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Here's What You Need for iPhone 16 Fast Charging via MagSafe or USB-C

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Now that Apple doesn't include power adapters with new iPhones, you have to supply your own, and it can be a little confusing figuring out what you need specifically to get the fastest charging speeds. Apple added another layer of complexity this year with upgraded MagSafe charging for the iPhone 16 models, a feature that also requires specific hardware.

iphone-16-pro-colors-1.jpg

USB-C

All of the iPhone 16 models can charge from 0 to 50 percent in approximately 30 minutes. You need Apple's $19 20W adapter or better for fast charging, and if you already had an iPhone that could fast charge, you probably have the hardware you need.

iPhones charge fastest when the battery is low, and then charging slows down, so you'll see the most rapid charging at lower battery levels.

There was speculation that the iPhone 16 models support up to 45W charging, but testing from ChargerLAB has proven that to be inaccurate. Charging maxes out at 30W, which is similar to last year's iPhone 15 Pro charging speeds.

Some people have seen sporadic higher maximum charge levels over 30W, but that seems to happen only when you're playing a game or doing something else that drains battery quickly. The extra power boost seems to be aimed at making sure the iPhone 16 is able to maintain its fast charging speed even when it's using extra power. With prior iPhone models, charging would slow down if you were doing something that used up a lot of battery.

PhoneArena did a charging test and when playing a game, the iPhone 16 was able to charge at up to 39W for a short period of time while it had under 50 percent battery. In other tests where the iPhone wasn't in use, PhoneArena did not see charging speeds over 20W for the iPhone 16 or 27W for the iPhone 16 Pro.

PhoneArena and ChargerLAB didn't test charging speeds, so we did a quick test. An iPhone 16 Pro Max charged from 0 to 55 percent in 30 minutes with a 30W charger, and from 0 to 45 percent in 30 minutes with a 20W charger. A third test with a 140W charger saw the 16 Pro Max charge from 0 to 56 percent in 30 minutes. Tests all used the USB-C to USB-C cable that comes with the iPhone and Apple's power adapters.

For the iPhone 16 Pro models, it looks like you can get slightly faster charging speeds with a 30W or better charger, even though Apple only recommends a 20W or better charger for fast charging. Going over 30W doesn't seem to make much of a difference. The standard iPhone 16 models seem to max out at around 20W, so they don't need a 30W+ charger.

If you've already got a 20W charger and have an iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max, there's no real reason to upgrade. You'll still hit close to 50 percent in 30 minutes with a 20W charger. If you're often charging while also playing games, or want to optimize you might want to consider investing in a 30W+ charger for faster sustained charging speeds.

Note that you can also use higher-watt chargers -- 20W is just the minimum for "fast" charging.

MagSafe

The iPhone 16 models can charge at up to 25W over MagSafe, up from 15W. 25W charging via MagSafe is also fast charging, so for the first time, the new iPhones can fast charge wirelessly.

new-magsafe-charger.jpg

To take advantage of the faster MagSafe charging, you need a 30W or higher power adapter, which Apple sells for $39. Of course, you can use a higher powered power source or a third-party power adapter as long as it delivers at least 30W.

You also need one of Apple's new MagSafe chargers, which were released alongside the new iPhone models.
Older MagSafe Chargers from Apple will not charge your iPhone 16 model at above 15W, nor will older third-party MagSafe chargers. If you have a MagSafe stand or multi-device charger from a company like Mophie or Belkin, it's now outdated and can't charge your new iPhone at its maximum wireless charging speed.

The new MagSafe Chargers from Apple will only charge the iPhone 16 models at 25W, and while you can use them with your older iPhones, charging will be limited to 15W.

Qi2 chargers are equivalent to the prior 15W MagSafe Charger and can only charge iPhone 16 models at 15W.

At a Glance

If you don't want to read the accessory explanation, here's what to buy for iPhone 16 fast charging:
  • USB-C for iPhone 16: 20W or better power adapter paired with the charging cable the iPhone came with. 30W is better for the fastest speeds, especially if you charge while using your iPhone.
  • USB-C for iPhone 16 Pro: A 30W or better power adapter will get you the best fast charging speed.
  • MagSafe: 30W or better power adapter paired with Apple's new $39 MagSafe Charger.

Bonus: Faster Data Transfers

If you want to transfer files from your iPhone 16 Pro to another device quickly, you're going to want to pick up a USB 3 cable for 10Gb/s transfer speeds.

The cable that comes with your iPhone 16 is limited to USB 2 speeds of 480Mb/s.

Article Link: Here's What You Need for iPhone 16 Fast Charging via MagSafe or USB-C
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/guide/iphone-16-fast-charging/
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If you find a store with stock of the Apple 30W, you've done well.
 
waiting for 3-in-1 25W MagSafe stands & travel chargers. Qi2 is obsolete now, thanks Tim.
 
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Slower the charger, less stress / heat on the battery and such for overall longevity. I still use an old USB-A brick from the iPhone 7 era, and a USB-A to C cable. My iPhone 15 Pro still has 100% capacity after well over 250 cycles and nearly always charging to only 80% max.

I also never did inductive "Wireless" charging with that phone. Too much loss, heat buildup is also not great for the cells.
 
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What’s the difference between cables? Less pins? I have stock usb c cables from Best Buy. Guess I could hook them up to my M2 and external drive to see the transfer speeds? :rolleyes:
 
Apple’s MagSafe how-to page is really interesting. It mentions the 25W peak power of the charger itself, while separately saying “iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro will achieve 22.5W peak power.” So, it looks like we may have to wait until next year to see this new MagSafe standard actually charge an iPhone at 25W. This was slightly deceptive if you ask me, since the old one is 15W flat for any phone that supported it (except for the minis which were well-documented to only reach 12W). It is also a well-known fact by now that either MagSafe cable will throttle down power for a majority of the session in most conditions… so between the actual iPhone 16 peak of 22.5W and the throttling, I don’t think it’ll make much real-world difference at all.
 
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JosephAW said:
What’s the difference between cables? Less pins? I have stock usb c cables from Best Buy. Guess I could hook them up to my M2 and external drive to see the transfer speeds? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
If you can find either the packaging or the product on their web pages you'll see it's power and data speed ratings. But I believe the difference is a combination of some tiny electronics in the end connector combined with things like wire size
 
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Attirex said:
This and the Apple Pencil = more proof that Apple products have become a bloated mess of overlapping specs and requirements.
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Same with ALL manufacturers of electronics, cars, etc. Every year some aspect of their design gets new specs. It gets to the point with cars that you have to look up your car by model and year just to know what fuse or wiper blades to get.
 
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Pixelryan said:
Charter = Charger typo here.
It is interesting we are now at the level of scientific testing of individual watts to measure the iterative improvements. I don’t think customers will be rushing out for this one.
Click to expand...
Well certainly not for the charging speed alone. But for someone like me with a 13 pro the 16 pro was a reasonably appreciated upgrade. I, like a huge number of people, no longer update every year. Hasn't seemed reasonable for me after iPhone 4. So for the countless people with phones 2 to 5 or more years old the cumulative upgrades will be worth it.
 
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fwmireault said:
Technology improvement ≠ obsolete. You can charge your iPhone just fine at 15W with previous MagSafe chargers.
Click to expand...
I'm not gonna buy any Qi2 or 15W products when the 25W option exists. I'll wait until the new speed comes to new products.
 
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