Apple Watch SE now ships with the Watch 7 USB-C Magnetic charging cable

According to Apple, the Watch Series 7 will take just 45 minutes to charge from 0% all the way to 80%, but sadly, Apple Watch SE users won’t be able to ripe these fast-charging fruits, as the Watch SE doesn’t support such charging speeds.

There’s a practical benefit, though - the previous Magnetic charger shipped with the Apple Watch SE had a USB-A connector. Most of the charging bricks now feature a USB-C port, making it easier to charge different devices with the same cable.

Another potential benefit is that if you own both the Apple Watch SE and the Series 7, you’ll get two fast-charging USB-C cables, and two potential fast-charging spots for your new Series 7 watch.

You can buy The Magnetic Fast Charger USB-C Cable as a $29 standalone accessory on Apple's store.

Apple is slowly moving toward USB-C but not on the iPhone

MacBooks, iPads - you name it. Apple is moving toward the adoption of the USB-C standard in almost every device, except for the iPhone. Why’s that?

There are several angles to this. If you ask Apple, the company would point out that USB-C is less waterproof than Lightning, and also more fragile.

And while both reasons seem valid, one can’t help but wonder why only the iPhone suffers the consequences? Besides, Android smartphones have been IP68 waterproof for ages, with no water damage reports piling up and making news.

Then there’s fast-charging - USB-C can transfer 100W of power, while the Lightning port can handle a lot less. Data transfer speeds are also way better with the USB-C.

Our Take

The matter is as complicated as they get. It’d be easy to start pointing fingers and accuse Apple of being tyrannical, overprotective, profit-oriented, and reluctant to change. And yeah, some of these might be true but for all practical purposes, Apple just doesn’t need to switch the iPhone to USB-C.

Some say the company wants to keep the additional revenue from licensing Lightning through the MFi, or “made for iPhone” program. But the money is not that big, actually. And with all the loyal iPhone fanbase already owning a Lightning cable/charger of some sort, it’d be a huge transition to make them buy a USB-C and render all Lightning cables they own obsolete.

The future is wireless

Unfortunately, people might not get to see a USB-C-equipped iPhone at all. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple would probably jump to a portless iPhone in the near future, upgrading MagSafe and its wireless charging capabilities.

This move will make future iPhones even more waterproof and durable, and people won’t need to switch to USB-C, for better or for worse. Apple reportedly tested how a portless iPhone can recover/restore data, and there were some rumors that a portless model could make its way inside the iPhone 13 portfolio.

On the other hand, we did a poll not long ago, asking you if you’d buy a portless iPhone, and the results were very clear. Most people think it’s a stupid idea, and point their fingers at wireless charging speeds. So, the future might be wireless but it's also a bit hazy, we'll have to wait and see how things unravel.