Wireless charging does exist on the iPhone 16e, but the lack of MagSafe means that Apple’s latest $599 handset can only top up its battery at 7.5W, significantly increasing the time it takes for the cell to reach 100 percent capacity. While it was speculated that the in-house C1 5G modem would interfere with the MagSafe magnets, Apple states that this was not the case and clarifies that the feature is not a part of the latest release because the technology giant’s wider audience will not bother using it.
The obvious truth involving cost-cutting on the iPhone 16e has been avoided, but there is a possibility to Apple’s claims
The iPhones that do support MagSafe can have their batteries topped up by 25W, making it a convenient addition to their arsenal. Given that Apple intends to target a different audience with the iPhone 16e, it needed to make some compromises in various areas to reach that $599 price point, with one of them being the removal of the MagSafe wireless charging. Daring Fireball’s John Gruber says that Apple informed him why the feature does not exist.
“But according to Apple representatives, most people in the 16e’s target audience exclusively charge their phones by plugging them into a charging cable. They tend not to use inductive charging at all, and when they do, they might not care that the 16e is stuck with a pokey 7.5W Qi charging speed, when recent more expensive iPhones charge via MagSafe at 15W or even 25W. For me, it’s not the high charging speed I miss most; it’s the snapping into place. I think Apple knows the 16e’s intended audience better than I do. Daring Fireball readers aren’t in the 16e demographic; it’s the friends and family members of DF readers who are.”
Simply stated, potential buyers of the iPhone 16e will exclusively charge the latter using a wired connection and will stay away from wireless induction. Bear in mind that in the iPhone 16’s review roundup, critics might have praised the device’s flagship features, but the majority were not too pleased with the $599 starting price. However, the next model available after this is the iPhone 16 and it comes in at $200 higher.
This difference is monumental, and just about any manufacturer, not just Apple, would find liberty in slashing some features in an effort to bring down the aforementioned figure. Let us also not forget that the iPhone 16e ships with 128GB of internal storage, which is double what we usually get. In short, there was no way for Apple to develop a somewhat affordable iPhone without displeasing one group or the other. Hopefully, when the iPhone 17e arrives around the same time next year, Apple could address this problem and introduce this technology.
News Source: Daring Fireball
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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