Technologies

Best USB-C Car Charger for Your iPhone or Android Phone

Keep your devices topped off while you’re on the go. These two-port chargers will keep your phone and other electronics ready for use.

You can drain your phone’s battery pretty fast while in the car. Between using a navigation app, streaming music or chatting on the phone, your battery doesn’t stand a chance — especially on longer car rides. That’s because, unless your vehicle is equipped with a built-in screen that’s compatible with CarPlay or Android Auto, your phone’s screen is on pretty much nonstop, which can burn through your phone’s battery. Even if your car has a built-in USB port for charging, it probably won’t be the best car charger for the job. Is it providing enough juice to keep up with the demand on your phone’s battery? If not, there may be better USB car chargers out there. It’s worth investing a few bucks to get yourself one of the best car charger options — one that plugs right into your vehicle’s power supply.

Fortunately, car charger tech has improved just like home charger tech. You can now get some high wattage options, at least for the category, that can either maintain the charge on your phone or charge up another device rapidly. And that’s the key: You definitely want to invest in a dual-port charger that you can plug into your vehicle’s 12-volt adapter (or «cigarette lighter,» if you’re old school). And having one that can charge multiple devices simultaneously is a huge perk when you’re on the go.

There are a variety of options when it comes to multiport car chargers. Historically these were two or more USB-A ports, the wide rectangular connection we’ve had on nearly everything for decades. More recently, there have been a growing number of USB-C options. USB-C, the small, rounded-off rectangle, is found on nearly all cell phones (other than Apple), tablets, laptops and more. It’s basically the new standard in everything but name. We decided to focus on chargers that have one of each, as this gives you the flexibility to charge newer USB-C devices, plus a «legacy» USB-A port that can connect to any USB devices as long as you have the right cable. (You can always pick up dongles or adapters to go from USB-C to USB-A or USB-A to USB-C, too.)

In our testing, there wasn’t a huge difference in charging times between the models we tested, though some were faster than others.

Other products we tested

Wotobeus PD 65W: The Wotobeus offered a splash of color in the form of a removable silicone sleeve that covered the larger half of the charger. Despite having the highest claimed wattage rating (83!), it actually charged the slowest in our testing. This, combined with a price the same as some faster chargers, put it out of the running.

How we test car chargers

We performed both synthetic and real-world testing for all the chargers we considered. Using a MakerHawk Electronic Load Tester, an Uctronics Electronic USB Load Tester and a JacobsParts USB C PD DC Voltage Trigger Test Module I tested the maximum amperage possible for each of the USB-specified voltage outputs each device was capable of . I didn’t waste gas to do this, instead I used a Knoter AC to DC Converter which is rated at far more wattage than we were dealing with here. While interesting, and a good test to get a sense of what’s going on «behind the scenes,» these numbers didn’t create terribly useful real-world numbers for most people.

So I used the Uctronics Electronic USB Load Tester to create a «dummy load» at the maximum power output possible on the charger’s USB-A output, and then timed how long it would take to charge a fast-charging USB-C device, in this case a Pixel 5. Most battery-powered devices limit the charging speed at the upper and lower ends of the battery’s maximum storage, so I timed how long it would take to charge 10% with the battery no lower than 30% and no higher than 70%. Overly cautious? Probably. I also put the phone in airplane mode and waited for the screen to go into standby before timing.

The chart below shows that number, plus a calculated «for 50%» time that estimates how long it would take to charge 50% of this device’s battery. Charging speeds between phones/tablets/etc. can vary for a number of reasons. Which is to say your phone, with the same charger, might charge faster or slower than the numbers listed here. However, it should charge roughly the same amount faster or slower compared to one of the faster or slower chargers.

Car charger FAQs

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Smokes, informally
Answer: CIGS

5A clue: «Don’t have ___, man!» (Bart Simpson catchphrase)
Answer: ACOW

6A clue: What the vehicle in «lane one» of this crossword is winning?
Answer: RACE

7A clue: Pitt of Hollywood
Answer: BRAD

8A clue: «Yeah, whatever»
Answer: SURE

9A clue: Rd. crossers
Answer: STS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Things to «load» before a marathon
Answer: CARBS

2D clue: Mythical figure who inspired the idiom «fly too close to the sun»
Answer: ICARUS

3D clue: Zoomer around a small track
Answer: GOCART

4D clue: Neighbors of Norwegians
Answer: SWEDES

Technologies

Watch SpaceX’s Starship Flight Test 11

Technologies

New California Law Wants Companion Chatbots to Tell Kids to Take Breaks

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the new requirements on AI companions into law on Monday.

AI companion chatbots will have to remind users in California that they’re not human under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The law, SB 243, also requires companion chatbot companies to maintain protocols for identifying and addressing cases in which users express suicidal ideation or self-harm. For users under 18, chatbots will have to provide a notification at least every three hours that reminds users to take a break and that the bot is not human.

It’s one of several bills Newsom has signed in recent weeks dealing with social media, artificial intelligence and other consumer technology issues. Another bill signed Monday, AB 56, requires warning labels on social media platforms, similar to those required for tobacco products. Last week, Newsom signed measures requiring internet browsers to make it easy for people to tell websites they don’t want them to sell their data and banning loud advertisements on streaming platforms.

AI companion chatbots have drawn particular scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators in recent months. The Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several companies in response to complaints by consumer groups and parents that the bots were harming children’s mental health. OpenAI introduced new parental controls and other guardrails in its popular ChatGPT platform after the company was sued by parents who allege ChatGPT contributed to their teen son’s suicide.

«We’ve seen some truly horrific and tragic examples of young people harmed by unregulated tech, and we won’t stand by while companies continue without necessary limits and accountability,» Newsom said in a statement.

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One AI companion developer, Replika, told CNET that it already has protocols to detect self-harm as required by the new law, and that it is working with regulators and others to comply with requirements and protect consumers.

«As one of the pioneers in AI companionship, we recognize our profound responsibility to lead on safety,» Replika’s Minju Song said in an emailed statement. Song said Replika uses content-filtering systems, community guidelines and safety systems that refer users to crisis resources when needed.

A Character.ai spokesperson said the company «welcomes working with regulators and lawmakers as they develop regulations and legislation for this emerging space, and will comply with laws, including SB 243.» OpenAI spokesperson Jamie Radice called the bill a «meaningful move forward» for AI safety. «By setting clear guardrails, California is helping shape a more responsible approach to AI development and deployment across the country,» Radice said in an email.

One bill Newsom has yet to sign, AB 1064, would go further by prohibiting developers from making companion chatbots available to children unless the AI companion is «not foreseeably capable of» encouraging harmful activities or engaging in sexually explicit interactions, among other things.