Hands-On With Apple's MagSafe Charger for iPhone 12

[gaximus]

I guess...some companies are probably already working on that. But then again, why has no other product like that come to market over the years? Anyone could have made a case with a magnet and and magnetic charger if that was a simple thing to do with existing phones.

Somehow I think MagSafe is a bit more proprietary than that and is going to require and iPhone 12 to work properly.

Its not,(I mean it is proprietary) just no one has really thought about it, or thought that it would be profitable. I'm sure there are some cases out there like this. I remember doing a Kickstarter that was a lightning connector with a magnetic disconnect.

 

[DotCom2]

No one is required to have a brand-new 20w USB-C block. It's new this year, and the old 18 would certainly work as well - or just a $5 generic one from Amazon etc. Or a 5w one - which would just charge much slower.

You do not need to have an Apple branded Wall plug, which I'm sure you know.

I think this is correct. When on the box of the MagSafe it says a 20watt adapter is required that's because they no longer sell the 18 watt so the 20 watt is the lowest they sell for a 15 watt device. I think the 18 watt adapter will work just fine since the MagSafe is only 15 watt.

 

[gaximus]

Dunno if to buy this now or wait for the duo

If the duo is less than $100, I'll be getting one for every member of my house. We don't travel often, we go camping every now and then. But having to sort out 4 phone chargers and 4 watch chargers is such a pain. So many USB ports needed.

 

[Michael Scrip]

I’m a little confused at the thought of this being designed for a nightstand. The cable is meant to go down the bottom of the phone. So you either have the cable going over the front of your nightstand (and drawer if you have one); or, you need to place the bottom of your phone facing the wall to allow the cable to go behind the nightstand.

I think the MagSafe puck can be used in any orientation. It's circular... so it shouldn't matter what direction the cable is.

But... the MagSafe puck is probably not the best charger for nightstand charging duties. According to Apple's marketing videos... it looks like it's designed to stay attached to the phone when you use the phone.

That's the exact opposite of what I want from a Qi charger. I don't want the charger to stick to the phone when I grab it from the nightstand.

 

[ignatius345]

The existing Apple Magsafe puck will always travel with the phone when you pick it up off a nightstand, for example, because it's attached by a magnet.

Is this true? I had assumed that the magnets would be calibrated such that it could still be lifted one-handed without picking up the charge puck itself. If not, I'd definitely think twice because that would indeed be pretty lame! I have a feeling the aftermarket would produce heavier charger, in that case, and that's what I'd probably go for.

 

[DotCom2]

If the duo is less than $100, I'll be getting one for every member of my house. We don't travel often, we go camping every now and then. But having to sort out 4 phone chargers and 4 watch chargers is such a pain. So many USB ports needed.

You got that one right! When we went on vacation there were 3 of us. I was in charge of hardware. 3 watches, 3 phones and 3 iPads! My suitcase looked like spaghetti! So gonna get these!

 

[gaximus]

This charger works and sticks to other iPhones and also some Android phones.
The guys over at Android Central tested the charger with a few different phones and it works surprisingly well with non-Apple devices.
It even helps center itself on the charging coils without the phone having any magnets.

Google Pixel 5 review: Still a great buy — if you can find it

Google spent a lot of time over the past few years coming up with new ways to impress us. In 2020, it impressed me simply by being less ambitious.

www.androidcentral.com

Thats not surprising, its Qi compatible and Qi uses metal coils so I bet the magnets would center themselves on the coils.

 

[Pirate!]

Just had a chat with Apple support, they confirmed 18w charger will work with 15w MagSafe charging.

I posted these in another forum.

There are pics of the chat here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/attachments/4c267abf-e3f0-418f-9212-528103c8e6bf-png.968249/

https://forums.macrumors.com/attachments/6948a4e0-4833-4c20-9b89-560da199daf0-png.968250/

 

[pmas76]

So what I meant about the cable direction is seen below. The verticals line is to line up with the head of the cable where it meets the puck.

But maybe it’s just for the wallet, and I misunderstood. Idk.

If you watch the Apple Keynote, the diagram shown of the MagSafe magnets and internal charging components refers to that little notch as the “orientation magnet”. It has nothing to do with the plug (although i agree that it does look like it’s placed there to mimic a plug). Basically the little notch is an extra magnet that is used to help the iPhone stay in either landscape or portrait orientation when used on various different types of stands and chargers. Otherwise, for example when placing the phone in landscape mode on an aftermarket MagSafe charger, it would have a tendency to spin to portrait orientation.

 

[Caliber26]

I believe the bolded is wrong. While it's nice to have 20w, it's not REQUIRED to make the MagSafe work.

I interpreted the part where they state “20W USB-C Power Adapter sold separately” as meaning that 20W is required.

If it’ll work with the 18W adapter I got with my iPhone last year, that’s great news.

 

[decypher44]

If you watch the Apple Keynote, the diagram shown of the internals of the MagSafe magnets and internals refers to that little notch as the “orientation magnet”. It has nothing to do with the plug (although i agree that it does look like it’s placed there to mimic a plug). Basically the little notch is an extra magnet that is used to help the iPhone stay in either landscape or portrait orientation when used on various different types of stands and chargers. Otherwise, for example when placing the phone in landscape mode on an aftermarket MagSafe charge, it would have a tendency to spin to portrait orientation.

Yup. That makes sense to me. Thanks!

 

[gmanjeff]

How would they possibly own all these existing 20W USB-C blocks?

