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Hands-On With Apple's iPhone 12 and 12 Pro MagSafe Cases

im a little sad. I just got my clear case and un like the silicone ones it is open on the bottom I think I will be returning it since I also got one of the OtterBox ones that I like better for the same price. the apple case also has a camera bump where the OtterBox is flat. they seem to be about the same overall thickness without the bump.
 
The mag-safe's magnet strength may be limited to prevent interference with medical devices such as pacemakers. I don't know much about the limitations but recently bought a lamp that uses magnets for alignment and it came with a warning about keeping it away from pacemakers.
dyson_lightcycle_morph_lamp.jpg
 
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I wonder if the limitations with the strength of the magnets was down to it affecting the internal components. I want to see how Belkin’s car dashboard holder works. Will it literally fall off the moment you leave your drive?
 
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GrumpyMom said:
My product red case and my clear case just arrived along with the mag safe puck. My 11 Pro is currently stuck inside the 12 Pro product red case courtesy of the magnet. Lol. I’ve tried shaking it out and it won’t pop loose. I’ll have to pry it off even though there’s a decent gap at the top. It’s not fitting in there because it’s the right size.

I’m happy with the looks of the cases. I won’t know if I truly like them until my phone is in them and I can see how it feels to press the buttons and overall feel in hand and protection for the phone. But it looks promising. I wasn’t expecting miracles.

I’m not getting the wallet either.

I don’t think they need to update the phone for that. Just fix the magnets in the wallet.
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You’re happy with the look of the clear case with that big white circle on the back? I can’t be the only one who thinks that thing is an abomination.
 
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ouimetnick said:
Not sure what they were going for with the MagSafe name. The whole idea is that MagSAFE is that it keeps the device safe by disconnecting should the cord be tripped over or tugged, hence the SAFE in the name. But it seems it stays attached when picking up the phone. Hopefully this so called MagSafe and the associated accessories aren’t as bad as it seems. Perhaps the phone adds more Meg Eric strength for the wallet?

Seems that the wallet should attach strongly and the charger not so much.
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Strongly agree. The magnet should be strong enough to detach if someone walks into the cable as previous MagSafe chargers did.

The wallet situation does seem bizarre though, and like it might be a worthwhile add on.

Similarly, I was looking forward to the Belkin car cradle and seems like they might not be suitable either.
 
A month ago I broke my iPad Pro 11” 2018 model while changing the volume. How you might ask. It slid out of the expensive smart folio cover. My Apple Care was expired. As far as I’m concerned MagSafe is dead on arrival for me. I’m glad to see people questioning Apple on this. It’s useful for charging and will help Apple go port-less that’s about it. Currently I charge wired with 5W for battery health.
 
The wallet should have been more of a skin, covering the entire backside of the phone with a camera cutout and everything. That would serve two purposes. 1) There isn't as much of a ridge to catch it on when you slide it in your pocket. 2) Having a camera cutout would mean it doesn't slide right off, since the camera is raised, and instead has to be pulled straight off the back.
 
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PTLove said:
The idea of using MagSage for a car dashboard stand are out the window. It will fall out at any decent sized road bump.
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Maybe ... if you were to rely on just a metal plate for the mount and only the magnets in the iPhone, then yeah that would be a weak bond. But the type of mount you're referring to have magnets of their own, and 2 magnets are a much stronger bond than 1 magnet to a metal plate. However, the polarity of the magnet in your dash mount could be such that it repels the iPhone, I guess that there's a 50/50 chance of it working, or not.
 
I'm not going to make excuses for the wallet as I was expecting it to have a much stronger magnet and quite frankly it doesn't look anywhere near strong enough and I did order one along with my Pacific Blue iPhone Pro.

So, initially I was disappointed but having thought about it, the wallet itself could still work for my purposes in that I only intend to carry 2 credit cards and my driving license in future instead of a larger wallet so even though it may not attach to my iPhone Pro as expected it will still work as a standalone wallet and I would imagine it is well made by Apple.

Having said that, I don't think it's worth the £59 that's being charged in the UK. I'll see how I feel when it arrives.
 
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Chrjy said:
I'm not going to make excuses for the wallet as I was expecting it to have a much stronger magnet and quite frankly it doesn't look anywhere near strong enough and I did order one along with my Pacific Blue iPhone Pro.

