2018 iPhones Rumoured to Feature Faster, More Efficient Wireless Charging Tech

Apple’s widely-expected trio of iPhones set to debut later this year will feature faster and more efficient wireless charging.

According to a new report from the Chinese-language website China Times (via MacRumors), this year’s iPhone models will feature a wireless charging coil made from copper wire instead of FPC, or ferrite polymer composite, which is currently used in the iPhone X.

Instead of thinner FPC coils with higher resistance, Apple will use thicker copper wire coils with lower resistance for the wireless charging receiver. This switch to copper will allow for faster and more efficient wireless charging.

“Since high power and high efficiency are the trend of wireless charging, it is expected that at least one of the three iPhones in 2018 will abandon the FPC to adopt a copper coil solution to achieve the above goal, and because the copper wire coil resistance is small,” reads the report. “It can also offset the thermal effects generated by the increase in power.”

The copper coil’s reduced resistance allows Apple to increase the power level that iPhones can safely handle without overheating, which will ideally allow for faster and more efficient wireless charging.

“The latest iPhones support wireless charging at up to 7.5W, which actually isn’t much faster than wired charging with a 5W power adapter, due to the efficiency limitations of the FPC coil,” reads MacRumors‘ report. “The switch to copper would yield improvements, assuming that Apple found a way to fit the thicker coil in its next iPhones. ”

Apple is expected to unveil its highly-anticipated trio of new iPhones next month at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park, although an exact date has yet to be specified.