List of recommended Switch USB-C chargers
I previously posted a detailed explanation about USB compatibility in this thread and u/sylocheed posted a simpler way to figure out how fast any charger should be, but a lot of people want specific product recommendations.
I'll simplify charging speeds by using these labels:
- Great: The best and fastest undocked charging speeds you can get from any charger. Switch will draw 18W of power.
- Good: You can use these to charge the device at a decent speed even while you play. Switch will draw 10W (2A) of power.
- Okay: These can usually keep up with the power drain while playing, but you'll only get a very slow trickle charge. In certain very rare situations you might even see the battery level decrease. These chargers work a lot better when the Switch is in sleep mode. Switch will draw 7.5W (1.5A) of power.
- Poor: These can't keep up with the power consumption while playing, but they can at least slow down your battery drain. Put the Switch in sleep mode if you want to actually charge it with these. Switch draws only 2.5W (0.5A) from most of these, less than 6W (1.2A) from others. It might take more than 9 hours to reach a full charge even when turned off.
Switch's charger compatibility is pretty weird, so some of these speeds might not make sense unless you read the other threads I linked. Switch currently has a lot of charging speed bugs that may or may not be fixed in future OS updates so I'm listing how well everything currently works.
In general, USB-C charger ports are great/good/varies and USB-A chargers (except the Apple 12W) are okay/poor.
I'll update this post whenever I find something to add or any details change. Last updated: June 2017.
Common charger requests / FAQs
Look in the next sections for links and prices for each of these chargers. I marked every recommendation with "(great)" or "(good)" to indicate which section of the list you can find it in.
I want the smallest good charger
The Apple 12W USB Power Adapter (good). For about $22, you can get the $15 charger and a $7 USB-C cable.
I want a charger I can actually find at stores without ordering online
The Apple 12W USB charger (good) can be found at Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Staples, Apple Stores, and more. It's widely available outside the US too.
The Nintendo official Switch charger can be found at most stores that carry Switch games and accessories.
I want the cheapest good charger
The Motorola TurboPower USB-C 15 (good). Its price on Amazon is normally around $14-$16 and the cable is included but can't detach.
I want something smaller than Nintendo's charger that still charges as fast
The Google 18W Pixel charger (great) is the best option here. It's a lot smaller and you can also remove the cable, but it costs a little bit more at $35 (with cable included).
I want something that works well with both Switch and other USB-C devices
Don't use the Nintendo or Nyko chargers for this, but everything else listed in this post should be good for small devices like phones and battery banks. Some of the most notable ones:
- The Google 18W Pixel charger (great) works great with phones/batteries too and is decently small, but with laptops it's either slow (like MacBooks and Chromebooks) or may not work at all (like Dell XPS).
- The Anker 30W PowerPort Speed (great) is bigger, roughly the same price, and works better with laptops.
- Most other USB-C laptop chargers should also work great with Switch and phones but they're expensive
- The Apple 12W iPad charger (good) has a USB-A port you can use with all the other USB cables you already own.
Any USB-C charger with a detachable cable can also be used with microUSB and Lightning (iOS) devices if you connect an adapter cable.
How well will my phone's charger work?
- Every charger included with any Samsung, iPhone, or OnePlus phones: Poor.
- Apple 10W or 12W chargers included with iPad: Good.
- Any other charger with a USB-A port: Probably okay, maybe poor.
- USB-C PD chargers like Google Pixel: Great.
- Other chargers that have a USB-C port like Nexus 5X/6P, Moto, and Lumia: Good.
For more details about predicting how fast any charger you have will work, see this post
I want a charger that can charge several other USB devices at the same time
Monoprice 3-Port Charger (good) and Anker PowerPort 5 USB-C (good) (not the Plus/PD version) are good at this. Use the USB-C port for Switch and the USB-A ports for other devices.
If you want better speeds, stick to a single-port charger for Switch and use a separate charger for your other devices.
The only charger I know of that has more than one USB-C port is Google's 22.5W charger (good) but it costs more than buying two equivalent single-port chargers.
I just want to charge my Switch overnight when away from home
Almost any USB charger you already have can work for this, but you'll need a USB-C cable if you don't already have one. You can even use a laptop's USB ports. Before leaving, plug it in to make sure it works.
I want a battery pack
The RAVPower 20100mAh battery (good) is a nice choice. It has a reasonable price and a pretty large capacity.
The Anker 26800mAh battery (great) is a lot more expensive but it charges much faster and it does also come with a great USB-C wall charger to help justify the price.
If you want cheaper and smaller, Anker's 13000mAh (okay) and 10000mAh (okay) batteries will charge a lot slower but they'll still keep you playing until they're empty.
