Device · iPad Pro 11″ & 13″ (M4)
iPad Pro: roughly 30–40W of appetite, and a port that does more than charge.
Apple still puts a 20W adapter in the box of its most powerful tablet. The M4 models will draw appreciably more than that — the useful band is 30–40W — and because the port is Thunderbolt, the adapter you choose also has to survive being one leg of a desk setup that runs a display and an SSD.
The numbers
Max input: the 30–40W band. Apple publishes no peak figure, so treat 45W as the right buy: it covers the ceiling with margin and costs almost nothing over 30W.
Protocol: USB-C Power Delivery, 9V and 15V rails. No PPS or EPR requirement.
Cable: USB-C to USB-C, 3A is sufficient for charging. If the same cable also carries Thunderbolt data to a display or SSD, buy a Thunderbolt 4 cable — for the data, not the watts.
If you use less: a 20W adapter charges it, slowly, and can fall behind during heavy work such as video export on a bright screen.
| Adapter | Result on an M4 iPad Pro |
|---|---|
| 20W (in-box) | Overnight-grade. Loses ground under sustained load. |
| 30W | Solid. Keeps up during normal use and charges while you work. |
| 45W | Full appetite plus margin. The sweet spot. |
| 65W+ | No faster at the tablet — but the right choice if it is also charging a laptop or feeding a hub. |
Three adapters at the right spec
- 30W
Anker Nano 30W (GaN)
Budget pick. Clears the in-box 20W and lands inside the tablet's usable band, in a body you can leave permanently in a bag.
- Output
- 30W USB-C PD
- Ports
- 1× USB-C
- Tech
- GaN
- 45W
UGREEN Nexode 45W 2-Port
Best overall. Covers the ceiling with headroom, and the second port keeps a phone topped up without stealing from the tablet.
- Output
- 45W total
- Ports
- 2× USB-C
- Tech
- GaN
- 100W
UGREEN Nexode 100W 4-Port
Multi-port pick. Desk-class: tablet at full speed, a 14″ laptop on the high port, phone and earbuds on the rest.
- Output
- 100W total
- Ports
- 3× C, 1× A
- Tech
- GaN II
Don't waste money on
140W bricks. PD 3.1's 28V rail is a laptop feature; this tablet never requests it. That class belongs to the 16″ MacBook Pro.
Premium cables sold on charging speed. Above 60W cables matter; at 40W they do not. Buy a Thunderbolt cable only if you move data — the reasoning is in the cable guide.
Wireless charging accessories. No iPad supports Qi. Anything sold as a wireless iPad charger is a stand with a cable routed through it.
Comparing the line: the iPad Air sits a class below and the base iPad two, while a MacBook Air is the first Apple device that genuinely needs 60W+. Fuller detail in iPad fast charging.
FAQ
Does the iPad Pro fast charge like an iPhone?
There is no branded fast-charge mode with a published time. It simply draws more watts than smaller iPads — up to roughly 30–40W — and charges proportionally quicker on an adapter that can supply them.
Will a MacBook charger work on it?
Yes, and it is a good pairing: a 67W or 96W Apple brick supplies the tablet's full request and is entirely safe. It just will not charge it faster than a 45W unit.
Does charging through a hub slow it down?
Usually. Hubs reserve power for their own ports and often cap pass-through well below the upstream adapter's rating. Check the hub's stated pass-through figure before blaming the charger.
Is it safe to use the tablet while it fast charges?
Yes. Expect it to warm up and to charge more slowly, because the screen and processor are drawing from the same budget as the battery.