It could be free and I still wouldn't use it.
I haven't plugged in since 2015, but then again, I haven't owned an Apple phone since the iPhone 4s.
Portless is going to be a nightmare if Apple doesn’t figure this out. In theory you can backup and transfer files from a Mac to an iOS device that are on the same network, but in practice this never works. It either fails to load, fails to recognize the transfer or just fails halfway through the process. For someone like me that routinely transfers audio files and photos directly going portless would be enough of a deal breaker to get me to quit iOS completely.
I have a hard time seeing this as anything but a travel accessory. Sure you could use it on your nightstand, and pack it when you travel, but it doesn't have the "polished and permanent" look of something that would be out and in use daily. I could carry it to work and use it there, but I never charge my watch at work, so a regular charger, MagSafe or otherwise, is fine.
My issue isn’t with price, it’s with the sorry design work by Apple. I own that watch charger and it is great, but this duo charger fails at its primary purpose. Their premier MagSafe/Watch charger lifts up when you pick up the phone. They should have went with some kind of reusable adhesive on the bottom to allow for MagSafe alignment with a normal wireless charger usability’s being able to just grab the phone. As a nightstand charger any Qi device beats this in usability.
It eliminates the chance of misalignment that some of experienced with Qi chargers, i.e. not finding that sweet spot and waking up to an uncharged iPhone. The magnets guarantee the MagSafe puck be aligned and charge at capacity.
Given Apple’s history with the Smart and Magic Keyboards for iPad I was worried about this.
Which is actually a pretty big deal - poor alignment is, in my experience, a massive drawback with many chargers. In fact I specifically bought a rectangular one the size of my phone so I could position it correctly by touch alone.
Yeah, I actually bought my wife the Nomad base station with Apple Watch charger and she got so frustrated with finding the sweet spot on it with her 8+. We traded for my Mophie charge pad, and bingo bongo, it worked better for her and I’ve no issue using the Nomad. Magnetic alignment just eliminates any user error.
I've had that happen once, misaligning the charger, but that's once out of hundreds of times over the last couple years of overnight charging. MagSafe has uses cases yet to come that are of more value to me than a stationary charging pad and a wallet. I'm not sold on this feature yet but time – and accessories – will tell.
It’s hit or miss for some, as I related in the experience above, but by and large a non issue for most I would say. I only ever experience misses when wireless charging my AirPods. I suspect that the smaller Qi footprint on the AirPods makes it harder for me to know when I’ve made a good connection wirelessly. Seems like a 50/50 chance I will get it right. This is on a Nomad base station. On my combo desk light/Qi charger, where my XS charges reliably, charging the AirPods won’t work.
