Apple iPhone X And iPhone 8 Gain Faster 7.5W Wireless Charging With iOS 11.2
One particular feature that is just now being exploited by the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X is wireless charging. Apple went with the Qi wireless standard when it comes to wireless (inductive) charging, but only supports 5W charging in the most current public builds of iOS 11. That will change, however, with the arrival of iOS 11.2.
MacRumors was able to confirm via representatives for RAVpower that 7.5W charging speeds will be unlocked via iOS 11.2, which is currently undergoing developer/public beta testing. This will give users a small, but noticeable boost in charging speeds over current 5W charging levels.
It should be noted, however, that although 7.5W speeds are much appreciated, the iPhone X and its siblings are still behind -- far behind -- rivals when it comes to wireless charging capabilities. Smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ and Galaxy Note 8 all support the Qi 1.2 standard, which allows for 15W charging. That should theoretically allow those devices to charge much faster than what's possible even with the iPhones' upgraded spec.
With that being said, there are a number of cheap Qi-compatible chargers already on the market that support 5W charging on the iPhone 8 family and iPhone X including the $15.99 CHOETECH T511 charging pad. However, if you want to be prepared for when 7.5W charging is enabled with iOS 11.2, you'll want to have one of the three following chargers, which are much more expensive:
- mophie Charge Force Wireless Charge Pad (max 10W)
- Belkin BOOST UP Wireless Charging Pad (max 7.5W)
- RAVPower Fast Wireless Charger (max 10W)
