Today's "I'll believe it when I see it" iPhone rumour-mongering concerns not the iPhone itself, but its charger - the most important accessory you'll find in its meticulously crafted packaging. As the speculation goes, Apple is allegedly considering bumping up the default charger for the iPhone 9 or iPhone X2: from 5W to 18W.

We spend a lot of time on our phones - so it makes sense if our batteries usually hit that dreaded 10 percent mark before the day's even half over. That's why it's important to stock up on chargers whenever you can, and now you can re-up on three extra-long Lightning charging cables for a fraction of the cost.

Ever stick your charging cable into your device, only to realize you’ve tried jamming it in the wrong way? That issue’s not a problem with the MicFlip Fully Reversible Micro USB Cable.

When you travel internationally, you should always throw a plug adaptor into your bag. This graphic is a quick reference to common plug types and the countries in which they're used. This way you'll know which type of adaptor to pack for your trip.

Ever find yourself with a dead smartphone battery when your friend has a full charge? Make Magazine shows you how to make your own USB cable that will allow you to recharge your phone from another phone.

When it comes to car-based USB chargers, you don't just want something that will keep your phone running. Instead, you should be looking at models that supply extra power to keep your passengers entertained on those long drives. Here are three of the best.

If you love to travel, then you need the Twist Plus+ World Charging Station, which elegantly replaces all of your mobile device chargers and electrical adapters. It’s priced right at only $50 AUD for Lifehacker Australia readers, which is a savings of 30% off the MSRP - And it’s shipped to your door free of charge.

A cordless soldering is already a pretty nifty device, but lugging around AA batteries is no fun. Adafruit shows you how to hack USB charging into the Hakko cordless soldering iron.

The Kenu Airframe is one of our favourite smartphone car mounts, but the team behind it just unveiled a new car kit that includes an Airframe+, capable of securing large phones like the Nexus 6P, and their new DualTrip fast phone charger, which can charge your phone and a passenger's while you drive.

If you're looking to boost the charging speed of your new iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, the folks over at iLounge found that the new iPhone models can take a 2.1A charge -- like what you'll find in iPad chargers. According to some preliminary tests, iLounge found that both models can charge faster using a 2.1A supply, even though they ship with a 1A power supply.

Hey Lifehacker, Is leaving a device plugged in to a charger actually all that bad for the battery? I know it's not that great if it's left in for days on end, however I've found that a few hours does no harm. Any thoughts?

Dear Lifehacker, What is the deal with lithium-ion batteries (the kind found in smartphones and laptops)? I've heard lots of different things about how to take care of them, like that they need to be kept charged between 40 per cent and 80 percent, or that they should be drained completely and charged to 100 per cent. What is the ideal configuration to maintain a good battery life to battery health ratio?

USB chargers can impact how fast your device's battery gets back to 100%, but they're not the only determining factor. The wrong cable can slow down charging speeds as well.

You might think that all chargers are created equal, but nothing could be further from the truth. Wired explains that picking the right charger with the right amperage (a measure of current) can mean the difference between getting your phone charged while you work versus waiting all day before you can unplug it.

Hey Lifehacker, Can I use any Qi wireless charger with my Nexus 5 and Nexus 7, or are there specific specifications (such as voltage and amperage) I need to match?

Batteries keep improving and operating systems keep getting better at managing their use -- yet it seems rare to find a smartphone owner who isn't cursing about their lack of battery by the end of the day. How often do you have to recharge?

You may already know your battery is best served by shallow discharges, but calibrating your battery occasionally is important too. If you don't, the display that shows you how much charge is remaining can be wildly inaccurate.

There are plenty of solar-powered device chargers out there, but you can save a few bucks (and have some fun) by hacking together your own.

Samsung launched its new range of Galaxy Tab tablets in Australia today. As Luke over at Gizmodo points out, one big advantage of the new range is the low prices. To my mind, there's an equally important advance across the range: it now uses a standard micro-USB plug for charging.