Great
These chargers have different power ratings, but with the Switch they're all exactly the same speed. Only a few of these work with the dock.
| Charger | Price (USD) | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Switch AC Adapter | $29.99 | Amazon | Works with the dock but it's big and doesn't work great with any phones. 5ft cable. |
| Nyko Dock AC Adapter | $24.99 | Amazon | Longer 8ft cable. Included with Nyko's dock. Works with Nintendo's dock too. |
| Google 18W Pixel charger | $35 | Google, Best Buy | More portable than Nintendo's charger, great at charging phones too, 6.6ft detachable cable |
| Anker 30W PowerPort Speed | $27.99 | Amazon | No cable included, good for laptops |
| Anker PowerCore+ 26800mAh battery | $99.99 | Amazon | Use the USB-C port, included wall charger is great. |
| AUKEY 30000mAh battery | $64.99 | Amazon | Use the USB-C port. Includes a USB-C cable but no wall charger. I need more confirmation that this works well and consistently. The high capacity means you can't legally carry it on an airplane. |
The Google 18W charger seems to be on sale at Groupon. In order to get great speeds with it, you need a USB-C to USB-C cable, which isn't included in Groupon's bundle. Look below at my Cables section for some links to cables you can buy. Here's another Groupon listing that does include a short USB-C to USB-C cable.
Canada also has an active deal for the Google 18W charger: CAD$22 from Best Buy. Deal ends on July 6.
Good
| Charger | Price (USD) | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorola TurboPower USB-C 15 | $15.99 | Amazon | Non-detachable 5ft cable |
| SONEic 15W USB-C | $19.99 | Amazon | Detachable 3ft cable, may be discontinued |
| HORI Switch car charger | $19.99 | Amazon | Licensed by Nintendo |
| Anker PowerPort 5 USB-C | $25.99 | Amazon | This is the non-PD version. Use the USB-C port. Also has 4 USB-A ports. No USB cables included. |
| Monoprice 3-Port Wall Charger | $12.99+ | Monoprice | Use the USB-C port. Also has 2 USB-A ports. No cable included. Shipping costs $2.49 for most of the US. |
| Google 22.5W Dual Port USB-C charger | $39.99 | Two USB-C ports, includes one detachable 6ft cable | |
| RAVPower 20100mAh USB-C battery | $57.99 | Amazon | Use the Type-C port. USB C-to-C cable not included. Bundled AC adapter is only "okay". |
| Anker PowerCore+ 20100 | $65.99 | Amazon | Use the USB-C port. Includes a 0.9m USB-C cable. Press the button before connecting your Switch. |
| Apple 12W iPad USB charger | $19 | Apple | Requires a USB A-to-C cable, better than any other USB-A chargers |
More US links for the Apple 12W charger: Amazon US, Target, Walmart, Staples, Best Buy. Walmart and Target currently have the lowest price at $14.99.
Okay
USB-C batteries are expensive and big. These USB-A ones charge slow but they'll keep you playing until they're empty. You need a USB A-to-C cable.
| Charger | Price (USD) | Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anker 13000mAh battery | $29.99 | Amazon | Two USB ports. |
| Anker 10000mAh battery | $25.99 | Amazon | One USB port. Still big enough to more than double your playtime. |
Cables
Some of the chargers listed above have a non-removable cable. All the others (except the iPad charger) require a USB C-to-C cable.
USB C-to-C: For the Macbook, Google, Anker, SONEic, and battery pack chargers listed above. Here are a few on Amazon: AmazonBasics, Anker 6ft/3ft, Cable Matters, Veckle 6ft.
USB A-to-C: The iPad charger is the only one that gives good charging speeds with these. The 5ft cable included with the Pro Controller works. Here are some others on Amazon: AmazonBasics, Anker 6ft/3ft/3-pack, Cable Matters, Veckle 6ft/10ft/3-pack.
No matter which charger you use, it doesn't matter whether the cable says it's USB 2.0, USB 3.0, or USB 3.1. They all charge at the same speed. Just make sure it has the correct plug shape on each end, that it has good reviews at a reputable merchant, and that it's long enough for how you want to use it.
For people outside the US
Every charger listed in this post can be used in any country with the appropriate plug adapter (they're all multivoltage), but local availability is limited outside the US. Apple chargers seem to be readily available almost everywhere, but Google, Anker, and others tend to have limited options.
Other country listings for the Google 18W charger: Canada (CAD$45), UK (£29), Australia (AUS$55), Germany (€39)
Canada: The Google 18W is on sale for CAD$22 at Best Buy. You can use the same chargers as US, but my links and prices are for the US so you'll have to search for them on your Amazon/Apple/etc stores. Almost all of the chargers I listed should be available in Canada without importing.
Japan: You can use the same chargers as US, but some of them aren't sold in Japan. Anker and Apple seem to be pretty good about stocking their items in Japan.
Australia: You can get the Google 18W charger or any Apple chargers.
Europe: The Google 18W charger is only sold in UK and Germany. For everyone else, you probably can't get "best" charging speeds at a reasonable price with anything but Nintendo's charger. Apple chargers are probably available everywhere, so the Apple 12W USB (iPad) charger is a good choice. The MacBook chargers are faster but much more expensive.
Posted Jun 26, 2017, 8:02 PM UTC · edited