Deiter Bohn with The Verge did a hands on with this a few weeks ago, echoing many of the criticisms here. He noted that the Duo wasn’t heavy enough to disconnect without putting downward pressure on it. To be fair, this is a minor issue compared to criticism in general.
I am having the same issue. I can charge either the 12PM or the watch but not at the same time.
Wait. You’re saying you have the Duo and you can’t get both sides to work simultaneously? With what adapter are you using?
Oh wow you're right, when I take the watch off MagSafe starts working. This was so poorly engineered.
Just for the heck of it, I tried my MBP 87W adapter and they're both charging. So it seems the issue isn't the wattage being too high, it seems like a problem limited to the 29w adapter.
I don’t buy Belkin. Their $140 3-in-1 charger I bought in March doesn’t work with my iPhone 12 Pro Max (while my Mophie chargers work just fine.) Plus the MagSafe Duo takes up less space and folds for travel. I look forward to receiving mine tomorrow.
What a mess. Dan said he was using the 20 watt charger and the video shows both charging. You either have a bad unit or some really shoddy engineering occurred with this product.
I don't think the issue is with the MagSafe Duo itself. I tried it with 4 different USB C adapters and the 29w adapter is the only one I had an issue with. And one other poster who also used a 29w adapter had an issue with that one.
Charge time is irrelevant to me as long as a night rest fills it up. Especially with the battery in the 11. I’ve never ran it dry in a day no matter what I do.
All the more reason they should have included an adapter. I’m still skeptical about MagSafe. I don’t know if it’s the reason one of my Qi chargers won’t work with my 12 or if it’s something else. Apple won’t acknowledge the issue beyond directing me to the community forums or starting a support ticket.
I'm texting apple support right now about it. I don't know if it's an issue with the adapter or charger itself, but I'll see what they say.
Not off to a good start. I said I'm having an issue with my MagSafe Duo and they sent me to a Mac specialist...
Apple on Tuesday finally released the MagSafe Duo Charger, which is a $129 charger that combines an iPhone 12 MagSafe charger with an Apple Watch charging puck.
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We picked up one of the new MagSafe Duo chargers to see if it's worth Apple's super high asking price.
Apple first introduced the MagSafe Duo alongside the new iPhone 12 models in October, but until its surprise release on Tuesday, there was no word on when it would come out. It's available from the Apple online store now, and also some retail stores in the United States.
The MagSafe Duo is made from a white material with a book-style design. One half has a MagSafe charger that attaches magnetically to iPhone 12 models, while the other half has an Apple Watch charging puck. The Apple Watch charging puck can be used flat or it can pop up so you can charge the Apple Watch in Nightstand mode, but the MagSafe charger remains flat. The design is simple and clean, and it folds over neatly, something that will be great for future travel.
On the surface, the MagSafe Duo looks like a decent charging option, but at its price point, there are compromises to be aware of. It does not ship with a power adapter so you need to purchase one or use one that you already own, and there are charging limitations.
The MagSafe Charger on its own can charge an iPhone 12 at up to 15W with Apple's 20W USB-C charger, but if you use that same 20W USB-C charger with the MagSafe Duo, an iPhone 12 will be limited to a maximum of 11W. You can use a 27W+ charger instead and it will charge at up to 14W, but it is not able to hit that 15W maximum. Apple's 20W USB-C Power Adapter costs $19, and the 30W version is $49, so adding on a charger raises the cost of the MagSafe Duo quite a bit.
There have also been some MagSafe Charger charging limitations with certain power adapters that are PD 3.0 compatible, and that may also be a concern with the MagSafe Duo.
At the $129 price point, the MagSafe Duo really should have come with a power adapter rather than just a USB-C to Lightning cable. A standalone Apple Watch charging puck is $29 and a MagSafe Charger is $39 for a total of $68, but Apple is charging close to twice that to connect them together.
There are plenty of wireless charging options that are well over $100, but most of those include power adapters. There aren't any other multi-device MagSafe charging options that are available at the current time, but third-party manufacturers are working on solutions that might be better than what Apple is offering.
So who should buy this? Apple fans who have an Apple Watch and an iPhone 12 and who plan to travel often will likely find the MagSafe Duo useful, but it's not a must-have accessory nor is it any kind of deal, which is worth keeping in mind. We recommend waiting to see what kind of third-party accessories come out in the next few months.
Article Link: Hands-On With Apple's New MagSafe Duo Charger for iPhone 12 and Apple Watch
Your hot take is absolutely ridiculous.
Thanks for the heads up on this. I was going to get a Mophie or Belkin but in reality I don’t need to charge my AirPods case that often and my watch I wear more at night for sleep tracking and alarms and just throw on. But I would prefer my phone to be easily picked up. And at $28 that’s way better than $130.
The 29W charger (which was replaced with the 30 at some point), uses a particular voltage that doesn't work well with some chargers. I have the same one and I won't work with my Apple Watch charger.
