Device · AirPods & AirPods Pro
AirPods draw a couple of watts. That is the whole spec.
Nothing you buy makes an AirPods case charge meaningfully faster, because the case is a tiny battery with a deliberately conservative input. The only two decisions that matter here are which connector your case has and whether you want a puck for it. Save the money.
What the case actually accepts
An AirPods charging case holds a battery measured in hundreds of milliamp-hours — roughly a fiftieth of a phone's — and draws in the low single digits of watts over its port. There is no Power Delivery fast-charge profile to trigger and no protocol requirement beyond a working 5V supply. Wirelessly, MagSafe- and Qi-capable cases charge at up to about 5W on a standard pad.
The one thing that genuinely varies is the port. Cases sold from late 2023 onward — AirPods 4, current AirPods Pro and the USB-C revisions — use USB-C. Earlier AirPods and AirPods Pro cases use Lightning, and no adapter changes that.
| Adapter | Result at the case |
|---|---|
| 5W USB-A brick | Full speed. Genuinely. |
| 5W–12W USB-C | Full speed. |
| 20W USB-C PD | Full speed. The case never requests the extra headroom. |
| 65W–140W laptop brick | Full speed, and completely safe — the case requests its own tiny contract. |
| Qi / MagSafe pad | Up to ~5W on supported cases; slightly slower than wired. |
What to actually buy
Since wattage is irrelevant, buy for the other devices in your bag and let the case ride along on a spare port.
- 20W
Amazon Basics 20W USB-C
Budget pick. Over-specified for the case by design — it also fast-charges an iPhone, which is the only reason to own 20W at all.
- Output
- 20W USB-C PD
- Ports
- 1× USB-C
- Case draw
- ~2–3W
- 35W
Apple 35W Dual USB-C Compact
Best overall for an Apple bag: case on one port, phone at full speed on the other, one outlet on a hotel nightstand.
- Output
- 35W shared
- Ports
- 2× USB-C
- 67W
Anker Prime 67W 3-Port
Multi-port pick. The case takes its couple of watts from a spare port while a laptop uses the rest — the correct way to charge earbuds in 2026.
- Output
- 67W total
- Ports
- 2× C, 1× A
- Tech
- GaN
Don't waste money on
Any charger bought specifically for AirPods. A charger you already own is the correct charger. If you have none at all, buy for your phone — the iPhone 16 page covers that class — and the case will share it.
Premium cables. At 2–3W the cable is irrelevant beyond having the right connector on the end.
Third-party wireless pucks sold on speed. The case caps around 5W wirelessly; no pad exceeds that.
Sizing the rest of an Apple kit: the Apple Watch is the other low-wattage device with a connector requirement, while the iPad and MacBook Air are the ones that set the wattage of a shared brick. Full mapping: what wattage do I need, or the by-device index.
FAQ
Can I charge AirPods with a MacBook charger?
Yes, entirely safely. The case negotiates the same low-wattage contract it would from a 5W brick; the adapter's spare capacity is simply unused.
Do AirPods charge faster on a 20W adapter?
No. The case's input is capped far below that, so 5W, 20W and 140W all take the same time. Buy the 20W for your phone, not for the earbuds.
Which cable does my case need?
USB-C for AirPods 4, current AirPods Pro and the USB-C case revisions; Lightning for earlier models. The port on the bottom of the case is the only thing that decides it.
Is wireless charging slower for the case?
Slightly, and it generates more heat. At around 5W it is close enough to wired that convenience usually wins for an overnight charge.