Rumor: Apple's 'iPhone 7' to offer improved fast-charge support

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone
One way Apple will aim to keep the "iPhone 7" competitive is the addition of new fast-charge technology, according to one rumor.




The device will use improved circuitry supporting "at least" 5-volt, 2-amp charging, said @the_malignant, a Twitter user specializing in phone leaks. Current iPhone chargers are rated at one amp.

Many Android devices now offer some form of fast-charging, allowing them to hit a practical battery reserve in minutes instead of hours. The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, for example, can each go from 0 to 50 percent charge in about 30 minutes.

In fact current iPhones already use comparable technology, but nothing Apple has chosen to market as a feature. The company could be hoping to match or surpass rivals with the "iPhone 7."

That device is expected to ship next month, in standard and "Plus"-sized models much like the iPhone 6 and 6s. The Plus should have a dual-lens camera, and possibly 3 gigabytes of RAM and/or a Smart Connector.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    "0 to 100 real quick"

    If rumor is true, I would hate/love to see Drake on stage rapping the popular lyric. 
  • Reply 2 of 12
    sricesrice Posts: 120member
    It does seem like super fast charging would make a thin phone (small battery) make a lot more sense. 
  • Reply 3 of 12
    bluefire1bluefire1 Posts: 1,302member
    Super fast charging would be a real plus, but much longer battery life would be a bigger plus.
    capasicumcnocbui
  • Reply 4 of 12
    texdeafytexdeafy Posts: 78member
    bluefire1 said:
    Super fast charging would be a real plus, but much longer battery life would be a REAL bigger plus.
    Fixed that for ya. ;)
  • Reply 5 of 12
    TurboPGTTurboPGT Posts: 355member
    Maybe I'm missing something, but my iPhone already charges really fast. They always have. I thought the fast-charging on Samsung phones was like stupid fast...but apparently not. 0 - 50 in 30 minutes? Pretty sure my iPhone can already do that, or nearly so. Whatever difference is negligible.
  • Reply 6 of 12
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    TurboPGT said:
    Maybe I'm missing something, but my iPhone already charges really fast. They always have. I thought the fast-charging on Samsung phones was like stupid fast...but apparently not. 0 - 50 in 30 minutes? Pretty sure my iPhone can already do that, or nearly so. Whatever difference is negligible.
    The only way your iphone will charge fast is if you use something that delivers more current than the original charger supplied with it.  Pretty sure an iPhone 6s Plus won't charge 0-50% in 30 minutes.

    I wonder why this article says "In fact current iPhones already use comparable technology" but then doesn't explain the logic of deliberately supplying a less than optimal charger with every iPhone if the company is supposedly focused on the 'user experience'.  Could it be that there actually isn't any intentional fast charging capability in an iPhone other than the lucky happenstance of an engineer factoring in a safety margin?



    Note that the S6 Edge has a 2600 Mah batter vs a 2750 mah battery in the 6S Plus, so that is a considerably faster charging rate.
    edited August 2016 singularity
  • Reply 7 of 12
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,728member
    Great news if true but I'd prefer to see a move to an Apple Wi-Tricty type system for charging for at least a small area, say within 10 feet would be enough (more even nicer but I'd be happy with a central area).  Enough with the wires already!  Then again, I guess wired charging would be essential as an option too. 
    edited August 2016
  • Reply 8 of 12
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,728member
    cnocbui said:
    TurboPGT said:
    Maybe I'm missing something, but my iPhone already charges really fast. They always have. I thought the fast-charging on Samsung phones was like stupid fast...but apparently not. 0 - 50 in 30 minutes? Pretty sure my iPhone can already do that, or nearly so. Whatever difference is negligible.
    The only way your iphone will charge fast is if you use something that delivers more current than the original charger supplied with it.  Pretty sure an iPhone 6s Plus won't charge 0-50% in 30 minutes.

    I wonder why this article says "In fact current iPhones already use comparable technology" but then doesn't explain the logic of deliberately supplying a less than optimal charger with every iPhone if the company is supposedly focused on the 'user experience'.  Could it be that there actually isn't any intentional fast charging capability in an iPhone other than the luck happenstance of an engineer factoring in a safety margin?



    Note that the S6 Edge has a 2600 Mah batter vs a 2750 mah battery in the 6S Plus, so that is a considerably faster charging rate.

    It would be nice to see that graph next to another showing how long each device lasts on the charge too rather than just the numbers.
    edited August 2016
  • Reply 9 of 12
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    cnocbui said:
    The only way your iphone will charge fast is if you use something that delivers more current than the original charger supplied with it.  Pretty sure an iPhone 6s Plus won't charge 0-50% in 30 minutes.

    I wonder why this article says "In fact current iPhones already use comparable technology" but then doesn't explain the logic of deliberately supplying a less than optimal charger with every iPhone if the company is supposedly focused on the 'user experience'.  Could it be that there actually isn't any intentional fast charging capability in an iPhone other than the luck happenstance of an engineer factoring in a safety margin?



    Note that the S6 Edge has a 2600 Mah batter vs a 2750 mah battery in the 6S Plus, so that is a considerably faster charging rate.

