Updated July 14 with more information about charging speeds and how each iPhone is affected.
When Apple launches the iPhone 16 this fall, there will be a lot of changes. And now, it looks like one of the biggest ailments of the 21st century, battery anxiety, will be partially alleviated by offering noticeably faster charging.
The new speeds will be faster than any previous iPhone, and by a long shot. It’s worth noting that some Android users will scoff at the upgrade, as phones like the OnePlus 12 support much faster speeds, for example. The new phones’ battery sizes will also play a role in charging capabilities — an interesting side effect for the iPhone 16 Plus.
This is because while there have already been reports of increased battery sizes in the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, the iPhone 16 Plus is believed to have a smaller battery than the iPhone 15 Plus.
The battery size is expected to decrease by 8.6%, as Britta O’Boyle noted in T3And if we add to that support for fast charging, it is possible that the iPhone 16 Plus will charge faster than the rest of the phones in the group.
There are already reports of new updates to the iPhone 16 lineup. These updates include different displays on some models, a broader implementation of the exceptional quad-camera, a new strategy for next-generation processors, more advanced camera lenses, significantly more efficient OLED displays, a new thermal design to prevent overheating, and an improved main camera sensor.
But this new report looks at battery life, the key metric for all of us. And it’s not just that the battery will be different, though a recent report says it will be, it’s that when it does run down, it’ll be much faster to recharge.
This is due to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max supporting 40W wired charging speeds, according to a report from IT Home And spotted by Mac rumorsThis may also apply to the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.
Right now, all iPhone 15 series phones support wired charging speeds of up to 27W, assuming you have a powerful enough charging plug. That means you can charge the iPhone 15 from flat to 50% in about 30 minutes. That’s not bad, but the speeds could be better.
Support for up to 40W wired charging should cut down on charging times, again assuming you have a powerful enough charging plug. In theory, this could mean you could charge the iPhone 16 from zero to 50% in just over 15 minutes.
In fact, it will likely take longer, if the rumor is true that most of the iPhone 16 series will have larger batteries, and therefore will take a little longer. However, it may be possible to reach 50% charge in about 20 minutes.
What about wireless charging, that super convenient but slower way to top up your battery? Currently, the maximum wireless charging is 15W, but the report expects support for 20W wireless charging as well.
More details are expected to emerge before the iPhone 16 series launches, likely in mid-September.