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Anker Launches New 30W Nano 3 USB-C Charger and Bio-Based Charging Cables
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27 watts is the max for Lightning (with type-C as the source, when USB-A it's down to 12 watts). 27 is the most for all current iPhones and will be the max until they switch to type-C on the iPhone itself (unless they decide to make a better Lightning).
Apple says use a 20 watt adapter for optimal charging but they don't outright say the maximum the iPhone can possibly take, and different models can take different maximums (the Pro Max models are the highest).
20 watts versus up to 27 doesn't make a huge difference overall, it's not charging at 27 watts (Pro Max) for very long, and it only makes a small difference (a few minutes) if you went 0-100, hence Apple encouraged the owner to use a 20 watt adapter.
Although the Magsafe Duo needs 27 watts to get full power to the iPhone (up to 14 watts), same for the Magsafe battery since that charges 2 batteries at once, so the ideal is to use more power than 20 if you were charging an iPhone through those devices.
Thanks for that, I’m curious if there is a reason that 27 is the maximum theoretical possible over Lightning? Is it possible that this could be raised with an “upgraded” lightning port as is found in some of the most recent iPads that enable USB 3.0 speeds over the same old lightning-usb C cable?
There is some speculation that the iPhone 14 Pro may end up with a similarly upgraded lightning port, so if they can upgrade the port to support faster data transfer maybe they can upgrade it to handle higher wattage as well. Unless it’s an electrical limit of the wiring in the cable itself.
The prongs fold flat so there is likely some wiggle room when they are flipped out.
They could upgrade Lightning. They probably didn't think they would ever need more than 27 so they drew the line in the sand. Since it is USB PD it could theoretically ask for anything up to USB PD's limits (60 watts for non-E-marked cables and chargers, 100 watts for the standard power range, 240 watts for the new Extended Power Range or EPR). And it doesn't have to break compatibility with any Lightning stuff from the past just like new USB PD standards can be made but it doesn't mess with old devices.
My guess is there isn't any reason to upgrade Lightning aside from backwards compatibility with Lightning things, it's better to just go USB-C and rip the bandaid off.
Number of companies already make GaN chargers, including Apple. Technology itself is not proprietary to Anker. The article statement of "using the company's latest GaN technology" is quite misleading.
The
Mercedes switched to environmentally friendly (read biodegradable) wire harnesses in the early 90’s. They stopped in the late 90’s because they were falling apart way too soon. Lots of otherwise good MBs ended in the junk yard because it was too expensive to replace the engine harnesses (that were most impacted due to the harsh environment).
Always recommend anker to friends if they are complaining their apple cables are on the way out, or power banks. I’ve got anker cables going back to 2014 that are still in daily use in the house, and my Astro e4 from 2013 is still taken as a backup for a more recent PD one on long walks. I submitted a photo of the latter charging my 13PM for their recent competition seeing how long lasting their products are in the real world.
I think you're correct. I didn't even notice that they fold because they made it look like the old school Apple phone brick that has fixed prongs. This is why I dislike some of the GaN chargers because the prongs are fixed to save space. This would be nice for my MacBook Air but I don't really travel enough to justify it. Now with the MagSafe being a USB-C cable this would work with that too!
I wonder if this would perform exactly as the Apple adapter when it comes to optimized battery charging. Like how it stops charging when not needed.
Anker chargers are good. Good to see some colours for the chargers!
It would, because it is the device that controls that, not the charger.
