When comparing spec sheets alone, the iPhone falls short in many areas compared to flagship Android smartphones. Particularly when it comes to charging, rival Samsung's Galaxy S24 series supports up to 45W, and some Android phones support charging outputs as high as 200W (though that might be overkill in itself), while the iPhone 15 Pro tops out at just 27W. However, new information suggests this could change with the iPhone 16 Pro models.
Higher-Output Charging in Response to Increased Battery Capacity?
According to a report from ITHome, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are expected to support charging speeds of up to 40W via wired charging and 20W via MagSafe wireless charging. This would be a significant improvement considering that the current iPhone 15 series supports up to 27W wired and 15W via MagSafe.
However, this change may also be related to an increase in battery capacity. According to rumors, the iPhone 16 Pro Max's battery capacity is expected to increase to 4,676mAh, roughly a 5.7% improvement over the current model's 4,422mAh. The iPhone 16 Pro is also expected to see a slight capacity increase to 3,355mAh.
As for how this relates to the increase in charging output, ITHome points out that Apple has consistently maintained the same charging time from the iPhone 13 through the current iPhone 15. In other words, this could be part of a strategy where, since the iPhone 16 Pro Max's battery capacity has increased significantly, Apple is raising the charging power to keep the charging time consistent with previous models.
That said, increased power consumption during charging also raises concerns about battery heat generation and degradation. To address these issues, Apple may adopt new technology to improve battery energy density. According to a previous report from Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 16's battery will have improved energy density, and a new stainless steel battery case will make replacement easier.
The 20W MagSafe charging aspect is also worth noting. The current official MagSafe charger only supports charging up to 15W. If the rumors prove true, a new 20W high-output MagSafe charger seems likely to be introduced alongside the iPhone 16 series announcement. Qi2 has also announced the upcoming higher-output Qi2.1, so further charger developments can be expected going forward.
Improving charging speed is also important for maintaining competitiveness in the smartphone market. With many competitors already adopting fast charging of 50W or more, Apple's cautious approach has drawn criticism from some users. It remains unclear whether a full 40W charge would actually reduce charging time in practice, but if it does, Apple would be able to meet user demands while balancing battery life and charging speed.
Many other improvements are also rumored for the iPhone 16 series, including thinner bezels, a vertically arranged camera module, and a dedicated camera hardware button. There are also reports that Apple expects to sell over 100 million units of the iPhone 16 series this year.
All of this information remains at the rumor stage and is subject to change before an official announcement. We'll need to wait for Apple's official announcement while keeping an eye on further updates.
Sources