Update: Apparently Samsung is using a little-known technology called PPS. Which is not used in a lot of USB-C PD chargers on the market right now. When I wrote this, I had used my MacBook Pro’s charger which does have PPS and thus it charged the Galaxy Note 10 Plus at 45W speed.
The skinny is, you need a charger that does USB-C PD and PPS, as well as hitting 45W (or faster).
Samsung finally upgraded the fast charging on the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus this year. They both support 25W and come with a compatible charger in the box. But, the Galaxy Note 10 Plus also supports 45W. However a 45W charger is not in the box.
As expected, Samsung does sell a 45W fast charger for $50, but you shouldn’t buy it. Here’s why.
Samsung’s 45W fast charging is over USB-C PD
The fast charging on the Galaxy Note 10 Plus is done over USB-C PD, which means that it is not a proprietary standard. And there are plenty of USB-C PD chargers out there that can charge at 45W or faster, for a fraction of the price of Samsung’s own charger.
For instance, Anker has a couple of USB-C PD chargers that do 60W for $43, there’s also one that does 49.5W for about $30. Just to name a few. And these will fully charge your Galaxy Note 10 Plus pretty quickly, without having to worry about them getting damaged.
A 60W USB-C PD Charger is fine
One of the common myths with these chargers is that, they are not backwards compatible. For instance, Anker’s 60W USB-C PD charger. It can charge at up to 60W, while the Galaxy Note 10 Plus only does up to 45W. That doesn’t mean that your new Galaxy Note 10 Plus is going to overcharge at 60W. No, the charger will slow down to around 45W, since that is what the phone can handle.
The bright side about getting a 60W charger though, is that it can charge other things – like a laptop. For instance, the MacBook Pro’s charger goes up to over 60W. So you’d be able to use the same charger to charge your Galaxy Note 10 Plus and your laptop. Now that’s pretty versatile, when you think about it.
Those 60W chargers also normally come with another USB-A port or two, that will allow you to charge another device at the same time. Obviously that would take away some of the 60W that is used by that USB-C PD port, but since the Galaxy Note 10 Plus does not use all of it, that won’t be an issue. It just makes the charger a bit more versatile, since it can charge many devices at the same time, using just one outlet.
Wrap Up
You can buy Samsung’s 45W fast charger if you want, but at $50, there are better options available that also include other USB-A ports for charging other things at the same time. And that makes it a much better option than what Samsung is selling. It’s a first-party accessory and those are always much more expensive than they need to be. Thankfully, Samsung did not follow Apple’s footsteps and did keep with USB-C for fast charging on the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus.
You can check out compatible USB-C PD chargers for the Galaxy Note 10 Plus here, from Amazon. There are a number of different chargers available, including some battery packs that support 45W or faster USB-C PD.