So, initially I was disappointed but having thought about it, the wallet itself could still work for my purposes in that I only intend to carry 2 credit cards and my driving license in future instead of a larger wallet so even though it may not attach to my iPhone Pro as expected it will still work as a standalone wallet and I would imagine it is well made by Apple.

Having said that, I don't think it's worth the £59 that's being charged in the UK. I'll see how I feel when it arrives.
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I have a 4 card wallet, in leather (no magnet) that I use for overseas travel. (I don’t need all the other junk when travelling). It’s a little bigger than a credit card as you can imagine, cost ~ £10 and very good quality
 
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Infinitewisdom said:
You’re happy with the look of the clear case with that big white circle on the back? I can’t be the only one who thinks that thing is an abomination.
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I’m getting a Caudabe Lucid clear in addition to this Apple Clear case, because I haven’t really made up my mind on it and so I want options. I did initially have a reaction of wtf when I first saw it the keynote.

I think AirPods look horrible in people’s ears. I never got used to the look of those things like little cigarettes dangling from ears, so I tend to avoid looking at them. But I didn’t really know I’d never get used to them until I had to live among them on everyone in my family. If I really don’t like the look of this case in the same way I can’t stand the look of AirPods, then I’ll send it back.

I’m kind of undecided. I may decide it is cute and iconic after all, the way some people have learned to regard AirPods. In other words let’s see if the reality distortion field can work its wonders on my already lame taste.
 
Walletgate? Apple responsible for hundreds/thousands of lost IDs and CCs?

I laughed when I first saw the wallet. Who wants a detachable wallet? You'd never even know it's gone until it's way too late.

I get the magnetic charger. Guaranteed good alignment; phone won't vibrate off. MagSafe is the wrong name for it, though.

The wallet, however, is a bozo bean-counter idea.
 
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Guys, I'm surprised Macrumors and others seem to be missing the clear intent behind Magsafe: the main issue stems from flat inductive chargers being annoying with coils and alignment, many times an iphone won't charge due to misalignment.

Apple tried to solve this with Airpower but failed, in part because having 24 coils was just insane. And no one was going to pay $300 for a charging base that had NASA-grade engineering inside (no joke, look at the patents behind it).

So a simple solution is magnets, you can now place your iPhone on a flat surface and easily know when it 'clicks' in place. Same concept as the Apple Watch. This is the main intent behind Magsafe.

Now having said that, let me point out the following:

1. Wallet magnet is an afterthought, and as such it's a poor idea, as already demonstrated it detaches too easily.
2. Magsafe is a misnomer, Apple just used this name because it brings good memories to anyone familiar with the name, and it's a good marketing strategy, but there is nothing "safe" about it.
3. I'm looking forward to car mounts, I think Magsafe will work great here.
 
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FlyMan07 said:
Walletgate? Apple responsible for hundreds/thousands of lost IDs and CCs?

I laughed when I first saw the wallet. Who wants a detachable wallet? You'd never even know it's gone until it's way too late.

The wallet, however, is a bozo bean-counter idea.
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I'm not suggesting the wallet is a good idea and works but what makes you think you won't know it's gone until it's gone. Couldn't you say the same about any wallet that doesn't have a magnet?

Unless you were holding your phone is some peculiar way I don't see how you would not know if it fell off.
 
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Cmd-Z said:
Maybe ... if you were to rely on just a metal plate for the mount and only the magnets in the iPhone, then yeah that would be a weak bond. But the type of mount you're referring to have magnets of their own, and 2 magnets are a much stronger bond than 1 magnet to a metal plate. However, the polarity of the magnet in your dash mount could be such that it repels the iPhone, I guess that there's a 50/50 chance of it working, or not.
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I agree with you in principle but I haven’t seen anything from Apple that states whether the magnets are in the iPhone or the MagSafe accessory. I assumed they are in the iPhone at first but I’m rethinking that. The Belkin car dash mount description claims it has “stronger” magnets for a firmer grip. I also agree 2 magnets would be stronger still but having to specify magnet orientation by polarity seems excessive and prone to error without stringent testing which drives product cost up, so I don’t expect that to be the case. No pun intended 🙄
 
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