Now that Apple doesn’t include power adapters with new iPhones, you have to supply your own, and it can be a little confusing figuring out what exactly you need to make sure you can charge your iPhone 16 Pro Max battery as fast as possible. Apple added another layer of complexity this year with upgraded MagSafe charging for the iPhone 16 models, a feature that also requires specific hardware.
Fast charge your iPhone 16 Pro Max
Here’s What You Need for iPhone 16 Pro Max Fast Charging via MagSafe or USB-C.
Using USB-C
You can fast charge your iPhone 16 Pro Max up to 50 percent battery in around 30 minutes. To fast charge iPhone 16 Pro Max, you’ll need an Apple 20W charging adapter. However, you aren’t limited to using Apple accessories. It is also perfectly safe to use power adapters that are rated higher than 20 watts; they will automatically charge your iPhone at the maximum speed that it supports.
For example, this means if you have a USB-C MacBook power adapter, you can use that and charge your phone at full speed too. If your MacBook itself is plugged into power and charging, you can even connect your phone into one of the laptop’s USB-C ports and charge at near-full speed.
In fact, USB-C means that you can now fast charge all of your Apple devices with the same cable and 60-watt (or higher) MacBook power adapter.
iPhone 16 Pro Max charges fastest when the battery is low, and then charging slows down, so you’ll see the most rapid charging at lower battery levels.
Some people have seen sporadic higher maximum charge levels over 30W, but that seems to happen only when you’re playing a game or doing something else that drains battery quickly. The extra power boost seems to be aimed at making sure the iPhone 16 Pro Max is able to maintain its fast charging speed even when it’s using extra power. With prior iPhone models, charging would slow down if you were doing something that used up a lot of battery.
It looks like you can get slightly faster charging speeds on an iPhone 16 Pro Max with a 30W or better charger, even though Apple only recommends a 20W or better charger for fast charging. Going over 30W doesn’t seem to make much of a difference. The standard iPhone 16 models seem to max out at around 20W, so they don’t need a 30W charger.
If you’ve already got a 20W charger and have an iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max, there’s no real reason to upgrade. You’ll still hit close to 50 percent in 30 minutes with a 20W charger. However, if it seems like your iPhone 16 Pro Max is charging slowly, you probably need to change your charging brick. If you’re often charging while also playing games, or want to optimize you might want to consider investing in a 30W charger for faster sustained charging speeds.
Using MagSafe
The iPhone 16 Pro Max can charge at up to 25W over MagSafe, up from 15W. 25W charging via MagSafe is also fast charging, so for the first time, the new iPhones can fast charge wirelessly.
To wirelessly fast charge an iPhone 16 Pro Max, you need a 30W or higher power adapter, which Apple sells for $39. Of course, you can use a higher powered power source or a third-party power adapter as long as it delivers at least 30W.
You also need one of Apple’s new MagSafe chargers, which were released alongside the new iPhone models.
- $39 1m MagSafe Charger
- $49 2m MagSafe Charger
Older MagSafe Chargers from Apple will not charge your iPhone 16 Pro Max at above 15W, nor will older third-party MagSafe chargers. If you have a MagSafe stand or multi-device charger from a company like Mophie or Belkin, it’s now outdated and can’t charge your new iPhone at its maximum wireless charging speed.
The new MagSafe Chargers from Apple will only charge the iPhone 16 models at 25W, and while you can use them with your older iPhones, charging will be limited to 15W.
Qi2 chargers are equivalent to the prior 15W MagSafe Charger and can only charge iPhone 16 Pro Max at 15W.
At a Glance
If you don’t want to read the accessory explanation, here’s what to buy for iPhone 16 Pro Max fast charging:
- USB-C for iPhone 16 Pro Max: A 30W or better power adapter will get you the best fast charging speed.
- MagSafe: 30W or better power adapter paired with Apple’s new $39 MagSafe Charger.