MagSafe Charges 2x Slower Than Wired 20W USB-C Charger

[MacRumors]

Apple's MagSafe charger charges over two-times slower than a wired 20W USB-C charger, according to a new iPhone 12 video review from the Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern.

Screencap from video review​

The review of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro was generally critical of Apple's MagSafe technology, explaining that the idea seems to be better in theory than in practice.

Although Stern found that the MagSafe charger charged the iPhone 12 faster than a traditional 7.5W Qi wireless charger, it was still slower than plugging directly into a 20W charger. The 20W charger charged an empty iPhone to 50% in only 28 minutes, while the MagSafe took 1 hour.

The full video review covers other aspects of the new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro:

The review was also critical of the fact that the combined cost of the MagSafe charger and a 20W power adapter was $58 combined, and that the MagSafe charger's cable is less than a yard in length.



Article Link: MagSafe Charges 2x Slower Than Wired 20W USB-C Charger

 

[Freeangel1]

that sucks.

 

[Kylo83]

ive said its just a gimmick and pointless

 

[and 1989 others]

Induction charging has always been slower than a direct connection. MagSafe should be no different.

Personally I see no inconvenience in wired charging for half an hour.

 

[lestmak]

Umm, no surprise there.... 20W wired vs 15W MagSafe vs 7.5W Qi. What would one expect?

 

[Mutepointer]

No one should be shocked by this non story.

 

[Moi Ici]

I’m surprised Apple talked this up so much as something almost revolutionary and that THEY had finally found a way to do it properly. For the price of that charger, I might just be sending it back to apple, I thought it would be a somewhat fast charge.

 

[farewelwilliams]

i’m personally looking forward to magsafe batteries

 

[FishyFish]

Who charges their phone still in 2020. Yawn

 

[rjp1]

i’m personally looking forward to magsafe batteries

Did you see the videos of the wallet falling off the back? Imagine how easy a battery will fall off.

I hope they will just make the usual battery case.

 

[luccalabs]

Well no ****. Induction charging is also terrible for the environment comparably. I believe in the best tests they got 30-40% more energy being used.

 

[robinp]

2x slower is a really bad way of saying 'half the speed'

 

[eulslix]

Umm, no surprise there.... 20W wired vs 15W MagSafe vs 7.5W Qi. What would one expect?

Except that it charges at half the speed of the wired solution, so those numbers don't scale linearity to the respective efficiency

 

[dannys1]

Except that it charges at half the speed of the wired solution, so those numbers don't scale linearity to the respective efficiency

Because induction charging is incredibly inefficient too, so you send 15w to get about 8-9w charging, where as with the direct charge you're using 20w to get about 19w charging.

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

Zero surprise, basically a non-issue. If people want fast charge times, plug in the cable - it's likely to be quicker than most forms of wireless charging.

However, I do worry slightly that if Apple do decide to remove the Lightning port soon, that option wouldn't exist... which would be a pain.

 

[ian87w]

What Apple should do is to divide the battery in iPhones into two units, with each being able to charge separately. This is what many Android OEMs are doing. That way, you are essentially "double" your current charging speed as you are not charging one huge battery, but charging two smaller batteries at the same time.

Come on Apple, even Xiaomi figured this out.

Meanwhile, Huawei is doing 50W wireless charging...

 

[giggles]

Can someone receiving it today please test 0-100%?

0-50% is not representative of the whole 0-100 charge as both will slow down but maybe the usb-c disproportionally.

I mean, usb-c 20W will still destroy magsafe, but not this much.
0-50% is literally the range where the 20W charger sprints like Usain Bolt.

 

[Mutepointer]

I’m surprised Apple talked this up so much as something almost revolutionary and that THEY had finally found a way to do it properly. For the price of that charger, I might just be sending it back to apple, I thought it would be a somewhat fast charge.

Good decision to send it back. Apple should be told that there are no more sheep who are going to waste any more money at apple.

 

[duanepatrick]

2x slower is a really bad way of saying 'half the speed'

That's how media gets attention.

 

[Oblivious.Robot]

Magsafe is something that I don't understand at all, if it sticks to the iPhone doesn't that negate the benefits of wireless charging? If it's not place and forget, might as well use the lightning port for faster charging?

Honestly, ever since I got the X about 3 years ago I have had the same 20$ wireless charging stand and it has worked perfectly.

 

[Dreamer2go]

I rather charge my phone with USB-C.... but whatever, corporate greed from Apple still selling MFI products.

 

[Expos of 1969]

Good decision to send it back. Apple should be told that there are no more sheep who are going to waste any more money at apple.

But the sad reality is that there are still plenty of those who gladly hand over money for anything Apple makes, no matter how overpriced, poor quality, not very functional etc.

 

[Moakesy]

Why is this a story?

Is there anyone out there who believed MagSafe was as quick as wired charging?

A better comparison would be MagSafe vs a standard Qi charger at the same wattage.

 

[Ralfi]

🤔 would’ve hoped for it to be 45 minutes for the MagSafe (1/2 that of the 7.5w Qi wireless charger).

Apple still on the conservative side when it comes to wireless charging...probably erring on the side of caution re: Battery longevity.

 

[StellarVixen]

All these years, all this forcing of “wireless” and “portless” future, and cable is still the king.

Some things “just work”.