iPhone 16 Pro Max: Charging with over 30 watts – but not 45 watts
If you charge with a cable, you can expect a higher charging speed with the iPhone 16 Pro Max. However, it is not quite as high as rumored.
(Image: Shutterstock/PK Studio)
In addition to the fact that the new iPhones charge much faster using the MagSafe wireless connection, Apple has also improved the charging speed via USB-C. As the Chinese power supply provider ChargerLAB found out, it is now possible to charge the iPhone 16 Pro Max with up to 37 watts at peak – tested on a 140-watt Apple power supply. Although this is less than the 45 watts that had been rumored meanwhile, it still makes quite a difference.
Even standard models are faster
For comparison: the peak for the iPhone 15 Pro models from last year was 27 watts. Similar results with peaks of up to 38 watts were also found in standard iPhone 16 models. However, Phonearena reports that these are only achieved when high power is required (e.g. when playing games). The normal charging power there is 20 watts.
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Technically speaking, all iPhone 16 models should be able to handle the USB-C Power Delivery standard (USB-PD) 3.0. This theoretically allows up to 45 watts (15 full, 3 amps), but this is also only theoretical. ChargerLAB was able to measure a regular charging power of 30 watts on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
What Apple itself says
Apple's own statements on the charging speed of the iPhone 16 are, as usual, quite vague. The company says that a USB-C charger capable of 20 watts or more will get your smartphone half charged in 30 minutes. However, this is the same statement as for the iPhone 15. Even during the keynote, wired charging was not advertised with any extra improvements. As the measurements show, with a sufficiently dimensioned charging station, at least smaller acceleration rates can be achieved.
MagSafe, on the other hand, is a different story. Apple has added new charging pucks to its range which, with a 30-watt power supply, can conduct up to 25 watts. The current Qi2 in the iPhone 15 only manages 15 watts, its predecessor Qi only half that. However, if you want to use Apple products, you will have to pay at least 94 euros directly to the manufacturer. In addition, MagSafe is considered less favorable for battery life than cable charging.
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