Apple upgraded the Apple Watch Series 10 charging speed this year, allowing users to reach 80% capacity in just 30 minutes. I thought that was an incredible feature for a health-centric wearable. I’d want to use the Apple Watch for as long as possible during the day.
I also said that Apple Watch battery charging speeds are more important for me than the iPhone 16’s charging capabilities. However, I have to also point out that the iPhone 16 also got a massive charging speed upgrade. MagSafe charging goes up to 25W from 15W. What’s more exciting here is that wireless charging speeds are faster than the iPhone 16’s official USB-C wired charging speed.
Buyers will look at battery size improvements and charging speeds whenever a new smartphone vendor launches a new product. Wired charging usually gets the better speed.
For years, we’ve seen many Android device makers embrace significantly higher charging speeds for both wired and wireless options. For example, Huawei’s tri-fold foldable supports 66W wired and 50W wireless charging speeds.
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Apple has been more cautious, sticking with 20W and 15W (7.5W) speeds for previous generations. That’s 20W USB-C charging, 15W MagSafe wireless charging, and 7.5W Qi wireless charging.
The difference between the two types of wireless charging older iPhones support consists in the use of magnets. MagSafe takes advantage of a ring of magnets built into the iPhone to improve connection and increase charging speeds.
I’ll also note that several iPhone generations that preceded the iPhone 16 support slightly faster USB-C charging speeds than the official 20W listing. Some models can top 25W as long as you have a charger that supports higher power.
The iPhone 16 phones brought a big upgrade for wireless charging. The new speeds are 20W, 25W, and 15W. The wired charging remains identical to previous generations at 20W, though I suspect the iPhone 16 will also top 25W in real-life usage.
Wireless charging speeds increase to 25W for MagSafe chargers and 15W for Qi2 chargers. To take advantage of these speeds, you need a 30W (or higher) power adapter and a new MagSafe charger. As for Qi2 speeds, you need wireless chargers that support the new standard.
Apple says that 25W MagSafe charging will get you a 50% charge in just 30 minutes, matching the speed of 20W wired charging. Apple also says you can get to 50% in 30 minutes using a USB-C cable, which has been the standard speed for years.
The faster wireless charging speeds are available on all four iPhone 16 models, including the base, Plus, Pro, and Pro Max. That’s also good news, as Apple didn’t restrict the feature to the pricier iPhone 16 Pros.