iPhone 15 tipped for Apple's fastest charging yet

The iPhone 15 could deliver the fastest wired charging of any iPhone to date, but Apple may limit which models get it

A concept render of the iPhone 15 Pro in red finish
(Image credit: 9TechEleven)

We know that the iPhone 15 range is moving from Lightning connectors to USB-C, and we've seen multiple reports suggesting that that move means that the Pro models will also be getting super-fast data transfer speeds. But USB-C can also deliver faster charging, and it looks like at least some iPhone 15 models will benefit from that. That's good news for anyone who finds themselves in a hurry to charge an iPhone that doesn't seem to share your urgency.

According to 9to5Mac's industry sources, "at least some" of the iPhone 15 models will be able to charge at speeds of up to 35W. That's a significant improvement over the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, for which Apple offers up to 30W charging, although it's still a long way behind the ridiculously fast 300W HyperCharge that Xiaomi unveiled a few months ago. But it's good news for you and for Apple too: faster charging is handy, and from Apple's point of view it's another sales opportunity to sell you an expensive charger – because of course iPhones don't come with chargers in the box any more.

What iPhone 15 models will get fast charging?

We don't know yet. But we've had multiple reports in recent months suggesting that any fast charging capabilities will be limited to MFI-certified (Made For iPhone) chargers and cables, and given the reports that Apple may only offer the fastest data speeds to its best and most expensive iPhone 15 models, the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max, it's highly likely that Apple will do exactly the same with fast charging. 

Artificial shortages aside, faster charging is a welcome move even if it's taken Apple about five years to catch up with some of the best Android phones. It's not a huge deal for me because I work from home and just use MagSafe stands and pucks when my phone is idle, but if you tend to drive your iPhone hard when you're out and about then faster wired charging means a lot less hanging about in coffee shops or offices waiting for your phone to juice up.

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Carrie Marshall

Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).