iPhone 16 has a secret charging upgrade Apple didn't even mention

iPhone 16
(Image credit: Apple)

Apple's new iPhone 16 lineup boasts a big charging upgrade that Apple didn't even mention when it unveiled its new flagship lineup earlier this week. 

Apple's iPhone 16 was unveiled on Tuesday, replete with a new series of A18 processors, a new Camera Control button, new colors, big camera upgrades, and Wi-Fi 7 across the board. 

Apple has also introduced significant battery life increases across the entire lineup, but one charging upgrade it didn't mention comes by way of speedier wired juice. Turns out the iPhone 16 lineup supports 45W charging via USB-C across the board. That's a big increase on the 29W supported by the previous generation. 

iPhone 16's big charging upgrade

The news, spotted by ShrimpApplePro on X, is exciting for prospective iPhone owners for two reasons. Not only is this a big jump on the current wired charging speeds, letting you power up your phone faster than ever before, but it's also rare to see hefty upgrades like this applied to the entire lineup. We'd expected iPhone 16 Pro to support faster charging, so the revelation that all four phones are getting the upgrade is great news. 

Likewise, Apple has also beefed up MagSafe charging with iPhone 16. Each model now supports charging up to 25W via MagSafe, compared to 15W in the previous generation models. Coupled with big battery life gains, iPhone 16 users can expect their phones to last for longer day-to-day, and for charging to take less time when that juice does run out. 

Another major reason for the more power-efficient performance is the advent of the new A18 chip, which uses much less energy at similar speeds compared to the previous A17 Pro in the iPhone 15 Pro, and the A16 in the iPhone 15. 

iPhone 16 pre-orders begin Friday, with pricing across the lineup identical to last year's models. 

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9