septembre 2026

What Is AVS Charging? AVS vs PPS Explained for iPhone 18 Pro

USB-C charging has become considerably more sophisticated over the past several years. Watts still matter, but simply buying a charger with a high wattage rating no longer guarantees that a phone will charge at its maximum supported speed.

With the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, AVS — Adjustable Voltage Supply — has become particularly important.

Apple specifies that the iPhone 18 Pro series can charge from 0% to approximately 50% in around 15 minutes when paired with a 60W-capable or higher USB-C power adapter supporting AVS, together with an appropriate USB-C cable.

So what exactly is AVS? How is it different from the PPS charging technology already found on many modern USB-C chargers? And is AVS actually more advanced?

First: USB Power Delivery Is the Foundation

Both AVS and PPS are technologies within the broader USB Power Delivery (USB PD) ecosystem.

Traditional USB Power Delivery negotiates between several predefined voltage levels. A charger might offer profiles such as:

The connected device communicates with the charger and selects an appropriate power profile.

This system works well, but fixed voltage levels are not always the most efficient way to charge modern devices.

Instead of choosing only between several fixed voltages, newer USB PD technologies allow the device to request a more specific voltage from the charger.

That is where PPS and AVS come in.

What Is PPS?

PPS stands for Programmable Power Supply.

PPS was introduced as part of USB Power Delivery 3.0 and has become especially common with high-speed Android charging systems.

Instead of being limited to fixed voltages such as 5V, 9V or 15V, a PPS-compatible device can request much more precise voltage levels from the charger.

PPS can adjust voltage in very small 20mV increments and can also adjust its current limit in 50mA increments.

For example, instead of simply requesting 9V, a compatible device may request a voltage much more closely matched to what its charging circuitry needs at that particular moment.

Why does that matter?

A lithium-ion battery's charging requirements continually change as:

battery percentage increases;
battery voltage rises;
battery temperature changes;
the device becomes warmer or cooler;
system power consumption changes.

By allowing the phone and charger to communicate more precisely, PPS can reduce the amount of voltage conversion that needs to happen inside the phone.

Less conversion loss generally means:

less wasted energy → less heat → more efficient charging.

This is one reason PPS became an important part of many modern fast-charging systems.

What Is AVS?

AVS stands for Adjustable Voltage Supply.

The concept sounds very similar to PPS: instead of supplying only fixed USB-PD voltages, an AVS-compatible charger can provide an adjustable voltage requested by the connected device.

There is, however, an important architectural difference.

AVS adjusts voltage in 100mV increments, compared with the much finer 20mV increments used by PPS.

Modern USB Power Delivery 3.2 also extends AVS into the Standard Power Range used by many phones, tablets and laptops.

Depending on the charger's power capability, SPR AVS can operate across ranges such as approximately:

9V–15V
or
9V–20V

Higher-power Extended Power Range implementations of AVS can operate at considerably higher voltages as well.

This makes AVS useful not only for smartphones, but also for higher-powered USB-C equipment such as tablets, laptops, monitors and other devices.

AVS vs PPS: What's the Difference?

Although AVS and PPS both provide adjustable voltage, they are not the same charging protocol and should not be treated as interchangeable features.

Feature	PPS	AVS
Full Name	Programmable Power Supply	Adjustable Voltage Supply
USB PD Generation	Introduced with USB PD 3.0	EPR in PD 3.1; SPR expanded in PD 3.2
Voltage Adjustment	20mV increments	100mV increments
Programmable Current Control	Yes, 50mA increments	Not PPS-style current programming
Primary Strength	Very fine battery charging control	Flexible voltage across broader power ranges
Typical Applications	Smartphones and direct battery charging	Phones, tablets, laptops and higher-power USB-C equipment
iPhone 18 Pro Maximum Fast-Charging Requirement	Not Apple's specified protocol	Yes — AVS required

So Is AVS More Advanced Than PPS?

This requires some clarification.

AVS is the newer USB Power Delivery technology, but it isn't simply a more advanced replacement for PPS.

In some respects, PPS is actually more precise.

PPS offers 20mV voltage adjustments and programmable current control, making it particularly suitable for highly granular battery-charging applications.

AVS uses larger 100mV voltage steps and focuses more on allowing a device to select an efficient operating voltage over a wider power range.

A better way to think about them is:

PPS = finer battery-level power control

AVS = broader adjustable USB-PD power delivery

They solve related problems in different ways.

