For years, the ability to share power wirelessly between devices has lived quietly in the Android world, largely unnoticed by iPhone users. Now, Apple is reportedly testing reverse wireless charging for its iPhone 17 Pro line — a feature that, if realized, would arrive later than rivals but potentially with greater output. The story is less about a single specification and more about the enduring tension between innovation and restraint, and whether a maturing technology has finally earned its place in Apple's deliberate vision of what a phone should be.
Apple Testing Reverse Wireless Charging for iPhone 17 Pro Models
Apple arrives to the feature years after competitors prove its value
Mark
So Apple is testing reverse wireless charging on the iPhone 17 Pro. That's the feature where you can charge other devices by placing them on the back of your phone, right?
Mimi
Exactly. It's been standard on Samsung and other Android phones for a while now. Apple's version would support 7.5 watts, which is actually faster than what Samsung's current flagships do at 4.5 watts.
Luke
But where does this information come from? It's a Weibo post from someone called Setsuna Digital. How reliable is that source, really?
Mimi
That's a fair question. The confidence level on this is low. It's a rumor, not an official announcement. We don't have confirmation from Apple itself.
Mark
What's the actual obstacle to making this work?
Mimi
Battery size. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a 4,685 milliamp-hour battery—the largest Apple's ever put in a phone. To make reverse charging practical, you'd need something closer to 5,500 milliamp-hours, or the feature would just drain your phone too quickly.
Luke
And Apple doesn't want to make the phone thicker, which is the traditional way to fit a bigger battery.
Mimi
Right. So the solution both Apple and Samsung are exploring is silicon-carbon battery technology, which could increase capacity without increasing thickness.
Mark
Is that technology ready?
Luke
That's the unknown. The report mentions it as something both companies are working on, but there's no timeline, no confirmation it'll be ready for iPhone 17.
Mimi
Exactly. This whole thing is contingent on multiple things happening: the technology maturing, Apple deciding it's worth the engineering effort, and the company fitting it into the iPhone 17 timeline.
Mark
So we're looking at a feature that might not happen, and if it does, might not work well without a bigger battery that might not exist yet.
Luke
That's the honest read of it, yes.
Der Puls
- Apple is testing reverse wireless charging at 7.5W on iPhone 17 Pro models — a spec that would outpace Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra, which tops out at 4.5W, despite Samsung offering the feature for years.
- The real obstacle isn't the charging technology itself — it's the battery: Apple's largest iPhone cell to date sits at 4,685 mAh, and even Samsung's bigger batteries drain noticeably when reverse charging is active.
- To make the feature genuinely usable, Apple may need to push battery capacity toward 5,500 mAh without increasing the phone's thickness — a constraint that has boxed the company in for years.
- Both Apple and Samsung are racing to deploy silicon-carbon battery technology, which promises higher capacity in the same physical footprint, but whether it arrives in time for iPhone 17 remains an open question.
For years, the ability to share power wirelessly between devices has lived quietly in the Android world, largely unnoticed by iPhone users. Now, Apple is reportedly testing reverse wireless charging for its iPhone 17 Pro line — a feature that, if realized, would arrive later than rivals but potentially with greater output. The story is less about a single specification and more about the enduring tension between innovation and restraint, and whether a maturing technology has finally earned its place in Apple's deliberate vision of what a phone should be.
Apple is reportedly testing reverse wireless charging for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max — a capability that would let iPhones wirelessly power other devices for the first time. According to a Weibo source known as Setsuna Digital, the tested output reaches 7.5 watts, which would actually surpass Samsung's current flagship offering of 4.5W on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It's a notable technical edge, even if Apple is arriving to the feature considerably later than its Android competitors.
The practical appeal is easy to imagine: placing a low-battery AirPods case on the back of your iPhone for a quick top-up, no charger required. But the convenience comes with a meaningful catch. Apple's largest iPhone battery to date — the 4,685 mAh cell in the iPhone 16 Pro Max — may not be sufficient to power other devices without leaving the phone itself uncomfortably depleted. Samsung users already experience noticeable battery drain when using the feature, and Samsung's phones carry larger cells.
For reverse charging to work without frustrating trade-offs, Apple would likely need to expand capacity to around 5,500 mAh while keeping the device slim — a challenge that has constrained the company's battery ambitions for years. The potential solution is silicon-carbon battery technology, which both Apple and Samsung are reportedly developing. It promises greater energy density without added thickness, but whether it matures in time for the iPhone 17 generation is still uncertain.
Apple has long moved deliberately on battery technology, favoring reliability over raw numbers. The reverse charging feature remains in testing, and its path to production depends on whether the underlying battery problem gets solved — and whether Apple decides the trade-off is worth making.
Apple is testing reverse wireless charging for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, according to a report from a Weibo user known as Setsuna Digital. If the feature reaches production, it would mark the first time iPhones can wirelessly power other devices—a capability that Android flagships have offered for several years now.
The tested implementation would support up to 7.5 watts of outbound power, which would actually exceed what Samsung's current flagship phones deliver. The Galaxy S25 Ultra and its predecessor, the S24 Ultra, both max out at 4.5 watts. On paper, this gives Apple's approach a technical advantage, even if the company is arriving to the feature considerably later than its competitors.
The practical appeal is straightforward. A user with a low-battery AirPods case or another compatible device could place it on the back of their iPhone to top it up without needing a separate charger. The convenience factor is real, especially in moments when a quick boost matters. But there's a significant catch that Apple hasn't yet solved: the iPhone's battery would need to be substantially larger to make reverse charging truly workable without draining the phone itself.
Currently, the largest battery Apple has ever installed in an iPhone is the 4,685 milliamp-hour cell in the iPhone 16 Pro Max. That's the ceiling. Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra, by contrast, carries a considerably bigger battery, and even that depletes noticeably when reverse charging is active. For Apple to offer this feature without making the iPhone 17 Pro models impractical to use, the company would need to expand battery capacity significantly—perhaps to around 5,500 milliamp-hours—while keeping the phone's thickness in check.
Both Apple and Samsung are reportedly working on silicon-carbon battery technology that could solve this problem. The approach would allow batteries to grow in capacity without forcing phones to become thicker, a constraint that has limited Apple's options for years. Whether Apple will actually implement this breakthrough in time for the iPhone 17 generation remains unclear. The company has a history of adopting features years after competitors prove their value, but it also moves deliberately when it comes to battery technology, prioritizing reliability and longevity over raw capacity.
For now, the reverse charging capability remains in the testing phase, and the battery challenge remains unresolved. If Apple does bring the feature to market, it will likely depend on whether the silicon-carbon technology matures quickly enough and whether the company decides the trade-offs are worth making.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Reverse wireless charging could reach 7.5W on iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, but viability depends on larger batteries— Setsuna Digital (Weibo)
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