The Future of Wireless Charging: iPhone 15 and MagSafe

It’s not long now when the latest of Apple’s flagship smartphones will be released. In a few months, iPhone 15 and its other models will be out in the market with several exciting changes and a few features coming back, one of which is rumored to be the MagSafe wireless charging technology.

MagSafe was first introduced in iPhone 12, having since been cemented as a core technology for smartphones when it comes to wireless charging. However, most people and a lot of Apple users still need to become familiar with how it works. Before iPhone 15, iPhone Pro Max, and all the other versions are released, let’s dive into what MagSafe is, shall we?

MagSafe

Since wireless charging was created, it has been useful for many reasons, particularly the fact that you no longer have to struggle to plug the cable in. It has made charging so easy it seems magical how power is transferred to the phone without any wire used. With Apple adopting this technology, more and more people are exposed to wireless charging.

In the past, Mac laptops didn’t charge via USB-C but through a cable that uses a clever standard known as MagSafe. This technology connects charging cables to the laptops via magnets, designed to make it easy to connect them. This also means that the laptop won’t crash to the floor if someone trips over the cable since it will easily disconnect.

Apple liked the name and revived it when they released the iPhone 12, one of the first iPhones to use wireless charging alongside the term “MagSafe”. The new MagSafe technology is a modified wireless charging system, an improved Qi charging support that uses rings of magnets around the charging coil inside the device.

These magnets allowed an easier way of correctly aligning the charging coil with a supported charger. This is because the MagSafe charger would simply snap into place when used to recharge a phone. With the magnets allowing more precise alignment, plus the improved internal components, the MagSafe charger offers faster charging of up to 15 watts.

Currently, only the iPhone 12 series supports MagSafe. This includes iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. It should be possible to use MagSafe with older iPhones, officially, but there appear to be some issues. If the rumors are true, the iPhone 15 series is the next to have this capability.

Improved Wireless Charging in iPhone 15

The upcoming iPhone 15 and other versions, iPhone 15 Pro Max, Ultra, and Pro could be having a boost to their wireless charging capabilities. Rumors from ChargerLAB say that all iPhone 15 models support both MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging standards to offer users a 15W charging speed.

Apple currently has two wireless charging speeds—7.5W and 15W. Of the two, only chargers integrated with MagSafe charging protocol support the 15W charging speed, meaning those who use MagSafe chargers can enjoy much faster wireless charging. Other 3rd-party wireless chargers support the 7.5W charging speed.

However, as reports say, the iPhone 15 family may support both MagSafe and Qi2 charging protocols. This means Qi2-supported chargers can also offer 15W charging speeds, something that was not available to non-MagSafe chargers before. This is good news given that the price of Qi2 chargers is only around one-third of the cost of a MagSafe charger.

Possibility of a Portless iPhone

The stories that Apple will be releasing a Portless iPhone have been going around for years. It doesn’t seem that iPhone 15 Ultra, iPhone 15 Pro, or any in the series will be portless, but it’s no longer in the realm of impossibility. Phones without a charging port, USB-C or Lightning, will have minimal cutouts and will naturally rely on wireless charging.

The increasing use of MagSafe and other wireless charging protocols, as well as the EU’s new pro-USB-C regulations, are excellent reasons for Apple to start scrapping physical charging ports. The EU regulations regarding the USB-C port notably apply only to charging plugs, not wireless charging. This means Apple can sidestep the mandate with wireless charging.

The future of portless iPhones is good but it’s not likely to happen this year. It’s not that removing the charging port isn’t possible, but that Apple still has to look for alternatives for the other tasks handled by the Lightning port. Besides charging, the Lightning port also handles data transfer. Also, portless means an alternative to audio jack as well.

The headphone issue can be addressed by AirPods seeing as most people already use the Bluetooth device. The only issue left is the data transfer, which might already find a solution with MagSafe connectivity. The wireless charging protocol might not be transferring data as of now, but it can happen in the future.

One of the difficulties that need to be addressed is ensuring a fast enough data transfer. The goal is not only to accomplish decent transfer speeds, but to make it work between iPhones and other Apple devices, Windows, and Linux machines. Achieving all these will take some time, so a portless iPhone will probably still take a couple of years.

Rumored Changes for the iPhone 15

For now, the iPhone 15 and the rest of its family continue to use Lightning ports along with wireless charging protocols. However, a future where iPhones have become portless through MagSafe technology is looking more and more possible. In the meantime, though, it’s good to know what more to expect from iPhone 15.

Here are some of the rumored changes with this year’s iPhone 15 lineup:

• • Expanded Dynamic Island for iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.
• • USB-C charging on all iPhone 15 models.
• • The entire iPhone 15 series has slimmer bezels.
• • The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are said to have a new titanium finish.
• • A new A17 Bionic chip for iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
• • Periscope lens for iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Seeing all these upgrades, you must be already looking forward to getting your hands on Apple’s latest device. Before that, it might be good to browse through some of the best iPhone 15 cases in the market. We recommend checking out the award-winning Unicorn Beetle Pro, our number one iPhone case, including iPhone 15.

The future of wireless charging looks good with iPhone 15 and MagSafe leading the way to the prospect of a portless iPhone experience.