Report: China bans 15-watt MagSafe chargers
The Chinese government fears that frequencies used by inductive chargers could cause interference. Apple must revise MagSafe chargers.
MagSafe charger – here of an old design.
(Image: Apple)
The Chinese government wants to ban the use of certain radio frequencies from September 1, as these are also used by aircraft. This affects inductive chargers, which are not actually perceived as transmitters, but are nevertheless active in this spectrum. As the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post reports, Apple will no longer be allowed to sell its MagSafe charger with 15 watts in future. And according to the report, it will probably not stop there: other Qi2-compatible chargers will also soon be illegal in the People's Republic.
Beijing: problem case 360 kHz
According to the Ministry of Industry and IT, only the ranges 100 to 148.5 kHz, 6765 to 6795 kHz and 13553 to 13567 kHz are officially approved for "mobile and portable wireless chargers" in China. The transmission power must not exceed 80 watts – The latter is no problem at all for MagSafe and Qi2. However, the new regulation removes the 360 kHz used by both technologies. According to Beijing, the aim is to avoid "harmful interference from radio operations", including "radio communication in the aviation industry". The aim is to bring "order to the radio spectrum".
Currently, iPhones from the 12 series upwards can be charged with up to 15 watts. For iPhone 12 mini and 13 mini, the maximum is 12 watts. In China, it will only be permitted in future to use the old MagSafe with just 7.5 watts at a frequency of 127.7 kHz. This would significantly increase the charging time. Qi2 at the standard speed is therefore also on the verge of being phased out in the country. There could also be an impact on production.
Charging times doubled in China
According to the new guidelines, it will be prohibited to produce or import unauthorized devices in China in the future. Apple would therefore have to manufacture its MagSafe devices in other countries, such as Vietnam or India. Whether this will also have an impact on iPhone production initially remained unclear. Products already in use by customers will probably still be allowed to be used.
MagSafe is Apple's proprietary charging standard that combines inductive charging with magnetic alignment. Parts of MagSafe have since been incorporated into the Qi2 standard developed by the Wireless Power Consortium. Apple was heavily involved in this. Apple currently states on its Chinese website that iPhones only support 7.5 watts at 127.7 kHz. This means that Chinese customers will be left behind when it comes to wireless charging in the future. Apple will present new iPhones on September 9, which could also feature improvements to MagSafe, for example through shrunken components.
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