You may have wondered at some point, and even though iPhone charging speeds have increased significantly in recent years, they are still one of the devices that takes the longest to charge, especially when you look at rival brands.
And I’m sure I’m not the only one who, 10 minutes before leaving home, realizes that the battery is low, plugs it in, and leaves with practically the same battery. However, your friend, with a simple Chinese mobile phone, charges almost 50% in that same time, but why?
iPhone charges slowly for a reason
Many may already have an inkling of this, although others simply won’t know the reason. It’s quite obvious: Apple is known for doing things right, and therefore, when it improves something, it has to be sure it’s the best thing for the user and the device.
In the case of batteries, a high charging speed causes them to degrade more quickly, something that, at first, you cannot know, and you have to wait at least 1 or 2 years to check, so they will never be pioneers in something like this, and their increase in speed is progressive, as they see how their batteries continue to maintain, after a certain time, an acceptable useful life.
And although many don’t know it, battery degradation not only affects the battery life, but also the rest of the components and system performance, since a 79% battery (which Apple already considers to be in poor condition) makes the iPhone run much less smoothly, with lag and problems that can even lead to it shutting down.
For now, iPhones have a charging limit set by the brand itself, which has more than enough capacity to increase it, achieving speeds as fast as its rivals, but for this reason, we still don’t see them, although they increase each year, approaching something acceptable.
During 2024 we have seen improvements even in wireless charging with MagSafe, because tests from previous years showed results that allow it, something that we will possibly see again in 2025, where an acceptable amount of time would have already passed, and sufficient checks, to give them an even higher point, and that they are not so far behind phones that even charge in less than 10 minutes to 100%, which could be clear competition if Apple does nothing.
Some phones and their charging time:
- Realme GT5 – 240W charging (100% in less than 10 min).
- Redmi Note 12 Explorer – 210W charging (100% in 9 min).
- Realme GT6 – 120W charging (100% in 19 min).
- Motorola Edge 50 Ultra – 125W charging (100% in 20 min).
- Huawei Pura 70 Ultra – 100W charge (100% in 20 min).
And you, are you one of those who prefer quality and product guarantees, or, on the contrary, do you like innovation and being the first to have something like super-fast charging, even though you don’t know what it means for your phone in the long run?
