit as part of a community charging initiative unveiled last year.
Biden administration unveils $5 billion plan for EV charging infrastructure
The Biden administration has announced a $5 billion plan to help states build half a million EV charging stations by 2030.
Will gallium nitride electronics change the world?
The semiconductor GaN has already changed the world once, it's at the heart of blue and white LEDs, but researchers are looking at how this materials could revolution power systems, space travel, telecommunications, and even processors.
Electrify America’s first cross-country EV charging route is complete
Electrify America's first cross-country EV charging route stretches from Washington DC to LA.
Samsung chips promise secure 100W USB-C fast charging
Samsung released two new USB Type-C power delivery (PD) controller chips for power adapters, SE8A and MM101. The chips included built-in security safeguards and are able to communicate with devices that meet USB-PD 3.0 specifications to deliver the optimum power for each device. With up to 100W-charging, they support fast charging on power-hungry products like laptops and tablets, too.
The best portable laptop charger
By Sarah Witman This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full portable laptop charger guide here. We spent 15 hours researching and 41 hours testing five top portable laptop chargers, and we found that the Mophie Powerstation AC is the best option if you want the ability to charge your computer and smaller devices while traveling, in an emergency, or whenever power outlets are out of reach. It can power laptops as robust as the 15-inch MacBook Pro, it's compact and lightweight, and it charges via USB-C—an increasingly ubiquitous standard. Mophie's charger is the one we'd buy ourselves. It's the smallest laptop charger we tested and one of the lightest. But it still performed well in our testing with more than 100 W of power output and enough capacity to bring a dead MacBook Air up to 81 percent charged, even during heavy use. It also has the best look and feel of any we tried—we really like how its slim, portable design and professional-looking fabric exterior is complemented by well-placed ports and a magnetic rubber flap protecting the AC output port. Plus, it's made by a company we trust, and its 24-month warranty is as good as any we found.
The UK wants every new home to come with an EV charger
The UK has big plans to eliminate sales of new gasoline- and diesel-powered cars by 2040. Electric vehicles (EVs) are the key to making that work, but the required chargers are few and far between. Today, the government is unveiling a proposal requiring new homes, street light posts and businesses to have charging points. It will reportedly boost that with a £400 million ($530 million) fund for companies that produce and install EV chargers.
Touring France’s EV charging network in the Renault Zoe
The Renault Zoe doesn't grab EV headlines like the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bolt and Tesla's Model 3, because it's not sold in the US. But with a 41kWh battery that can propel it 300 km, a €23,700 ($29,000) starting price and zippy performance, it's worth learning about the French-made car. I took it on a tour in and around Paris to check out not only the EV itself but France's entire charging network. Cars like the Zoe and the infrastructure are going to be crucial, because the city of Paris plans to ban gas-burning cars by 2030, with the rest of the country following suit by 2040.
Zolt's tiny laptop charger can also power up your phone and tablet
The race for the world's tiniest laptop charger is on. Last year we saw FINsix's Dart charger debut at CES, and this year it's Zolt's time to shine. Just like the Dart, Zolt's entry is a 70-watt charger that replaces your bulky laptop power adapter. But Zolt also adds an additional USB port, making for a total of three ports to charge your devices (only one can recharge your tablet, though). It'll come with a variety of tips for various laptops, and the company also plans to add Apple-compatible adapters as accessories. Zolt will be available for pre-order tomorrow for an introductory $80 price (it'll eventually bump up to $100), and the company expects to start shipping it in spring.
Dodocase already has an Apple Watch accessory for pre-order
The Apple Watch doesn't even have a release date yet, but that doesn't mean you can't already be accessorizing. Dodocase has debuted a pre-order for a handsome Apple Watch charging stand. Pre-orders will cost you just a US$5 deposit towards the final product, with the full price of the stand between $60-$80. What does all that scratch get you? Here's a list of features: Made from California Orchard Walnut Carved relief for wire routing Magnetic inductive charger housing provides quick, easy lift-off Suction cup adhesive on bottom for sturdy placement Leather monogram option First 100 purchased will be numbered Travel mode allows you to easily cradle the cable and charger into one package Natural linseed oil finish At least they're delivering a lot of expensive-sounding features for that price tag. The stand will launch in 2015 at the same time as the Apple Watch itself. You can pre-order it yourself right here.
Engadget giveaway: win a powered-up accessory package courtesy of TYLT!
Few things in today's digitally dependent world can measure up to the panic when you've forgotten to charge your devices -- short of leaving home without them. It's always wise to have a backup plan, though, for when those juice levels drop and we've got a selection of power and connectivity minded goodies lined up for today's giveaway. TYLT has provided a selection of its colorful, design-centric products that will keep your battery levels high and your ears happy. This package includes the ENERGI+ Backpack (which doubles as a mobile charging station), along with a variety of adapters, connectors and its TUNZ Bluetooth speaker and headphones. For those NFC-enabled commuters, there's even the Capio universal smartphone car mount and charger. This rainbow of tech flavors is headed to one lucky Engadget reader this week, so just head on down to the Rafflecopter widget below and it could be yours. Winner: congratulations to Qiyu L. of Atlanta, GA.
