OtterBox USB-C Fast Charge Dual Port Car Charger review: Double fast charging

If you have any iPhone model from the iPhone 8 through the iPhone 12 series, you'll undoubtedly want to take advantage of fast charging with one of the best iPhone car chargers. The OtterBox USB-C Fast Charge Dual Port Car Charger has two USB-C ports totaling 50W of power. One port is 20W, appropriate for an iPhone, iPad, or iPad mini, while the other is 30W which is great for the iPad Air or iPad Pro. Each port is clearly marked. The charger works with non-Apple devices as well as older Apple devices that don't support fast charging.

The charger supports USB Power Delivery (USB PD) and Programmable Power Supply (PPS) technology. PPS technology lets the charger vary its charging speed based on the particular device for an efficient transfer of power. OtterBox claims you can charge your iPhone up to 58% in 30 minutes; in my own informal testing, that figure was a still-impressive 51%.

The charging cables you'll need are sold separately. You can use USB-C to USB-C cables or USB-C to Lightning cables, or one of each, depending on what you wish to charge.

OtterBox USB-C Fast Charge Dual Port Car Charger: Price and availability

You can purchase the OtterBox USB-C Fast Charge Dual Port Car Charger on OtterBox's own website for $34.95. It's available in two colors: Cloud Dust White, as seen in my photos, and Black Shimmer, as seen in the manufacturer photo. It does not come with charging cables, so you will need to purchase them separately.

OtterBox USB-C Fast Charge Dual Port Car Charger: What will charge you up

The first time I tried out this charger with my iPhone 12 mini, I was wowed with how quickly my phone charged. Just a quick 20-minute car trip got my iPhone one-third of the way charged up. Even my husband was impressed, and he isn't into tech stuff at all.

Of course, if you're charging multiple devices, they won't charge quite as quickly, but I was still impressed with the OtterBox USB-C Fast Charge Dual Port Car Charger's speed. I charged my iPhone 12 mini in the 20W port and my iPad Pro in the 30W port for half an hour. My iPhone saw a 21% increase in power while my iPad Pro went up 23%.

I like that you don't have to worry about over-charging. The PPS technology intelligently fluctuates power to your particular device as needed. OtterBox's chargers are tested thoroughly for safe and efficient charging. Plus, it has a limited lifetime warranty.

Not that the look matters that much when you're talking about chargers, but this one is nice and compact and has an attractive striped pattern on the side. I like that each USB-C port is clearly marked. You'd be surprised how many chargers don't bother with this considerate step. Am I supposed to remember the wattage of every charger I own?

For total color coordination, you can buy OtterBox's matching charging cables. Of course, you can use any brand USB-C to USB-C and/or USB-C to Lightning charging cables.

OtterBox USB-C Fast Charge Dual Port Car Charger: What won't charge you up

The only fault I can find in this car charger is that it's fairly expensive, especially considering that it doesn't come with any charging cables. OtterBox's USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to Lightning cables will each run you about $25.

OtterBox USB-C Fast Charge Dual Port Car Charger: Competition

You can certainly find cheaper car chargers on Amazon, such as the fast and efficient Aukey PD car charger. It has one USB-C port and one USB-A port for a total of 42W of power.

If you'd prefer a wall charger over a car charger, I recently wrote a review of OtterBox's USB-C to USB-C 30W Fast Charge Wall Charging Kit. This is my go-to way to charge my iPad Pro.

OtterBox USB-C Fast Charge Dual Port Car Charger: Should you buy it?

• You want to fast charge your iPhone, iPad, and other devices in the car
• You want to charge two devices at once
• You want a compact, appealing form factor

• It's out of your budget
• You don't need to charge in your car
• You don't want to purchase separate cables

This sleek car charger is ideal for someone looking for a quick and efficient way to charge two devices at once. It's not for you if the price tag and/or need to purchase cables separately put you off.

I've been duly impressed with the OtterBox USB-C Fast Charge Dual Port Car Charger. It has two USB-C ports, a 20W port and a 30W port, for a total of 50W of charging power. This allows you to charge up to two devices at once, even a power-hungry iPad Pro. Use the 20W port and a USB-C to Lightning power cable to charge your iPhone, iPad, or iPad mini. Use the 30W port and a USB-C to USB-C cable to charge your iPad Air or iPad Pro. To get true fast charging, you'll want to charge just one device at a time. Still, even charging two at once, this charger is impressively fast. Note that the charging cables you'll need are sold separately.