Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.Learn more.
iPhone 12 gets a surprise charging boost to match iPhone 15
In This Article
Apple has reportedly bestowed a surprise charging upgrade on iPhone 12 owners in the form of faster wireless charging over the newQi2 protocol.
This month’siOS 17.4 updatenow enablesiPhone 12owners to replenish their phones at 15W when using Qi2 compatible chargers.
AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C for under £200
AirPods Pro 2 are still at the top of the tree when it comes to Apple-friendly noise cancelling buds. They’re down to £199 again for a limited time in Currys’ Easter weekend sale.
Previously, only Apple’s official MagSafe chargers were able to provide iPhone 12 owners with the maximum allotted charging speed of 15W. Third-party options maxed out at 7.5W.
However, the update spotted byMacWorldbut not publicised by Apple as yet, puts the iPhone 12 on a par with the iPhone 15, iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 ranges. The latter two modelsgot the update with iOS 17.2in December, while the support came as standard with theiPhone 15.
MacWorld’s tests showed comparable and, in some aspects, better performance with a new Qi2 charger versus theMagSafeoption.
“Since iOS 17.4, Macworld tests have shown that clamped on to Qi2 chargers the iPhone 12 matches the charging speed of fully Apple-certified MagSafe chargers and even shows up the 15W-only charging animation.
“In our tests, we first used an Apple MagSafe Charger, which was able to power up an empty iPhone 12 Pro Max to 30 percent in 38 minutes and to 50 percent in 70 minutes. Using the Anker Qi2 MagGo Wireless Charger, we powered up an iPhone 12 Pro Max to 30 percent in 33 minutes and to 50 percent in 64 minutes.”
The iPhone 12 was released in 2020 and was the first iPhone ever to support the new MagSafe for mobile magnetic coil charging. iPhones dating back to the iPhone X had supported wireless chargers, but MagSafe was Apple’s more refined first-party entry.
Qi2 essentially replicates MagSafe’s functionality, so it was just a case of Apple turning on the feature, which the company has now, apparently, done.
You might like…
Chris Smith is a freelance technology journalist for a host of UK tech publications, including Trusted Reviews. He’s based in South Florida, USA. …
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Why trust our journalism?
Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
