iPhone 12: The case of the missing charger

The iPhone 12 series was recently released, and perhaps the biggest talking point was the fact that there would be no AC power adapter or ear pod headphones included with the phones. Apple claims this to be an environmentally friendly initiative. But it raised a lot of questions. What charger do I use? Will it work with my old chargers? What is included with the iPhone? Etc. We interviewed our tech specialist Daniel Hessel to answer all your most pressing questions.

Why have they done this?

According to Apple, to help the environment by reducing electric waste and the amount of boxes that need to be transported. At the same time there is of course a financial benefit, Apple saves money by excluding these so they must be bought separately.

They do also assume that you most likely already have a box filled with USB-chargers at home, since it’s been included in most products so far.

Will I get a chord?

Yes, the chord is still included. It is a lightning (to iPhone) to USB-C (a small plug that looks like a lightning-plug).

Can I still use my old charger?

You will still be able to use your old lightning-cable with USB-A (the classic square charger) and since you can use your old cables with USB-A to lightning you won’t need to buy a new charger.

On the other hand, if you want to use the USB-C you will need to get a charger with that plug or a more modern computer with that plug.

Then you might as well get a more powerful charger so you can quick-charge your phone and also do a wireless quick-charge.

What is USB-C

From a ”charge your iPhone” – perspective it’s quite simple. It is a smaller plug where it doesn’t matter what is up or down, just as with the lightning-plug in the iPhone.

What the USB-C has as an added bonus is that the chord can manage higher power levels, which results in the ability to use more powerful chargers, which means that you will be able to charge your phone faster.

What is Magsafe?

Wireless charging, but with built-in magnets. It allows you to quickly be able to “click on” the charger to the back of the phone. That in turns solves the problem that wireless charging has today, which is that it is very sensitive to where you place your phone on the charging pad. From now on you will know that if “It sticks = it charges”.

So what are the charging options you have for the iPhone12?

Don’t worry there are plenty of options!

Options:

1. Keep your old cable and charger
2. Get a new AC power adapter (that’s the one that you put into the plug) with USB-C
3. Get a regular wireless charger
4. Get an AC power adapter and Apples new Magsafe-solution for wireless charging