12 MacDirectory
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APPLE NEWS
WILL 2018'S IPHONES INCLUDE 18W, USB-C
FAST CHARGING IN THE BOX?
Apple's current family of
MacBook devices already
use the USB-C specification
as their primary ports. (More
specifically, Thunderbolt
3 — but USB-C devices
can be plugged into recent
MacBooks.)
That means that Apple users
could plug their iPhones
directly into their MacBook
Pro devices without the
need for a dongle or adapter.
The 2018 iPhone lineup is
largely expected to include
a direct iPhone X successor;
a larger iPhone X Plus with a
6.5-inch OLED; and a mid-
range iPhone with a 6.1-inch
LCD display. A 4-inch iPhone
SE refresh is also rumored
for this year. Currently, it's
unclear whether or not
the aforementioned 18W
adapter would ship with that
device.
his year's iPhone lineup might
come with fast-charging
capabilities right out of the
box, thanks to a new power
adapter and cable standard,
according to a new report.
Earlier this month, a post on
Chinese social media site
Weibo suggested that Apple
could package a redesigned
18W power adapter and a
USB-C to Lightning cable with
its 2018 iPhones. That report
included schematics for the
rumored power brick.
Now, power accessory blog
ChargerLab is corroborating
that rumor with new
information from a supply
chain source. ChargerLab
also took that information
and created a set of renders
depicting what the new 18W
power brick could look like.
The renders show off the
European version of the newly
designed charger, as indicated
by the rounded prongs.
Notably, they also depict a
switch to the USB-C standard
for the charger's main port.
Presumably, the U.S. version
of the power adapter will
look similar but with North
American power plugs.
To be clear, Apple is not likely
to ditch its Lightning standard
in favor of USB-C. Instead, the
reports hint that the company
will swap out the traditional
USB-A for the newer USB-C
port. In other words, expect a
Lightning to USB-C cable and
a USB-C power adapter.
The new report, as well as the
Weibo post that proceeded
it, suggest that the power
adapter could be rated at 18W
— a significant boost from
the standard and ubiquitous
5W power brick that currently
ships with Apple iPhones.
Of course, they're also
significantly redesigned when
compared to Apple's current,
square-shaped USB-C
adapters.
The new power adapter and
cable will allow for users
to take advantage of fast
charging without buying
anything extra. The iPhone 8,
8 Plus and X already support
Type-C fast charging, but
accessing that feature requires
the purchase of separate
accessories.
That feature allows iPhones
to reach 50 percent charge in
just about 30 minutes.
An 18W power adapter would
also be faster than the 10W
or 12W adapters that Apple
ships with its iPad models.
While we haven't heard
anything on this end yet, Apple
could pretty easily replace
the standard iPad charger
with the new 18W design and
Lightning to USB-C cable.
BY MIKE PETERSON
3
