The iPhone 15 may be due for a significant boost to its wireless charging capabilities. An upgrade that could make faster charging speeds available to more people — especially those who don’t use an official Apple MagSafe charger.
According to a new rumor from Charger LabThe iPhone 15 family will offer support for the new Qi2 wireless charging standard. Furthermore, a post from a Chinese social network Weibo It claims that Qi2 chargers will be able to charge wirelessly at 15W speeds — even if they aren’t certified under the Made for iPhone program.
Made for iPhone (MFi) is Apple’s certification process for accessories and chargers. From a consumer’s perspective, the program is supposed to provide peace of mind, since the MFi branding means that the products have undergone strict quality control from Apple.
MFi-certified chargers also offer faster charging and data transfer speeds, and non-certified wireless chargers are limited to 7.5W — which isn’t particularly fast. So, it goes without saying that providing a full 15W wireless charging speed for non-certified Qi2 chargers is rather significant. Especially if this action starts with the iPhone 15.
The Qi2 is based on the MagSafe standard, magnets and all, albeit without the official (and expensive) MagSafe module. One of the things that Apple does in terms of MFi is making sure that the products are secure and not substandard. Higher levels of energy also make dangerous products more dangerous than they could be.
It’s possible that because Qi2 conforms to an Apple-made standard, these concerns have been mitigated.
What are the first steps towards an iPhone without barriers?
For years now, we’ve been hearing rumors that Apple is working on an iPhone completely devoid of ports. That means no charging port, be it Lightning or USB-C, and a streamlined design with minimal cutouts. As a result, such a phone will have to rely on wireless charging.
It was rumored that Apple was aiming to release a portless iPhone before sunset on the Lightning port and bypassing USB-C altogether. But it seems that will not be the case. But this does not mean that the idea is dead. In fact, new pro-USB-C regulations in the European Union mean Apple has a much greater justification for ditching physical charging ports altogether.
It’s long been noted that EU regulations surrounding the USB-C port only apply to charging plugs – with little mention of wireless charging. An iPhone without ports would therefore allow Apple to circumvent the mandate and associated legislation that would prevent it from limiting charging speed with uncertified chargers in the region.
Of course, owning an iPhone that relies exclusively on wireless charging means that wireless charging speeds have to be on par. Certified or not, you don’t want your users to be stuck with 7.5W charging speeds.
In our charging test using a 20W wired charger, the iPhone 14 drew 54% of its total charge in 30 minutes. At 7.5W speeds, that number would be closer to 20%, assuming the same efficiency levels. That might be fine for an overnight charge, for example, but next to useless if you need power quickly.
If this is indeed the case, I wouldn’t be surprised if official MFi wireless chargers end up having even faster wireless charging speeds in the future. 15W isn’t terrible, but Apple could do better. Especially since there are companies that offer wireless charging speeds of up to 50 watts.
But even par with the Google Pixel 7 Pro, which offers up to 23W wireless charging, would be a welcome upgrade. It may also prompt other phone makers, like Samsung, to boost their wireless charging capabilities.
But until the day we start hearing about some solid portless iPhone leaks, that line of reasoning remains entirely in the realm of speculation. Ahead, we can look forward to the possibility that the iPhone 15 will offer improved wireless charging speeds for those who think $39 is too much to pay for a wireless charging pad.
The first Qi2 wireless chargers will reportedly be available before the holidays. In the meantime, be sure to check out our iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro hubs for all the latest news and rumors regarding the upcoming flagship iPhones.
