iPhone X and 8 will include fast charging to top up your phone in minutes, but Apple didn't mention it

You'll have to pay for a new adapter, of course

Both the iPhone 8 and iPhone X have a stunningly useful new feature. But Apple didn't mention it.

Both phones feature fast charging, which allows them to top up their battery to 50 per cent in just 30 minutes. You wouldn't know that from Apple though.

That might in part be because the company will require you to pay for an extra power block to use it. Only USB-C adapters can support the special power technology required to charge so fast, and so an adapter that uses the new kind of plug is required.

The feature has already been seen on recent iPads, which also require the special charger.

To actually use it, you'll have to buy the USB-C wall charger which Apple sells for $49 but can be bought elsewhere for a little cheaper. And you'll also have to buy a wire that can plug into that and has a lightning port at the other end.

Apple didn't mention the fast charging in its launch event, but it did talk about all kinds of new charging technologies. Both new phones also support Qi wireless charging, for instance, which means that it can just be laid onto a special charging block or furniture and it will charge up just through that contact.

It also announced that it would sell a new AirPower charging mat, which can have up to three different things – like an iPhone 8, an Apple Watch and some AirPods – left on it, and will charge them all at once.

The iPhone 8's battery life is roughly in line with the power on the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and Apple claims that it lasts for about a day. The iPhone X is expected to last about two hours longer, even despite the bigger screen and smaller body, Apple said on stage.