Recent iPhone 14 battery capacity leaks have raised concern that Apple’s new iPhones won’t last as long as expected. But…
A new leak, from popular Apple insider DuanRui, claims iPhone 14 Pro models may support charging, which is up 50% faster than their predecessors. It isn’t all good news though, with iPhone 14 and 14 Max models set to miss out and DuanRui revealing there are inherent performance problems with the Lightning interface.
The good news DuanRui’s report which reveals charger manufacturers are preparing to ship 30W chargers for the new iPhone models is long overdue. While 30W is a big improvement on the iPhone 13’s 20W, the range has been stuck at 18-20W since the iPhone 8 launched in 2017.
Most notably, Vivo’s 240W SuperVooc charging leads the way, claiming to deliver a full charge in just 9 minutes. This is an outlier, but speeds well above even 30W are commonplace. Apple have to step up.
The bad news, however, is there are a lot of caveats. DuanRui says 30W fast charging will be limited to iPhone 14 Pro models, a surprise considering previous leaks claimed it was coming to the whole range. The leaker also reveals the limitations of Lightning, saying the peak power of the interface is restricted to “only 27W (9V 3A), and 14.5V cannot be used.”
Leaker Jioriku has made similar claims, warning that 30W charging is “for the first bit of a charge cycle. Drops down to 27-25W (depends on heat), so results may vary.” That said, when time is limited, circa 50% more wattage early in the charge cycle can still make a critical difference.
So, where does this leave iPhone fans? The differences between the iPhone 14 Pro and non-Pro models are becoming wider with every leak, while the price gap is also growing. My suggestion is go Pro or wait until 2023, when USB-C (and its superior charging capabilities) comes to all new iPhones.
