Apple has taken the wraps off the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, four new premium smartphones with prices ranging from £799 to £1,599. They’ve got tweaked designs, new colors, and – only after a software update arriving in December – use Apple Intelligence, Apple’s big AI that includes the much more useful Siri voice assistant.
Despite the anticipation of these features, the iPhone 16 lineup will go on sale on Friday, September 13. You may well be tempted to upgrade your current smartphone to one of these new devices if you’d benefit from improved cameras, regular software updates, better battery life, or simply a new look and feel.
One update that Apple kept quiet about when announcing the new iPhone is related to charging. Since the iPhone 12, iPhones have had built-in MagSafe, a circular magnetic system hidden on the back of the devices that allows you to attach accessories like a wallet, but also charge your phone wirelessly with a MagSafe charger.
The iPhone 16 can charge faster with MagSafe than any previous iPhone, but you’ll need to buy Apple’s new MagSafe charger to achieve those speeds.
“Faster wireless charging at up to 25W – up to 50 percent battery in about 30 minutes for iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro when connected to a 30W USB-C power adapter (sold separately),” Apple says on Apple’s listing page. Stock up on the new MagSafe charging cable that comes without a charger.
It costs £39 for a 1m cable and £49 for a 2m cable. The 30W power adapter costs £39, which means you’ll need to pay at least £78 to charge the new iPhone 16 wirelessly at the fastest possible speed.
If you have an older iPhone, you can still buy and use the new faster MagSafe charger. It even works on iPhones since the iPhone 8 that don’t have MagSafe but can charge wirelessly.
“For fast wireless charging up to 15W for iPhone 12 or later with MagSafe when connected to a 20W USB-C power adapter (sold separately),” Apple said.
“Wireless charging up to 7.5W on iPhone 8 or later with Qi when paired with a 20W USB-C power adapter (sold separately).”
If you’d rather plug it in to charge, all iPhone 16 models use USB-C, ditching the aging Lightning connector altogether — but Apple only ships a USB-C cable in the box with every new iPhone, and no charger.
That means if you want the fastest charging speed for your iPhone 16, whether wired or wireless, you’ll likely need to find a new charger.