The “30 existing USB blocks” that vast majority of people own won’t work with MagSafe. You fail to remember that USB-A is what Apple has included with devices over the last 10+ years. But now they are literally forcing them to buy a USB-C charger if they want to use this new MagSafe charger.

In fact, MagSafe won’t even work with the 18W USB-C chargers that came with the newer iPad Pros and iPhone 11 Pros! Considering how MagSafe caps at 15W of wireless charging, this makes absolutely no sense, other than prompting customers to spend another $19 on a 20W adapter.

I received my new MagSafe charger today and can confirm that it works with the 18W USB-C block included with the iPhone 11 Pro. In addition, I just got off the phone with a guy from Apple Support and he confirmed that the same 18W block can maximize new MagSafe wireless charging (up to 15W) on iPhone 12s. No need to get new 20W adapter.

 

[GizmoDVD]

I interpreted the part where they state “20W USB-C Power Adapter sold separately” as meaning that 20W is required.

If it’ll work with the 18W adapter I got with my iPhone last year, that’s great news.

Yep, someone confirmed above this post the 18w adapter works fine.

 

[kognos]

Is this true? I had assumed that the magnets would be calibrated such that it could still be lifted one-handed without picking up the charge puck itself. If not, I'd definitely think twice because that would indeed be pretty lame! I have a feeling the aftermarket would produce heavier charger, in that case, and that's what I'd probably go for.

In full disclosure, I'm making an assumption here. But think about it. It's a super light magnetized item designed to affix to your phone using that magnet. How does this release when you pick up your phone? We are always going to have to do some extra work to remove the magsafe from the phone if we are picking it up off the nightstand in a sleepy haze.

And look, I don't want to be casting shade over Apple here and I know magnets are magic, but really, there's no way that puck isn't going to travel with your phone, unless you invest in some tape to hold the puck down on the nightstand, or get a MagSafe charger that its own weight offsets the magnet pull of the device.

 

[MVMNT]

What's the safe part of MagSafe this time around?

The original intention of MagSafe was that the adherent tolerances of the magnets were just enough that too much force would release the charger from the laptop so it wouldn't go flying.

These seem pretty strong, so if someone catches your charge cable, that puck is taking you phone with it.

Safe.

 

[GizmoDVD]

In full disclosure, I'm making an assumption here. But think about it. It's a super light magnetized item designed to affix to your phone using that magnet. How does this release when you pick up your phone? We are always going to have to do some extra work to remove the magsafe from the phone if we are picking it up off the nightstand in a sleepy haze.

And look, I don't want to be casting shade over Apple here and I know magnets are magic, but really, there's no way that puck isn't going to travel with your phone, unless you invest in some tape to hold the puck down on the nightstand, or get a MagSafe charger that its own weight offsets the magnet pull of the device.

Thats. The. Point.

Apple wants this for a specific reason - to dump the lightening port in the future (I'd guess iPhone 14), but already have the tools in place to offers a "wireless" charging experience not reliant on Qi (where it has to be on a pad to charge). MagSafe lets you charge AND use the phone at the same time, unlike Qi.

 

[DotCom2]

It will only be a few more days before people start getting their phones and using the MagSafe and giving us feedback. Even different sizes/weights of phones will enter into the equation. The convenience factor and faster wireless charging just does it for me and it makes no difference if I have to hold my pinkie on the cable to get my phone off or not. I WANT IT!

 

[Musocat]

"Any idea how long the cord is?"

Go to Apple's product page. The answer awaits you.

 

[IsaacM]

That’s my biggest gripe with this charger. The size and quality of the cable aren’t very enticing.

If they would’ve allowed it to work with any USB-C cable, it would’ve been an instant buy for me. Much rather use my 6-foot braided Anker cable — better quality and not I’m not restricted to 3-feet. Plus not everyone’s nightstand has an electrical socket directly behind it.

Oddly enough, the yet-to-be released MagSafe Duo charger does appear to have a removable cable.

Agree.

If the cable breaks, we need to buy a new charger. Not very "environmentally friendly" of Apple.

 

[Jim Coblentz]

You can purchase a new Clear Case with MagSafe for $49.00 or better yet $83.25/month for 12 months!

 

[Mavman]

By the time you pay for shipping or even have prime may as well pay the extra 3-4.00 for apple’s 20w charger

 

[DotCom2]

Thats. The. Point.

Apple wants this for a specific reason - to dump the lightening port in the future (I'd guess iPhone 14), but already have the tools in place to offers a "wireless" charging experience not reliant on Qi (where it has to be on a pad to charge). MagSafe lets you charge AND use the phone at the same time, unlike Qi.

We all need to send Feedback to Apple that a user changeable cable is needed. "MagSafe 2".

You can purchase a new Clear Case with MagSafe for $49.00 or better yet $83.25/month for 12 months!

 

[GizmoDVD]

Can other companies make "MagSafe" pucks?

We all need to send Feedback to Apple that a user changeable cable is needed. "MagSafe 2".

No, it's not.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I would not have figured that this would've worked. Still though, I can wait until I have a MagSafe iPhone to get MagSafe. So long as I put it on the charger before going to sleep, Qi should be sufficient.

 

[Biorunner]

Are iPhone 11s and 12s the same size?

Will a 12 case fit an 11?

From what I've seen on YouTube it doesn't appear so. The 11s seem to be weirdly wider or maybe it's just that they're thicker.