Ngl I learned the hard way that not all third-party bricks are equal. Unfortunately had a cheap one get so hot it actually melted the plastic on my old cord... super disappointing. Which specific Anker model do you have? If it's not the newer GaN stuff it might run hot. I'd grab these instead:

• Anker 735 Charger GaNPrime 65W
• Ugreen Nexode 65W USB C Wall Charger Both are better than the stock Apple one.

> I spent some time looking it up and people are saying any usb-c pd charger is fine ^ This. Also, honestly dont overthink it. Those videos you saw are usually trying to farm views by being dramatic about obscure, bottom-of-the-barrel brands that dont follow basic safety standards. If you stick with reputable names, your phone is going to be just fine. Before you go out and buy anything new, what kind of cables are you currently using to connect your phone to those bricks? That actually makes a bigger difference for longevity than the brick itself. If the cables are solid, you are probably already set. Just look into brands like Baseus or Satechi if you really feel like you need a backup, they make pretty reliable stuff for less than the official store prices. You definitely dont need to break the bank to keep your battery healthy.

Re: "Ngl I learned the hard way that not all third-party bricks are equal." Honestly, I feel that pain. I had a generic charger a few years back that started making this faint buzzing sound before it just straight up died and took my charging port with it. It was a mess. Unfortunately, not all companies test their stuff as well as they claim. I stopped trusting the budget stuff entirely. These days I only trust stuff that feels solid in the hand. If you want to be safe without the Apple tax, I've had zero issues using the Spigen ArcStation Pro 65W GaN or the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 65W for my gear. They just seem built better internally. Quick tips:

• Always check that the cable is MFi certified if you can.
• If it feels suspiciously light, it is probably junk. Save yourself the headache and just spend a little extra on a brand that actually stands behind their safety ratings. You dont want to risk that new phone over a few bucks.

Honestly dont stress about it too much. Using a quality third-party PD charger is perfectly safe because the iPhone has a power management chip that negotiates exactly how much wattage it takes in, regardless of how high the total capacity of the brick is. As long as the charger follows the standard USB-PD protocols, you are golden. I have been using non-Apple bricks for years with zero impact on battery health, so you are totally safe. Just focus on grabbing a decent cable that supports the right power delivery profiles so you dont get bottlenecked. The phone just pulls what it needs, so you aren't gonna fry anything.

> i basically have zero budget left after buying the phone so im torn. Just catching up on this. I would suggest checking your cables first tbh. Most people blame the brick but a cheap cord is what usually fries the charging port. Be careful with those unbranded ones tho. If you want a reliable backup, look at the UGREEN 45W Nexode GaN Dual USB-C Charger. It runs way cooler than those older Samsung bricks.