There was a lot going on during the iPhone 16 launch event, and like previous years Apple didn’t have time to tell us every single detail about the four phones. But there’s one pretty major upgrade that was left weirdly absent from the presentation — the fact that every iPhone 16 model is apparently capable of reaching 45W charging speeds.
This is according to a certification from the China Quality Certification Centre (via ShrimpApplePro). This certification appears to show every iPhone 16 model testing at 5-15 volts with 3 amps. That works out at 45 watts, which is the same charging speed as the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and considerably higher than the 29W iPhone 15 Pro Max.
No more waiting around
We’d heard rumors that Apple may have added faster charging to the iPhone 16 lineup, but it didn’t go into any specifics. Official specs only state that the phones will regain 50% charge in around 30 minutes using a 20W charger, but it may be faster with a 30W charger and USB-C. It’s never explicitly stated how much faster that all might be.
Apple did also confirm that MagSafe charging speed would be increased on all four models. Provided you have the upgraded MagSafe charger and a 30W charging brick, all iPhone 16 models will be able to hit up to 25W wireless charging speeds. Which is also a big upgrade from 15W on the old MagSafe pad.
It shouldn’t be a massive surprise Apple kept the wired charging boost to itself. For as long as I’ve been covering iPhone launches, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard the company talk about maximum wired charging speeds. It certainly hasn't happened anytime in the last few years.
But this is an important upgrade to have, especially if you’re the kind of person that likes to do a bunch of power-intensive things on your phone — like gaming. iPhone battery life is considerably better than it was 5 years ago, with Apple promising iPhone 16 would be another improvement. That’s a great thing, but it also helps to be able to recharge the battery faster in certain circumstances. Even if you don’t make it to 100%, some battery is better than none.
We’ll be testing the iPhone 16’s recharging capabilities ourselves, along with the new larger batteries to see just how long these phones can last. Until then you can read our early impressions on the phone in our iPhone 16 hands-on review and our iPhone 16 Pro & iPhone 16 Pro Max hands-on review.
More from Tom's Guide
- iPhone 16 Pro: 7 reasons to buy and 3 reasons to skip
- iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro cameras — all the new upgrades explained
- iPhone 16's MagSafe upgrade is a change I’ve wanted for ages — but now there’s a new problem
