Has Apple Just Accidentally Leaked A Major Upgrade For iPhone 17?
A regulatory filing has just happened which, it’s claimed, is for two iPhone MagSafe chargers, suggesting that a faster-than-ever wireless charging capability could be coming to the iPhone 17 series when it’s announced this fall.
Will MagSafe charging be super-fast on the iPhone 17 series?
Taiwan’s National Communications Commission website shows two MagSafe chargers which Apple has never announced, sighted by 91mobiles. That seems to be the case because, “Current MagSafe chargers are compatible with Qi 2 and the original Qi standard. While WPC (Wireless Power Consortium), the body behind Qi, incorporated MagSafe’s magnetic accessory support into the Qi standard and introduced Qi 2.1, Apple didn’t announce a product with that standard. Apple appears to have leapfrogged to Qi 2.2,” the report said.
The site shows images of the chargers and says the model numbers are A3502 and A3503, looking the same but for one having a 1-meter cable, and the other a 2-meter one. The cables are braided, by the way, as the photos clearly show.
Why does any of this matter? Qi 2.2 supports maximum output to 50W and, ccording to the report, it looks like the chargers will support up to 45W charging, when connected to the right wall adaptor. Right now, the most powerful MagSafe wireless charging for the latest iPhone 16 is 25W.
More than that, another benefit for Qi 2.2 it’s more efficient, with less power loss or heat generation. Plus, the magnetic alignment “should ensure the device snaps into the charger quickly and properly,” the report said.
Since the iPhone 17 Air looks like having a smaller battery than other iPhones, to accommodate its super-thin design, fast, efficient charging without unnecessary heat, could be important, especially if it meant that a super-quick top-up could juice your phone for hours.
It looks like the chargers have been tested both with the iPhone 16 and iPhone 11. This wouldn’t mean faster charging rates on older phones, but the efficiency element would still be key.