Will iPhone 12 see Apple finally get serious about fast charging?

Android enthusiasts will queue up to tell you that the Apple iPhone range lags behind the best Google-powered devices in innumerable ways. Much of that is subjective, of course, but there’s one area of superiority that’s undeniable: Fast charging, or the lack thereof, on iPhone devices.

Although the standard iPhone 11 supports an 18-watt charger with a USB-C to Lightning cable that can provide a 50% charge in half an hour, you have to buy that separately for 30 quid.

The firm still ships the iPhone 11 with the slow-ass 5-watt charger that’s been in the box for years, in fact since the first iPhone back in 2007.

The Pro and the Pro Max get the 18-watt fast charger in the box, but that still trails Android device-makers like OnePlus and its 30W Warp Charge tech.

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New rumours suggest that Apple is upping its game by shipping a new 20W charger with some iPhone 12 models, expected later this year.

The Twitter leaker Mr White (via MacRumors) posted images of a purported 20W Apple-branded USB-C power delivery adapter. While that’s only a modest boost for the Pro models, it’s certainly a step in the right direction, if the leak proves to be accurate.

However, Apple could really earn the good will of users by ditching that ancient 5W charger altogether and giving all iPhone 12 users the benefit of the fastest charging speeds without having to shell out extra.

Whether the leak is reliable or not remains to be seen. The above image does look genuine enough and the leaker does have a decent track record.

Faster wired charging might not be the only surprise Apple has in store for users when the iPhone 12 arrives this autumn. Rumours are plentiful that Apple has found a way to bring its AirPower wireless charging solution to fruition, more than a year after technical challenges forced the company to cancel the project.