PD vs PPS Charging: What's the Difference?

PD vs PPS charging is often presented as a choice between two standards. It isn't. PPS is part of USB Power Delivery, and a charger with PPS is a PD charger with one extra ability. Whether that ability matters depends entirely on the device being charged.

I work in R&D at a GaN charger factory in Dongguan, and these two letters cause more confusion in buyers' emails than almost anything else on our spec sheets. Here's how they work, in plain terms.

The short answer

• USB PD is the USB-C fast-charging standard. The charger offers a few fixed voltages, and the device picks one.
• PPS is an optional feature inside USB PD. The device can ask for exactly the voltage it wants, in small steps, and keep adjusting it while charging.
• iPhones, iPads and MacBooks fast-charge on fixed PD. Many Samsung and Google phones use PPS for their fastest mode.
• A charger with both covers everyone, which is why most good USB-C chargers now offer PPS.

How USB Power Delivery works

Old USB charging was simple: 5 volts, and the device took what current it could. USB Power Delivery added a conversation. When you plug a device into a PD charger, the charger tells the device which voltages and currents it can supply, the device chooses one, and the charger switches to it. Anker's support page describes this as negotiating "a power contract".

The standard fixed voltages are 5, 9, 15 and 20 V. Up to 20 V at 5 A gives 100 W. USB PD 3.1, published in 2021, added higher voltages of 28, 36 and 48 V for up to 240 W, which is how chargers above 100 W work over USB-C.

With fixed PD, the charger delivers a steady voltage and the device's own circuitry converts it down to what the battery needs. For a phone, that conversion happens inside the phone, and it creates some heat there.

What PPS adds

PPS, short for Programmable Power Supply, was added in USB PD 3.0. Instead of only fixed voltages, a PPS charger also advertises a voltage range, for example 3.3 to 11 V. The device can request any voltage in that range in 20 mV steps, and set a current limit in 50 mA steps.

That changes who does the work. With PPS, the phone can ask the charger for very close to the voltage its battery needs at that moment, and keep adjusting it as the battery fills. Less conversion happens inside the phone, so less heat is produced in the phone itself. The charger does more of the work, and chargers are better at getting rid of heat than a phone in your hand.

Anker, Belkin and UGREEN all describe the benefit the same way: lower conversion loss and less heat. That's the real point of PPS. It isn't more power; it's power delivered in the form the phone wants.

The "10 seconds" mix-up

Several of the pages that rank for this question, including Anker's, Belkin's and UGREEN's, say PPS adjusts the voltage every 10 seconds. That's a misreading. In PPS mode, the device must send a new request at least every 10 seconds; if it doesn't, the charger treats the connection as lost and returns to safe 5 V. It's a keep-alive, not a timetable. The device can ask for a new voltage whenever it needs to.

It's a small detail, but it tells you something useful: PPS has a built-in safety check. If the phone stops talking to the charger, the charger doesn't keep delivering a raised voltage.

Which devices use PPS?

For Samsung, the difference is clear on screen: with a PPS charger the phone shows "Super fast charging"; without it, it charges more slowly. The 45 W mode on some Samsung models asks for more: PPS at a higher current, and a 5 A USB-C cable. Many chargers with PPS support the 25 W mode but not 45 W, so check the PPS current if that matters to your customers.

Device-side, USB PD is now a legal requirement in the EU for phones and other devices that charge above 15 W, under the common charger directive. See our EU common charger guide.

PD vs PPS side by side

Where Quick Charge and AVS fit in

Two other names often appear next to PD and PPS on charger boxes.

Qualcomm Quick Charge (QC) is a separate fast-charging system from Qualcomm, used by many Android phones before USB PD became common. Older versions work over USB-A as well as USB-C. Newer versions of Quick Charge are built to work with USB PD, so the industry is moving towards PD for everything. QC support is still useful on a charger's USB-A port, because plenty of older Android phones are still in use.

AVS (Adjustable Voltage Supply) is a newer adjustable-voltage mode in recent versions of USB PD. Like PPS it lets the voltage vary within a range, but in larger steps and without PPS's fine current limiting, and it was introduced mainly with higher-power USB PD in mind. Few phones use it today. You'll see it on some spec sheets, including our XPD-V30, but for most buyers PD and PPS are the two that matter.

Phone makers also have their own fast-charging systems, which usually only reach full speed with that brand's own charger. A USB PD charger with PPS will still charge those phones, typically at a lower but still quick rate.

Reading a charger spec sheet

A good spec sheet lists the fixed PD outputs and the PPS range separately. On our chargers, for example:

A 5 to 11 V range covers phone fast charging, because phones using PPS work at the lower voltages. A wider range adds flexibility. All our models also support Qualcomm Quick Charge for older Android phones.

On multi-port chargers, read one more line: what happens when two devices are connected. Total power is shared, and some chargers drop PPS or reduce each port's maximum when both are in use. Ask for the power-sharing table.

What this means if you're buying chargers

• Sell to a mixed audience? Choose chargers with both PD and PPS, so they fast-charge iPhones and Samsung phones alike.
• Mention PPS on the listing. Samsung owners search for it, and it answers the "will this super fast charge my phone?" question.
• Be careful with 45 W claims. Only claim Samsung 45 W charging if the charger's PPS supports it and you've tested it with a 5 A cable.
• Test, don't trust. A USB-C power meter or PD analyser shows which mode a phone is using. Test samples with the phones your customers own.
• Include the right cable, or tell customers which cable they need. A poor cable limits charging whatever the charger supports.

If you're choosing models for a new range, our USB-C charger range lists the protocols for each, and our GaN vs silicon guide explains the other big choice.

Where our USB-C PD chargers are made

FAQ: PD vs PPS charging

Need chargers with PD and PPS?

Tell us the devices your customers use. We'll recommend models and send samples so you can test them yourself.