Apple’s next-gen MagSafe chargers could offer 50W wireless charging for iPhone 17

Apple appears to be gearing up for a major upgrade to its MagSafe charging accessories ahead of the launch of its upcoming iPhone 17 series. As per a recent regulatory listing, the tech giant is working on a pair of new MagSafe chargers that could support significantly faster wireless charging speeds, possibly reaching up to 50W.

The chargers — identified by model numbers A3502 and A3503 — were spotted on Taiwan’s National Communications Commission (NCC) website, according to a report from91Mobiles. While the chargers bear a striking resemblance to the current-generation MagSafe accessories, they are reportedly built to support the next-generation Qi2.2 wireless charging standard.

Qi2.2, which is expected to be formally announced by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) in the coming months, is said to bring improvements not just in power delivery but also in magnetic alignment and charging efficiency. These enhancements are anticipated to play a crucial role in Apple’s upcoming wireless charging ecosystem.

The NCC documentation hints at a maximum power output of 45W for the chargers, a significant leap over the current 15W cap seen in today’s MagSafe options. This increase could translate to wireless charging speeds of up to 50W on the iPhone 17 series, which is expected to debut later this year. If accurate, this would make it the fastest wireless charging implementation ever on an iPhone.

The only distinguishable difference between the two listed models lies in the length of the braided charging cables, the A3502 comes with a one-metre cable, while the A3503 is equipped with a two-metre variant.

Importantly, the new chargers are said to retain backwards compatibility with a wide range of existing iPhone models, reportedly supporting devices from the iPhone 11 through to the current iPhone 16 lineup. However, it is the forthcoming iPhone 17 that will fully leverage the new Qi2.2 features, given that existing models do not support the standard.

At present, Apple’s MagSafe solutions are compatible with Qi2 but not with the latest Qi2.1 standard. The iPhone 16 range currently supports up to 25W wireless charging, but only when paired with Apple’s 30W charger, indicating a cap that is still well below what Qi2.2 could potentially enable.