The iPhone 16 might be a clear sign that a portless iPhone is still on the table
The idea of a portless iPhone was a heated topic around 2022 and 2023, but it has since died out and for a good reason. Then there were multiple reasons why this would be a horrible idea and wouldn’t work.
But after Apple’s recent launch of the iPhone 16, one detail about it made me wonder whether the idea of such an iPhone is not as crazy as it used to be. It’s about the iPhone 16's strange new charging situation.
But that alone wouldn’t be enough reason to take this idea out of the rumor graveyard. There is one more whisper circulating online, which reminded me that a portless iPhone is still a possibility. And that second factor is the so-called iPhone 17 Air.
When Apple announced the iPhone 16 series, there was a bit of confusion about its wired charging speeds. So, you bet that this was one of the first things we wanted to test out on these bad boys the moment we got our hands on them, and what we found was quite interesting.
Despite some outlets claiming that the iPhone 16 series could charge at 45W via a cable, in our testing the small iPhone 16 and 16 Pro charged at 20W and the larger iPhone 16 Plus and 16 Pro Max – at 26-27W. These are roughly the same speeds as in the past few generations.
So, no, the iPhone 16 models do NOT have faster wired charging. But that leads me to my first point here, which is that this inherently means you can charge the new iPhones almost as quickly via a MagSafe charger as you would if you used a cable.
These are the first iPhones to have essentially the same charging speed via a wire and wireless, and that is definitely out of the ordinary.
Also, clearly, the new iPhones are fully capable of charging quicker, so why limit them?
There might be many reasons, and they are probably not directly related to a portless iPhone. But the fact is that Apple has, for some reason, prioritized increasing the wireless charging speed on its latest iPhones, and not the other way around.
The rumored iPhone 17 Air, also known as iPhone 17 Slim, has spiked a lot of interest in mobile tech enthusiasts ever since word of it first came out. As one might guess from the naming, its main selling point will be the drastically different form factor, focusing on thinness.
More specifically, Apple might be aiming to make the iPhone 17 Air its most premium model, with a strong focus on design rather than “Pro” features. For example, the phone is rumored to have only one camera and a smaller display than the current larger Pro Max/Plus models.
Some of the biggest setbacks for a portless iPhone were that users would lose key features such as shooting ProRes video, as you need an external drive and a usb-c cable to fully make use of the feature due to the large file sizes. But even simple functionality like plugging in accessories such as remote controls for drones or a cable to transfer large files to your computer wouldn't be possible.
But if Apple is really willing to make a phone that focuses mainly on how it looks and feels in the hand, sacrificing functionality for the sake of beauty, then getting rid of the charging port sounds like a beneficial change. This would allow Apple to make the iPhone Air even slimmer, and it wouldn’t be too big of a problem for users that never use a cable for transferring files or connecting to accessories.
Combine this with the fact that iPhones now charge almost as well via MagSafe as they do through wired charging, and you have a pretty compelling phone that a lot of people might actually buy.
Even I am even somewhat intrigued by the idea! And that’s coming from someone who wants all the cameras and the best camera performance I can get on my phone.
The iPhone Air could either be the fifth model in Apple’s lineup or a replacement to the Plus series. I don’t see why a portless iPhone would need to replace any current model. Apple certainly has the resource to do this, and who knows, maybe a few generations into the future, it could become the new default iPhone.
It goes without saying that there is almost no practical benefit of dropping the USB-C port now, but that doesn’t mean there is no place for such a design in the current phone market. I know for a fact that I would at least want to try such a phone out for a few months just out of pure intrigue.
So, to answer the question, I wouldn’t say that Apple’s focus on wireless charging with the iPhone 16 is a clear sign that а portless iPhone is coming. I do think, however, that combined with the possibility of an iPhone Air, it might be one.
But after Apple’s recent launch of the iPhone 16, one detail about it made me wonder whether the idea of such an iPhone is not as crazy as it used to be. It’s about the iPhone 16's strange new charging situation.
The interesting part about charging the iPhone 16
When Apple announced the iPhone 16 series, there was a bit of confusion about its wired charging speeds. So, you bet that this was one of the first things we wanted to test out on these bad boys the moment we got our hands on them, and what we found was quite interesting.
Despite some outlets claiming that the iPhone 16 series could charge at 45W via a cable, in our testing the small iPhone 16 and 16 Pro charged at 20W and the larger iPhone 16 Plus and 16 Pro Max – at 26-27W. These are roughly the same speeds as in the past few generations.
We only noticed higher charging speeds (up to 38W) when the phones were plugged in during demanding tasks, such as running a benchmark test or a very demanding application like a 3D game.
So, no, the iPhone 16 models do NOT have faster wired charging. But that leads me to my first point here, which is that this inherently means you can charge the new iPhones almost as quickly via a MagSafe charger as you would if you used a cable.
These are the first iPhones to have essentially the same charging speed via a wire and wireless, and that is definitely out of the ordinary.
Also, clearly, the new iPhones are fully capable of charging quicker, so why limit them?
There might be many reasons, and they are probably not directly related to a portless iPhone. But the fact is that Apple has, for some reason, prioritized increasing the wireless charging speed on its latest iPhones, and not the other way around.
The second clue: iPhone 17 Air
The rumored iPhone 17 Air, also known as iPhone 17 Slim, has spiked a lot of interest in mobile tech enthusiasts ever since word of it first came out. As one might guess from the naming, its main selling point will be the drastically different form factor, focusing on thinness.
Some of the biggest setbacks for a portless iPhone were that users would lose key features such as shooting ProRes video, as you need an external drive and a usb-c cable to fully make use of the feature due to the large file sizes. But even simple functionality like plugging in accessories such as remote controls for drones or a cable to transfer large files to your computer wouldn't be possible.
But if Apple is really willing to make a phone that focuses mainly on how it looks and feels in the hand, sacrificing functionality for the sake of beauty, then getting rid of the charging port sounds like a beneficial change. This would allow Apple to make the iPhone Air even slimmer, and it wouldn’t be too big of a problem for users that never use a cable for transferring files or connecting to accessories.
Combine this with the fact that iPhones now charge almost as well via MagSafe as they do through wired charging, and you have a pretty compelling phone that a lot of people might actually buy.
A portless iPhone is not necessarily the next step
The iPhone Air could either be the fifth model in Apple’s lineup or a replacement to the Plus series. I don’t see why a portless iPhone would need to replace any current model. Apple certainly has the resource to do this, and who knows, maybe a few generations into the future, it could become the new default iPhone.
So, to answer the question, I wouldn’t say that Apple’s focus on wireless charging with the iPhone 16 is a clear sign that а portless iPhone is coming. I do think, however, that combined with the possibility of an iPhone Air, it might be one.
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