    It would be nice to see that graph next to another showing how long each device lasts on the charge too rather than just the numbers.
    I'm not a fan of Anandtech's battery life testing as they seem to just run benchmarking software which isn't what users do, but for what it's worth, here's one that implies the S6 Edge and 6S Plus have comparable longevity for that particular benchmark:



    I prefer GSM Arena's battery test as it comprises a standard suite of a varity of tasks that I think would more closely reflect user experience.

    Their battery life comparrison table is too long to post here: http://www.gsmarena.com/battery-test.php3

    They rate the S6 Edge at 73 Hrs and the 6S Plus at 85 Hrs, however, the S7 Edge is 98 Hrs and the 6S is 62 Hrs.
  • Reply 10 of 12
    TurboPGTTurboPGT Posts: 355member
    cnocbui said:
    TurboPGT said:
    Maybe I'm missing something, but my iPhone already charges really fast. They always have. I thought the fast-charging on Samsung phones was like stupid fast...but apparently not. 0 - 50 in 30 minutes? Pretty sure my iPhone can already do that, or nearly so. Whatever difference is negligible.
    The only way your iphone will charge fast is if you use something that delivers more current than the original charger supplied with it.  Pretty sure an iPhone 6s Plus won't charge 0-50% in 30 minutes.

    I wonder why this article says "In fact current iPhones already use comparable technology" but then doesn't explain the logic of deliberately supplying a less than optimal charger with every iPhone if the company is supposedly focused on the 'user experience'.  Could it be that there actually isn't any intentional fast charging capability in an iPhone other than the lucky happenstance of an engineer factoring in a safety margin?



    Note that the S6 Edge has a 2600 Mah batter vs a 2750 mah battery in the 6S Plus, so that is a considerably faster charging rate.
    Thanks for the graph. I don't have a Plus, so my impression is based on the iPhone 6s. I was right to assume that my phone already charges at a rate that is negligibly different from the S6 edge.

    It is also a very rare thing that this "speed" even matters to me. My iPhone lasts all day...some days ending around 50% battery, others around 20% depending on usage. So it gets charged once per day...at night.

    Its just one of those things where it sounds good on paper, but in the real world under real use will simply not improve the experience for users in a measurable way. Is faster charging better than slower charging? Sure. Does it matter? Not really.
  • Reply 11 of 12
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    TurboPGT said:
    cnocbui said:
    The only way your iphone will charge fast is if you use something that delivers more current than the original charger supplied with it.  Pretty sure an iPhone 6s Plus won't charge 0-50% in 30 minutes.

    I wonder why this article says "In fact current iPhones already use comparable technology" but then doesn't explain the logic of deliberately supplying a less than optimal charger with every iPhone if the company is supposedly focused on the 'user experience'.  Could it be that there actually isn't any intentional fast charging capability in an iPhone other than the lucky happenstance of an engineer factoring in a safety margin?



    Note that the S6 Edge has a 2600 Mah batter vs a 2750 mah battery in the 6S Plus, so that is a considerably faster charging rate.
    Thanks for the graph. I don't have a Plus, so my impression is based on the iPhone 6s. I was right to assume that my phone already charges at a rate that is negligibly different from the S6 edge.

    It is also a very rare thing that this "speed" even matters to me. My iPhone lasts all day...some days ending around 50% battery, others around 20% depending on usage. So it gets charged once per day...at night.

    Its just one of those things where it sounds good on paper, but in the real world under real use will simply not improve the experience for users in a measurable way. Is faster charging better than slower charging? Sure. Does it matter? Not really.
    The 6S has a 1715 mah battery, so the s6 Edge in terms of mah charged per minute is charging slightly more than twice as fast as the 6s.

    With the S6, a 10 minute charge will give it an extra 4 hrs of run-time.  You might not think that useful but I have read opinions from others who say it is very useful to them.

    While Samsung's fast charging is a decent improvement, the Chinese phone maker Oppo have really put some effort into this tech, with a 5A (25W) charger, which makes Apple's 1A 5W charger look like last century tech.


    http://www.gsmarena.com/charge_test-review-1239p3.php


    edited August 2016
  • Reply 12 of 12
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,654member
    TurboPGT said


    Its just one of those things where it sounds good on paper, but in the real world under real use will simply not improve the experience for users in a measurable way. Is faster charging better than slower charging? Sure. Does it matter? Not really.
    It depends upon how you use your phone.  If you're a person who is constantly actually making phone calls, the iPhone depletes pretty rapidly.   Surprisingly, I find that streaming audio depletes relatively slowly.   I also find great inconsistency.  Some days my phone only uses 25% of the battery and sometimes, by 4pm it's down to 25%.  I keep the brightness at medium, Bluetooth off and Location Services off most of the time to conserve battery.

    Also, I've had the port wear out on several phones.  So substantially longer battery life could mean fewer insertions (although not if that also becomes the earphone jack).   (Or wireless charging could achieve the same objective.)

    In NYC, they've put up a bunch of these "stations" which provide free WiFi and you can charge your phone.   But without super-fast charging, I don't see how charging one's phone makes any sense.  Are you going to stand there for a half hour or longer?   It would only make sense to me if the battery was about to die.    I've never yet seen anyone charging their phone at these things.   
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