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This is the most exciting Apple launch no one else is talking about

Launching with the iPhone 16, it brings onboard fast 25W wireless charging

Alex Lee
Tech writer
Wednesday 11 September 2024 14:28 BST
The new puck fixes everything I hate about wireless charging
The new puck fixes everything I hate about wireless charging (The Independent / iStock )

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Between the launch of the latest iPhone 16new AirPods and a new Apple Watch Series 10, you might have missed one announcement tucked away in Apple’s keynote, and it has me very excited.

Apple has launched an all-new MagSafe charger that fixes everything I hate about wireless charging. Boasting 25W of charging power, it can charge an iPhone 16 to 50 per cent in just 30 minutes when paired with a 30W USB-C adapter – that’s significantly faster than the wireless charging rates offered by Google and Samsung, which top out at 23W and 15W respectively.     

What I’ve always despised about wireless charging is how unbelievably slow it is. While Apple’s introduction of the MagSafe snap system with the iPhone 12 was cool and all, I basically never reach for Apple’s 15W MagSafe charger when charging my iPhone 15 Pro Max.

It takes about an hour to reach 50 per cent when using the (now, old) MagSafe charger, and two hours to charge to full. I might as well plug into the bottom using USB-C for 25 minutes to get a 50 per cent charge. But with the launch of the all-new MagSafe, the chances of me snapping the puck onto the back of my iPhone have just shot up. Here’s everything you need to know.

Apple MagSafe charger, 25W: £39, Apple.com

(Apple)

Apple’s new MagSafe charger comes in two lengths. The 1m-long MagSafe cable costs £39, while the 2m cable costs £49.

There are a few caveats, however. The faster 25W wireless charging is only available on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, and you’ll need a 30W USB-C power adapter (£39, Amazon.co.uk).

If you’ve got an iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone 15 or AirPods with a MagSafe charging case, you’ll still only get 15W charging power when paired with the 20W USB-C power adapter. It also works with Qi wireless charging (you don’t need the magnets to charge wirelessly), but you’ll only get 8W of charging power, rendering it impossibly slow.

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Read all about the new iPhone 16 and when you can pre-order it in the UK

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