“Apple has added support for faster 7.5W wireless charging in its latest iOS 11.2 beta,” Killian Bell reports for Cult of Mac. “iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X all support the increased charging speed.”
“Earlier versions of iOS 11 allowed iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X to charge wirelessly at 5W,” Bell reports. “In iOS 11.2, however, Apple has bumped that up to 7.5W. It’s not a groundbreaking difference, but you will certainly welcome the improvement.”
“You’ll need a compatible wireless charging mat to take advantage of it,” Bell reports. “To take advantage of the increased speed, you’ll need a compatible wireless charging pad. The Belkin Boost Up pad ($59.99) is capable of outputting 7.5W. Other compatible charging pads include… the RAVPower Fast Wireless Charger ($49.99) and the Mophie Wireless Charge Pad ($59.99).”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take:
I really can’t see all the buzz about Wireless Charging. You can’t charge while using your phone and it’s not truly wireless as you still need a charging adapter, a cable and the mat to carry round with you.
It’s hard to explain until you’ve experienced it. Being able to just set your phone down to charge, over looking for the small end of a cable and inserting it is a small but welcome change.
No, it’s not ground breaking. But since I have a wireless (inductive) charging pad in my car as well as on my bedside table, it means I’m not trying to insert a tiny connector into a tiny slot 2-4 times a day. (Depending on how many times I take a drive)
Which car? I have a built-in Qi charger in my 2016 Chevy Volt, and I find it pretty useless. Can’t use Airplay if connected to the Qi charger, and my armrest cover has to be raised when there’s a phone charging. And it doesn’t like phone covers. Removing a cover to let the phone charge is nonsense, easier to plug in the USB cord, and charge faster, and use Airplay. I bet fewer than 1% of Volt owners end up using the Qi charger.
That was my initial reaction. I got the iPhone X and didn’t even think about getting a wireless charger. At first.
Then my friend mentioned it and we both got one. A stand that holds it upright, and starts charging as soon as you place it on it. I’m loving it.
When I’m hanging in one spot, such as work or family room, I find I use the phone about 50% of the time. I throw it onto the charger whenever I put it down and the phone is always fully charged. It takes up less space on my table, I’m never fishing for wires, and life is very good.
I now have two such chargers
Which charger do you have?
“The Seneo Fast Wireless Charging Pad”
Despite the name, it IS a phone STAND.
Note that in the amazon Q&A they claim not to support 7.5 watt charging for the iPhone (which should be available with IOS 11.2) .
I’m not sure if the representative who answered that question really knew the answer, since it was answered before anyone new that IOS 11.2 would have 7.5 watt support. The answer might simply have been the company line about what was known at that time.
It does support 5 watt charging for the iPhone and will continue to do so. That seems to work really well for me nonetheless.
Thanks. Looks good. I think you’re right about the fast charging – when Apple supports it it will work. How could it not? By the way, how stable is it? And have you even accidentally knocked the phone off it?
Its 100% stable. I’ve never accidentally displaced it by one iota.
I believe that a stand such as this, counterintuitively, is much more stable than a flat pad, with which an iPhone will overhang the edges of the pad by a great deal.
This stand is a perfect fit for the iPhone-X and iPhone-8, and probably works very well with an iPhone-8 plus.
I find that the lightning port in the phone gets pocket lint inside, disrupting the connection. Sometimes it is very difficult to get out completely. Inductive charging eliminates this failure point.
I use a toothpick, works well.