If you've already purchased or are considering purchasing an iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro, you'll want to invest in a better charging solution than the old 5W adapters used in past Apple-branded devices.

We tested the iPhone 12's charging speed with its iconic brick and Apple's new 20W USB-C and MagSafe chargers, and the results were eye-opening.

First, a little clarification: the iPhone 12 does not come with a charger, but it does come with a USB-C-Lightning cable. Interestingly, this cable will not work with the old cube-shaped USB-A charging adapter. The cable requires Apple's new USB-C brick, which is faster as a result.

The new charger costs $19 and is rated at 20 watts. Apple's MagSafe wireless charger takes the form of a pack that magnetically attaches to the back of the phone and sends 15 watts of power; the MagSafe charger costs $39, but requires the purchase of a 20-watt brick to use. In the end, the entire wireless setup will cost just under $60.

So how do these products perform? If you want the best fast charging experience for your new iPhone, start with Apple's recommended 20W option. This also replaces the 18W brick that came with last year's iPhone 11 Pro model.

Apple claims that this USB-C adapter allows for roughly 50% charging after 30 minutes. In our experience, this seems a bit modest. In fact, our iPhone 12 recorded 57% in that time. Certainly not 93% of the OnePlus 8T and its 65W Warp Charge system, but probably fast enough for most people.

Connecting a 20W charger to the iPhone 12 mini would likely yield even faster results than this.

Next fastest, as expected, is the MagSafe system. Using the wireless charger, we saw 32% from empty after 30 minutes. While this is not too bad for wireless charging, it is hardly fast in the grand scheme of things. Wireless systems are typically low wattage and generally inefficient.

Ultimately, either a 20W USB-C or MagSafe setup will provide a noticeable improvement in charging speed and convenience over a traditional 5W brick. We prepared such an adapter and a USB-A-Lightning cable and timed it. Shamefully, after 30 minutes, our iPhone 12 was at only 21%.

Of course, that's not great, but it's probably what most people have lying around. When charging is taken into account, the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 in particular are not as attractively priced as they first seem. Whereas most Android flagship models come with everything you need for fast charging out of the box, to experience faster charging with a new iPhone, you'll spend anywhere from $20 to $60 on top of the price of the device itself.

Personally, if it were my money, I'd buy the $19 20W adapter and be done with it; MagSafe is convenient, but not revolutionary or actually easier to use than an old-fashioned Lightning cable. To me, the value of MagSafe is more in what it can add to accessories like cases, mounts, and camera lenses than in charging. Besides, the fact that Apple is at least bundling a USB-C cable is definitely getting almost half of the fast charging solution for the new iPhone.