For iPhone models updated to iOS 17 and later, a "Battery Health & Charging" option will be added to the "Battery" option in the settings, allowing users to confirm the current maximum battery charge capacity percentage. It can also turn on the optimized battery charging function, allowing the iPhone to learn daily charging habits and pause when the battery is charged to 80%, thereby avoiding overcharging of the battery and causing a decrease in service life.
iOS 17 adds more battery charging flexibility, and the iPhone 15 series has higher charging flexibility and information transparency.
A similar function has actually been available on Mac models through the latest macOS update, and similar designs have also been proposed by manufacturers for Android models. For example, Sony's Xperia series phones can learn the user's main charging habits. For example, if the user often leaves the phone to charge while sleeping, the system will control the phone's battery level at 80% until the user is about to get up and use the phone, at which time the phone will be arranged to continue to charge the battery (of course, if the user suddenly changes the wake-up time, the phone's battery level may remain at 80%).
However, this feature will be slightly different in the iPhone 15 series, allowing users greater autonomy, including the option to have the system automatically optimize charging or limit it to a maximum of 80% power. Users can also turn this feature off to have greater control over charging methods.
Another unique feature of the iPhone 15 series is that it will display iPhone battery information in the "General" option in the settings through "About This Device", including the actual production time and the first use date. It can also display the actual number of complete charge and discharge cycles of the iPhone battery, making it easier for users to understand the actual usage of the iPhone battery. It can also serve as an important reference for users who want to purchase a second-hand iPhone in the future.
The iPhone 15 series can be turned into a "power bank", but it is mainly for emergency use
As for the replacement of the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 series and the ability to reversely output power through the USB-C port, it actually means that another iPhone can be charged via a USB-C cable.
If you use a USB-C to Lightning cable to connect an iPhone 15 series and an older iPhone with a Lightning port, the iPhone 15 series will become a "power bank" to charge the older iPhone. But interestingly, if you use a USB-C to USB-C cable to connect two iPhone 15 series models, the iPhone 15 series with the higher battery will become a "power bank" to charge the iPhone 15 series with the lower battery.
As for using the USB-C port and corresponding cable of the iPhone 15 series models, there is naturally no problem charging the newer AirPods Pro 2, which is also designed with a USB-C port. However, you can also use the USB-C to Lightning cable to charge the AirPod Pro 2, which uses a Lightning port design. It is even possible to charge AirPods launched earlier. And by combining Apple Watch charging accessories with iPhone 15 series models, you can naturally charge the Apple Watch.
However, hoping to achieve perpetual power by connecting a MagSafe power bank and its corresponding cable to the iPhone 15 series' USB-C port is a mistake. After all, power loss is converted into heat and dissipates. Furthermore, the actual output power of the iPhone 15 series' USB-C port cannot exceed 4.5W, making it incapable of recharging power banks that require higher power.
Although the iPhone 15 series can be charged through the USB-C port and corresponding accessories, the actual charging efficiency is quite low and can only be used for emergencies at most, such as allowing the iPhone to use Apple Pay to pay unfinished bills, use it for rides, or make emergency calls.
Furthermore, since the actual output power is less than 4.5W, the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 series can actually connect accessories that naturally operate at low power, such as card readers, flash drives, or low-power mice and keyboards (yes). As for charging an iPhone 15 series device, as long as it meets the USB-C connection specifications and is a safe and reliable cable, it should be easy to use.