For this reason, a well-equipped modern USB-C charger may support both PPS and AVS, rather than forcing the customer to choose between them.

Why AVS Matters for the iPhone 18 Pro

This is where the subject becomes particularly relevant for Apple users.

Apple specifies that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max support faster wired charging of up to approximately 50% in around 15 minutes.

To reach that charging performance, Apple specifies:

a USB-C charging cable rated for at least 60W; and
a 60W-capable or higher USB Power Delivery adapter supporting Adjustable Voltage Supply (AVS).

That second requirement is important.

A charger having “60W,” “65W,” or even “100W” printed on the box does not automatically mean it supports AVS.

Older USB-C Power Delivery adapters may provide plenty of total wattage but lack the AVS charging profiles expected by the iPhone 18 Pro series for its fastest charging mode.

In other words:

Wattage tells you how much power a charger can provide. The charging protocol determines how intelligently the phone can access that power.

Both matter.

What Happens if Your Charger Doesn't Support AVS?

Your iPhone should not suddenly become incompatible with older USB-C chargers.

USB Power Delivery is designed around negotiated compatibility. The phone and charger communicate and determine a charging profile supported by both devices.

Therefore, an existing USB-C PD charger may still charge an iPhone 18 Pro perfectly normally.

What you may not receive is the maximum fast-charging performance available through AVS.

This distinction is important because there is no reason to throw away a perfectly functional charger simply because a newer protocol exists.

If your current charging speed is satisfactory, you can continue using your existing compatible charger.

AVS becomes especially relevant when purchasing a new charger specifically to take advantage of the iPhone 18 Pro series' latest wired charging capabilities.

PPS Isn't Obsolete Either

The introduction of AVS does not make PPS obsolete.

Many Android devices continue to make extensive use of PPS, and PPS remains extremely effective for finely controlled fast charging.

A charger supporting USB PD + PPS + AVS therefore provides broader compatibility than one supporting only a single adaptive charging technology.

This is particularly useful in households where one charger may be used with:

an iPhone;
a Samsung Galaxy;
a Google Pixel;
an iPad;
a USB-C laptop;
a power bank;
or other USB-C electronics.

The device ultimately decides which supported charging mode to negotiate.

What Should You Look for in an iPhone 18 Pro Charger?

If you're purchasing a charger specifically for an iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max, don't look only at the wattage number.

Check the actual specifications for:

USB Power Delivery support
The charger should support modern USB-C Power Delivery.

AVS support
This is particularly important if you're trying to take advantage of the iPhone 18 Pro series' maximum wired charging capability.

Sufficient power capability
Apple specifies a 60W-capable or higher adapter with AVS for its approximately 15-minute 0–50% fast-charge result.

A suitable USB-C cable
The cable is also part of the power-delivery system. Apple specifies a USB-C cable capable of carrying at least 60W for this charging mode.

PPS support if you use multiple devices
PPS remains useful for compatibility with many other fast-charging smartphones.

One Charger Can Support Both AVS and PPS

Modern charger designs increasingly support multiple USB Power Delivery technologies.

For example, the HyperGear 40W/60W Max USB-C PD 3.2 AVS/PPS GaN Wall Charger supports USB Power Delivery 3.2, PPS and AVS, including an AVS output range of 9–20V, while using GaN technology to maintain a compact form factor.

If you're looking for a modern USB-C charger designed around these newer charging standards, you can view it here:

View the HyperGear 40W/60W Max USB-C PD 3.2 AVS/PPS GaN Wall Charger at 3C-Easy Markham

As with any charger, actual charging speed depends on the connected device, negotiated charging profile, cable, battery state, temperature and other operating conditions.

AVS vs PPS: The Bottom Line

AVS represents an important development in USB-C Power Delivery, particularly now that Apple has adopted it for the faster wired-charging capabilities of the iPhone 18 Pro series.

But calling AVS simply “better than PPS” misses an important technical distinction.

PPS provides finer voltage and current control and remains exceptionally well suited to battery-focused fast charging.

AVS is newer and provides adjustable voltage across a broader range of USB Power Delivery applications.

For consumers, the practical lesson is simpler:

Don't choose a USB-C charger based on wattage alone.

A modern charger needs to support the charging protocols your devices actually use. With the iPhone 18 Pro series, AVS has now become one of those specifications worth looking for.

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