The iPhone 15 is expected to arrive in September with a USB-C port in place of the Lightning, to comply with new European Union rules. This, however, is not the only novelty involving cables: some of the new models may support chargers up to 35 W, accelerating the speed of battery supply.
Apparently, not all models will support 35W charging – it may be that this is limited to the Pro models, which currently already accept a higher power than the standard version.
The investigation reinforces what had already been said, in March 2023, by analyst Ming Chi-Kuo. According to the expert, the iPhone will only accept the increase in power if it is using an Apple-certified cable.
Currently, the iPhone 14 Pro supports recharges up to 27W, while the regular iPhone 14 supports up to 20W.
To get to 100% battery, an iPhone 14 Pro Max can take almost two hours. Support for a more powerful charger could reduce that time considerably.
Apple already sells more powerful chargers
Apple already sells a 35W charger, with two USB-C ports. When two devices are connected, the power is divided between the two.
Another outlet adapter delivers 30 W through a single USB-C port. It’s aimed at the MacBook Air, but it’s also for iPhones and iPads — just plug in the USB-C or Lightning cable, depending on the device.
In fact, it is worth remembering that, since 2020, Apple no longer puts chargers in the boxes of iPhones. That is: those who buy a smartphone from the company will have to spend more on the powerful socket adapter.
iPhone competitors have long since passed 35W
The lack of support for higher charging powers is a weakness of iPhones relative to the competition.
The Samsung Galaxy S23+, for example, accepts up to 45 W, taking less than an hour to reach 100% battery.
The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra, launched in 2022, goes well beyond that: it has a 125 W charger.
Xiaomi is more extreme and has handsets with support for up to 210 W, as well as being testing support for 300 W, enough to fill the battery of a modified Redmi Note 12 Pro+ in just five minutes.
iPhone 15 May Have Thunderbolt Support
It’s not just going to be charging that will get faster with the arrival of USB-C to the iPhone. According to another rumor, the smartphone will support Thunderbolt technology, which is able to transmit data faster.
Thunderbolt technology was developed by Intel, in partnership with Apple, and is already present in Macs and the iPad Pro.
Currently, the Lightning connector can transmit data at 480 Mbps — the same speed as USB 2.0, which serves as the basis for Apple’s plug. USB-C connectors accept between 5 Gbps and 10 Gbps, while Thunderbolt reaches 40 Gbps.
