Charging speed is one of the ways Apple has seriously lagged behind other phone makers. The iPhone 13 is still stuck at 20W charging, while some Android phones are hitting speeds as high as 240W. But Apple may be set to offer a charging boost, according to a new report.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims Apple is working on a new Gallium Nitride (GaN) charger. Not only is this charger supposed to come with a new form factor, Kuo claims it will offer up to 30W charging speeds.
Apple may release its next GaN charger in 2022, which supports about 30W and has a new form factor design.March 7, 2022
That’s not particularly fast in the grand scheme of things, but it would prove to be a significant boost over current iPhone and iPad charging support. But while Kuo didn’t specify which device this charger was for, we can deduce it’s for Apple’s mobile products.
After all, the latest MacBook Pro models can plug into Apple’s 140W GaN chargers, while they come with either a 67W or 96W charger in the box. There’s not much point in offering a new 30W charger for them.
The only question is when this charger will arrive, and whether upcoming devices will be able to take advantage of the full might of 30W charging speeds. Google caused a stir last year, when people found out the Pixel 6 could only charge at 21W speeds — despite the company promising 30W charging.
That said there have been reports that the iPhone 13 Pro Max unofficially supports up to 27W charging, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max can handle up to 22W. Since Apple’s chargers jump from 20W to 67W speeds, a lot of people won’t be aware of this. So launching a new 30W charging brick would help make it official.
While we can’t say for sure what the iPhone 14 range might be capable of, even a jump to 25W charging in the standard model would be an improvement. Plus it would be really strange for Apple to launch a 30W charger, and keep its flagship device stuck at 20W yet again.
We'd also hope that the faster charging brick means MagSafe can get a much-needed speed boost as well. Apple's wireless charging system is stuck at 15W, and that's another way its charging options are falling behind the competition.
Unfortunately, we don’t know when this rumored charger might debut. And there was no hint of it at the Apple Peek Performance event. So watch this space.
