Editorials · Reviewer Insight
I tested fast charging on iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Fold 8: here is the winner
Fast charging can be a life-saver if you forget to charge your phone at night.
This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
We have a winner | Image by PhoneArena
Curious which foldable phone charges faster?
Well, I myself am on the fence whether I should use the iPhone Duo or the Galaxy Fold 8 as my daily driver, and charging is one little piece of that puzzling choice.
The Galaxy Fold 8 is thinner and lighter, while the iPhone Duo runs iOS and feels a bit smoother, but both have roughly the same battery size of around 4,800mAh.
And if you just look at the specs, the iPhone Duo should win this race: it supports 60W fast charging (with a compatible charger), while the Galaxy Fold 8 maxes out at 45-watt charging speeds.
But let's see how they perform in real-world conditions.
iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Fold 8 charging test
| iPhone Duo | Galaxy Fold 8 |
|---|---|
| 15 mins: 33% | 15 mins: 33% |
| 30 mins: 57% | 30 mins: 45% |
| 45 mins: 76% | 45 mins: 66% |
| 60 mins: 86% | 60 mins: 85% |
| Full charge in: 1 h 26 m | Full charge in: 1 h 24 m |
For this test, we used the official chargers for both phones: Apple's 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max and Samsung's official 60W Power Adapter.
And indeed, the iPhone Duo charges faster if all you care is about a quick top-up. In 30 minutes, the iPhone Duo charged to 57%, while the Galaxy Fold 8 was at 45%, a noticeable difference.
A 45-minute charge, gives you 76% on the iPhone Duo and 66% on the Galaxy Fold 8.
But if you leave them charging longer, that difference melts as both switch to a slower speed as they approach a full charge.
In fact, the Galaxy Fold 8 ends up first to a full 100%, taking 1 hour and 24 minutes for that full charge, while the iPhone Duo is very close, taking 1 hour and 26 minutes to top up fully.
Interestingly, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, which features an even larger battery than the iPhone Duo and technically supports the same 60W speeds, actually charges a bit faster.
A 30-minute top-up gives you 71% charge back on the 18 Pro Max compared to 57% on the iPhone Duo. I can only explain this with the better heat dissipation and larger vapor chamber on the 18 Pro Max, which lets it maintain those peak charging speeds a bit longer.
A full charge on the iPhone 18 Pro Max takes 1 hour and 8 minutes, again nearly 20 minutes faster than iPhone Duo.
Neither of these phones is the fastest charging device we've seen, but they use the new AVS standard, and chances are that they will work well with most modern USB-C chargers. That's in contrast with Chinese phones, which typically charge faster, but they use proprietary standards, so you can only achieve those fast charging speeds if you use the brand's own charger.
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