Kingston's MobileLite Wireless is a memory card reader that doubles as a charger
By all metrics, Kingston's wireless Wi-Drive has been a successful product: the company is still selling it two years later, and has since refreshed it with beefier storage and Android compatibility. If there's one thing customers complained about, though, it was the lack of expandable memory -- a problem if you used all the space on the drive, or if you already had stuff stored on an SD card. With that in mind, the company's coming out with the MobileLite Wireless, which ditches internal storage in favor of an SD slot and USB 2.0 port. (It will also ship with a microSD adapter.) At the same time, it packs a modest five-hour battery you can use to recharge USB-powered gadgets; Kingston says there's enough juice in there to fully charge a phone, but probably not a tablet. Technically speaking, you can access everything stored on the device by typing the MobileLite's IP address into a browser. But for all intents and purposes, this is currently an iOS exclusive, as that's the only platform for which you can download an app. As with the Wi-Drive, though, Kingston plans to add an Android app, as well as one for WP8. In the beginning, at least, it will be available through just a couple sellers (Amazon and Staples), with street prices expected to fall somewhere between $50 and $70. Any questions? We hope not: this thing's aimed squarely at mainstream users, so if Engadget readers don't get it, we're going to be seriously concerned about all the regular folk.%Gallery-185264%
CES 2013: Kensington offers a tracking solution with the Proximo Tag Kit
Kensington is in attendance at the International CES here in Las Vegas this week, and the company kindly sat down with TUAW this afternoon to show off some of its latest products. The most interesting of their recent offerings is something called the "Proximo Fob and Tag Kit," which is a relatively cheap tracking solution designed to work over Bluetooth 4 with your iPhone 4S or iPhone 5. We've seen tagging kits like this before, but Kensington's, now available, offered a nice set of features at a very reasonable price. The idea is that you can use an included key fob or a tag (just the tag is available for US$24.99, while a full fob and tag kit is $59.99) by attaching it to whatever object you'd like to keep safe, whether that's your keys, a purse or even a kid or a dog. Then you can use Kensington's free app to get alerts whenever that item/person moves out of range of your phone, so if you ever walk away and leave your keys at your desk, or if the dog wanders out of the yard, you'll know right away. The app offers a nice bit of customization -- you can attach five different tags to it, and each one gets its own alert sound and an icon (or a custom picture), so there are plenty of different options for tracking various objects. The app also lets you set the sensitivity for each tag, so you can set your keys to stay very close, or set your car for a wider range. You can also track your phone directly from the fob (though the tag doesn't have any extra buttons on it, so that's a no-go there). If you ever lose your phone, you can just hit the button on the key fob, and then your phone will light up with an alert. Finally, Kensington's kit also tracks your GPS, and while it can't actually find items via Bluetooth (because that service isn't positional at all), it can let you know where you last saw them. Whenever you lose track of a tag, the app will mark that point on a map, so you can be aware of where you last were when the tag went out of range. It's not quite as nice as geolocating right to the tag, but it works for helping you find lost items. Aside from the Proximo tags, Kensington also showed off new charging kits, including a 4.2 Amp dual-USB charger for the car (enough to charge two different iPads up at the same time) for $34.99, a "Fast Charge" Lightning adapter to charge any iOS device for $29.99 or an iPhone-only charger for $24.99. Kensington is also offering another line of iPad cases, including some more stylish "Folio cases" for the iPad, and even a line for the iPad mini. Finally, while not iOS-specific, the company was showing off a Contour Overnight backpack, with a special laptop-sized pocket and easy liquid access for going through airport security checkpoints. The backpack is a very impressive addition to the company's luggage lineup, and should also be available later on this year.
Rohm 5Wh hydrogen fuel cells power up smartphones, ready for the trash after one charge
Rohm's hydrogen fuel cells are meant to power smartphones and other mobile devices, but unlike other juicing-up solutions, the cells are only good for one charge. Rohm says disposable fuel cells can be made smaller and lighter than their multi-use counterparts, and as the only byproduct is hydrogen, the company is touting the cells' eco-friendliness. The system generates electricity by using hydrogen that's created by the reaction of a metal material and water. While the device we saw here at CEATEC is a prototype, Rohm may offer its recharging system as both a smartphone case and a USB-attachable juicepack. Each offers 5Wh and can fully charge a handset once. There's also a 200W power generator, which certainly stretches the meaning of portable but can keep a laptop, LCD TV and a peripheral or two going for three to four hours. Rohm says its fuel cells will see a commercial release some time in 2013; for now you can get a sneak peek in our hands-on gallery below. Zach Honig contributed to this report.
