Is this the design of Apple’s next iPhone?
Updated May 3: article originally posted May 1.
Although the next iPhone may not launch until September, we know enough about the smartphone to anticipate the changes and customizations Apple has planned.
The significant change is that the ring will be smaller, suggesting that Apple has streamlined the internal circuitry, potentially leading to a performance boost. This could mean the charging rates can be maintained over the two generations.
This leads naturally to the question of compatibility. I would expect Apple to have worked hard to ensure that peripherals designed for the larger iPhone 15 MagSafe system will still be compatible with the iPhone 16. MagSafe’s power-charging capabilities use induction charging, so they do not require a physical connection, just proximity between the two charging points. Wirelessly communicating between MagSafe peripherals and the host iPhone using near-field communications, which again does not require a physical connection, just a close connection.
