The Chinese government wants to ban the use of certain radio frequencies from September 1 because they are also used by aircraft. This affects inductive chargers that are not actually considered as transmitters, but are still active in this spectrum. Apple is allowed to do so, reports the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post Its 15-watt MagSafe charger will no longer be available in the future sell. And according to the report, it probably won’t stop there: other Qi2-compatible chargers will soon become illegal in the People’s Republic.
Advertisement
Beijing: problem case 360 kHz
According to the Ministry of Industry and IT, only the 100 to 148.5 kHz, 6765 to 6795 kHz, and 13553 to 13567 kHz ranges are officially approved for “mobile and portable wireless chargers” in China. The transmission power must not exceed 80 watts – the latter is not a problem for MagSafe and Qi2. However, with the new provision, the 360 kHz used by both technologies is no longer applicable. According to Beijing, this is aimed at avoiding “harmful interference to radio operations”, including “radio communications in the aviation industry”. It also aims to “bring order to the radio spectrum”.
The 12 series iPhones can currently be charged at up to 15 watts. The iPhone 12 mini and 13 mini have a maximum of 12 watts. In the future, only the old MagSafe with 7.5 watts will be allowed to be used at a frequency of 127.7 kHz in China. This will significantly increase loading times. Qi2 is also on the verge of extinction at standard speeds in the country. Production may also be affected.
Loading times in China doubled
According to the new guidelines, it will be prohibited to produce or import unauthorized devices in China in the future. So Apple will have to manufacture its MagSafe devices in other countries like Vietnam or India. It was initially unclear whether this would also affect iPhone production. Products already available to customers should probably continue to be used.
MagSafe is Apple’s proprietary charging standard that combines inductive charging with magnetic alignment. Parts of MagSafe are now included in the Qi2 standard developed by the Wireless Power Consortium. Apple was heavily involved here. Apple already states on its Chinese website that iPhones only support 7.5 watts at 127.7 kHz. Chinese customers will be left behind in terms of wireless charging in the future. Apple will introduce new iPhones on September 9, which may also include improvements to MagSafe, for example through shrunken components.
(B.Sc.)
