If the latest rumor from the Chinese-language site IT Home is to be believed, it will take a lot less time to charge up your iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max. Apple’s Pro-model iPhones this year are claimed to get a big boost in maximum charging speed: up to 40W (from 27W) when using an USB-C connection and 20W (up from 15W) when using a MagSafe-certified wireless charger.
That’s a 50 percent improvement in maximum wired charging speed and a 33 percent improvement in wireless (when using a MagSafe charger).
The claim is that the increased speed is meant to offset the larger batteries coming in the iPhone 16 Pro models, but that doesn’t make a lot of sense to us… the increased battery capacity is said to be only 2.5 percent or so on the iPhone 16 Pro and 5.7 percent on the Pro Max. Given the way charging speeds taper off as the state of charge increases, such modest battery capacity increases weren’t going to make a huge difference in charging times.
If true, this rumor is great news for anyone considering an iPhone 16 Pro this year. An increase to 40W of charging speed with only a 3-6 percent increase in battery capacity will mean much shorter charging times for those with higher-power USB-C power adapters.
iPhone 16 is the next iPhone to arrive in September 2024, and will be followed in 2025 by the iPhone 17 and iPhone SE 4. The new iPhone will arrive at a September launch event – find out how to watch the Apple September event live stream. For iPhone SE 4 and other new Apple products, see when is the next Apple event. You might also like our iPhone buying guide, best iPhone deals, and comparison of every iPhone that is available to buy today.
Author: Jason Cross, Senior Editor, Macworld
Jason has written about technology for more than 25 years - first in the gaming press, then focusing on enthusiast PCs and general technology. He enjoys learning how complicated technology works and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.