The iPhone 16 has a major wireless charging boost that Apple barely mentioned

iPhone 16
(Image credit: Apple)

Apple’s ‘It’s Glowtime’ event was jam-packed with new announcements, with the iPhone 16 range making its debut alongside the Apple Watch Series 10, new AirPods models, and a whole lot more. With so much being unveiled, it would have been easy to miss that Apple is bringing a major charging upgrade to the iPhone 16 lineup.

Skimming through the specs pages for the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro, you’ll find a small but important change coming to the charging and battery life of these devices. That’s because these products now support MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W (providing you have a 30W power adapter or better), almost double the previous 15W limit. And it will work with the Qi2 standard for better compatibility, too, although this only goes up to 15W.

The new 25W MagSafe limit could make a major difference to your device’s charging times. According to Apple’s own figures, you’ll now be able to power up your iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro to 50% within 30 minutes. This is true for both wireless MagSafe and wired USB-C charging, providing you use a 30W or 20W adapter for each, respectively.

Compare that to the iPhone 15 range, which were capable of fast charging up to 50% within 30 minutes, but only using a cable. On those devices, MagSafe charging was limited to 15W, the same power output limit MagSafe has had since it was introduced in 2020.

Flying under the radar

Apple iPhone 16

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

Apple barely mentioned this charging speed boost during its event keynote, with company marketing chief Greg Joswiak simply saying that the iPhone 16 range will come with “a new MagSafe charger for even faster wireless charging.” Joswiak didn’t mention any specific power output or charging time figures, while Apple’s press releases buried the detail in their footnotes.

That means it would be very easy to miss this significant update. If you want your iPhone to juice up as quickly as possible, it could be a tempting reason to upgrade.

Phones have offered fast charging for some time now, with many of the best Android phones coming with extremely rapid charging times – the Realme GT 3, for instance, boasts 240W fast charging. Yet that requires a cable (the Realme GT 3 doesn’t offer wireless charging at all, in fact), and wireless charging hasn’t managed to offer anything near the same speeds. While Apple’s 25W MagSafe upgrade is far below the best wired charging speeds, it’s still a welcome improvement.

There were plenty of other upgrades announced with the iPhone 16 range, including a new Camera Control button, faster chips, improved cameras, and more. While the charging uptick didn’t get as much time in the sun as some of the other new features, it could prove to be just as important. 

For our first impressions of one of the new iPhones, do read our hands-on iPhone 16 Pro review.

You might also like

TOPICS
Alex Blake
Freelance Contributor

Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

Read more
Apple iPhone 16 Pro REVIEW
Apple could give the iPhone 17 Pro a super-useful reverse wireless charging feature
Samsung Galaxy S24 hands on handheld back straight white
Samsung Galaxy phones are officially getting Qi2 wireless charging in 2025 – as more Galaxy S25 renders leak
Apple iPhone 16e REVIEW
The iPhone 16e doesn’t have MagSafe, but apparently Apple thinks you didn’t want it anyway
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra lock screen
Leaked Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra specs reveal new details and a charging surprise
Anker MagGo 622
Anker’s tipped next wireless power bank could be the iPhone’s best MagSafe option yet
a render image of the Apple C1 modem chip
Apple’s C1 chip could be a big deal for iPhones – here’s why
Latest in Phones
iOS 18 Control Center
iOS 19: the 3 biggest rumors so far, and what I want to see
Google Pixel 8 review Pixel 8 Pro cameras
Is your Google Pixel 9 screen flickering or are the haptics a lot more intense? You aren't alone, and thankfully there's a fix
Motorola Edge 50 Pro lavender
Your next Android bargain? Major Motorola leak teases details of multiple 2025 phones – including the Edge 60 series
Apple's Craig Federighi demonstrates the iPhone Mirroring feature of macOS Sequoia at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024.
Report: iOS 19 and macOS 16 could mark their biggest design overhaul in years – and we have one request
OnePlus 13
OnePlus is ditching the Alert Slider for an iPhone-style customizable button - and I’ll be sad to see it go
Samsung Galaxy A56 display
Samsung’s new budget handsets are getting One UI 7 before the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and I’m as confused as you are
Latest in News
Mufasa is joined by another lion, a monkey and a bird in this promotional image
Mufasa: The Lion King prowls onto Disney+ as it finally gets a streaming release date
An American flag flying outside the US Capitol building against a blue sky
Sean Plankey selected as CISA director by President Trump
An Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 on a table with its retail packaging
Nvidia RTX 5060 GPU spotted in Acer gaming PC, suggesting rumors of imminent launch are correct – and that it’ll run with only 8GB of video RAM
Indiana Jones talking to a friend in a university setting with a jaunty smile on his face
New leak claims Indiana Jones and the Great Circle PS5 release will come in April
A close up of the limited edition vinyl turntable wrist watch from AndoAndoAndo
This limited-edition timepiece turns the iconic Technics SL-1200 turntable into a watch, and I want one
A close up of Gemma sitting down in Severance season 2 episode 7
'I'm like Gemma – I'm in the dark': Severance star Dichen Lachman shares disappointing filming update for the popular Apple TV+ show's third season