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

ian87w said:
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... :D
Click to expand...

I mean I really don’t care to have my phone charge that fast. I sleep at night for at least 6 hours and that’s when my phone charges. This race to super fast charge phones is killer on battery longevity.
 
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Skoal said:
What’s the point of a charger that isn’t in fact “safe” like the original MagSafe was and most of all why would Apple think we want to carry around a LARGER device than a lightning or USB-C cable everywhere we go so we can keep our phones charged?
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Choice of name is questionable. But it is safer (for the phone) than a Lightning plug stuck into it. It is easy to apply forces to a Lightning connector and I suspect damage can readily be cause. (Have managed to avoid so doing but it has always been a concern.)

I am rather hoping that a new iPhone will mean I don't have to keep charging several times a day as my 6s now needs! To the extent that the only out-of-home charging I anticipate, for the first couple of years or more, is when using it for satnav purposes. If needed solely in that role, a MagSafe puck would not be a problem - other than deciding to pay that much for one!

Perhaps I am being over-optimistic?
 
Skoal said:
Is usb-c faster than lightning?
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Lightning:
5 Volts DC 1.8 Amps

Latest USB specs:
USB Type-C: 5 V, 3 A
USB Power Delivery: 20 V, 5 A

Of course, they can only deliver that if the supplying adaptor is capable. Many times, the power available will be well below these maximum specs.

SuperSpeed USB:
5 V 900 mA
 
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I7guy said:
Not having wireless charging in 2021, would give Apple a bigger PR headache than people complaining about battery size and/or battery life. I don't think it's an either/or proposition if you look at the tear-down and see how the coil is situated on these phones.
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You’ll notice that my point was hypothetical, “if”.

I’m merely stating a preference if the choice existed.
 
Moakesy said:
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.
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I would like to see different adapters for the MagSafe. 5, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 30...And I don't get why if the loss is at the pad, why do you need 20W instead of 15?
 
compwiz1202 said:
I don't get why if the loss is at the pad, why do you need 20W instead of 15?
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Loss is in the interaction of the two coils -- coil in the pad driving the coil inside the phone.

So for the inside coil to be able to provide 15W charging the outside coil/pad has to be driven at more than 15W.

An imperfect analogy but if you need to fill a 15oz cup and expect to spill a quarter of what you're pouring, you best bring 20oz of water.
 
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polyphenol said:
How about a dongle-like device that plugs into a car and provides wireless CarPlay?
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What I've read of these at this point seems kind of hit and miss - works well with some vehicles, not so well with others.

That said, for vehicles with double-DIN (and even single-DIN), there are wireless Carplay headunits available that apparently work pretty well.
 
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Please don't say "2x Slower". We don't measure "slowness". We measure speed. Ie, fastness. "MagSafe Charges At Half the Speed of Wired 20W USB-C Charger". Thank you. Now I feel better.😅
 
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deeddawg said:
What I've read of these at this point seems kind of hit and miss - works well with some vehicles, not so well with others.

That said, for vehicles with double-DIN (and even single-DIN), there are wireless Carplay headunits available that apparently work pretty well.
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They definitely need a dongle that is affordable and compatible with as many car models as possible. A new headunit is definitely not affordable for everyone
 
compwiz1202 said:
They definitely need a dongle that is affordable and compatible with as many car models as possible. A new headunit is definitely not affordable for everyone
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Also not available for everyone either - there are many systems with displays that simply can't be replaced with an aftermarket setup.
 
az431 said:
Corporate greed?

please tell me that you’re familiar with the concept of a for-profit business.
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Apple can use USB-C, so peripheral makers don't need to pay the "Made for iPhone" lighting port licensing fee for these new iPhones... but they chose not to.
If USB-C functions exactly the same, and better, than Lightning, and Apple STILL chose not to opt for USB0C, then it's not a concept of "familiar" or not, it's written all over their profile.
 
polyphenol said:
Lightning:
5 Volts DC 1.8 Amps

Latest USB specs:
USB Type-C: 5 V, 3 A
USB Power Delivery: 20 V, 5 A

Of course, they can only deliver that if the supplying adaptor is capable. Many times, the power available will be well below these maximum specs.

SuperSpeed USB:
5 V 900 mA
Click to expand...
Not completely accurate. A USB-C to Lightning cable does deliver more than 5V@1.8A (e.g. the latest iPad 8th gen comes with a 20W USB-C adapter and connects using Lightning, which would suggest it delivers up to 4A)...
 
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polyphenol said:
Surely that is in addition to the wall wart or whatever USB-C source you have?
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USB_A, B or C is already low voltage DC so no transformer to step the voltage up or down is needed. I don’t know what safety standards apply for commercial small device power supplies that convert household AC to DC but I’m willing to bet that the output voltage has to be under 48 volts and might need to be 32 volts or less. I work in factory and industrial areas and not consumer products.
 
In the end, I'm still using a USB-A to Lightning charging connection of 12 watts/2.4 amperes for my iPhone 12. Works for me so far! (And saved my self $15 to $20 for a USB-C charger plug.)
 
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