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Unlike the iPhone 16e, the iPhone 17 Air is Expected to Feature MagSafe

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The rumored iPhone 17 Air will support MagSafe, according to Digital Chat Station, an account with millions of followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The account has a decent track record with Apple product rumors.

magsafe-dark-blue.jpeg

In a post yesterday, the account said all of the iPhone 17 dummy models shared by Sonny Dickson over the weekend are accurate. They said the dummy models align with their own information that they received, including all four iPhone 17 models supporting MagSafe for magnetic wireless charging and magnetic accessories.

"The entire series has MagSafe," the post says, in computer-translated English.

It was not entirely clear if the iPhone 17 Air would support MagSafe given the feature is missing on the lower-end iPhone 16e.

Article Link: Unlike the iPhone 16e, the iPhone 17 Air is Expected to Feature MagSafe
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/03/18/iphone-17-air-magsafe-expected/
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"It was not entirely clear if the iPhone 17 Air would support MagSafe given the feature is missing on the lower-end iPhone 16e."

That is BS. There was absolutely no one wondering if MagSafe would be dropped from the next gen iPhone just because it was omitted from the budget model. This is "slow news day" content.
 
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nutmac said:
The omission isn't a big deal. I upgraded my kid's iPhone to 16e, along with ESR's magnetic case. While it charges at slower 7.5W (which is better for the battery health), the magnet is just as strong as MagSafe, if not stronger.
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Agree completely. Most of the world uses cases - not all, but most. So even those with MagSafe in their phones still rely on their MagSafe case to hold and charge. So the only real issue is slower charging. That omission was blown way out of proportion. Honestly, it makes a case for MagSafe being a case-only thing going forward. But there is that small percentage that like to go caseless!
 
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But you can literally add 'Magsafe' to any iPhone with a case with it built in??.. the only reason the 16e hasn't got some magnets glued in its back cover is cost, nothing else.
 
Sandstorm said:
OMG, I totally missed that the 16E does not have MagSafe. Good to know! That’s an absolute dealbreaker for me. I was considering it as an upgrade for my parents’ 12/12 Pro, but we all use MagSafe extensively.
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I ended up recommending the iPhone 15 to my less tech-y family members as some carriers had it at the same cost as the iPhone 16e. Only significant loss I saw was on RAM. And since they’re not AI driven users the 15 made the most sense for them. Especially with the brighter display, extra camera lens and the simplicity of the mute switch.
 
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nutmac said:
The omission isn't a big deal. I upgraded my kid's iPhone to 16e, along with ESR's magnetic case. While it charges at slower 7.5W (which is better for the battery health), the magnet is just as strong as MagSafe, if not stronger.
Click to expand...

This just makes it stranger though. Why give it wireless charging but not MagSafe?

Either way, I don't think Apple expected such a strong reaction so I expect it to be the last iPhone to ship without MagSafe until MagSafe itself goes away.
 
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System603 said:
How so? If you’re referring to EU Directive 2022/2380 and related regulations, then no. A phone without wired charging is not subject to them and does not need to have a USB Type-C port.
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Which ironically makes them more likely to make a completely port-less one, which to me would be inferior. But I have a strong feeling they are going to try sooner rather than later. They love taking things away that people want and adding things they don't lately. The trend they're on now, they'll put a button there instead.
 
CarAnalogy said:
This just makes it stranger though. Why give it wireless charging but not MagSafe?

Either way, I don't think Apple expected such a strong reaction so I expect it to be the last iPhone to ship without MagSafe until MagSafe itself goes away.
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Apple made the 16e without MagSafe to differentiate separate the lineup. With the strong reaction did it back fire 🔥 on them? Possibly? The big question is will they include MagSafe in their next “e” iPhone? Hard to tell as Apple 🍎 likes big profits at the end of the day. So I will say they will continue to differentiate and make you pay $200 extra to get MagSafe. 🧲 📱

Keep in mind Apple’s main target for the 16e are businesses and enterprises and they will buy the 16e in bulks and bunches and then give them to all their employees to do their jobs.
 
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cdsapplefan said:
Apple made the 16e without MagSafe to differentiate separate the lineup. With the strong reaction did it back fire 🔥 on them? Possibly? The big question is will they include MagSafe in their next “e” iPhone? Hard to tell as Apple 🍎 likes big profits at the end of the day. So I will say they will continue to differentiate and make you pay $200 extra to get MagSafe. 🧲 📱

Keep in mind Apple’s main target for the 16e are businesses and enterprises and they will buy the 16e in bulks and bunches and then give them to all their employees to do their jobs.
Click to expand...

I guess I miss the days when everyone had the same iPhone and you could expect a standard feature set. I see MagSafe as more of a utility than a potential upsell. Clearly Apple sees it differently. Even enterprises would find uses for it and in the end Apple could sell more accessories for it.

They need to be careful with this fragmentation. This is why I don't like supporting Android phones. If a user has an iPhone I know what to expect based on the year it was made which is reasonable considering technology moves forward. But with an Android phone I have no idea what to expect no matter when it was made. Apple needs to be careful about maintaining that advantage, in my opinion.

And as you say, if it's supposed to be an enterprise phone, that's very important. MagSafe may not be the line that causes a problem, but it's just strange to me and hopefully doesn't portend more of the same.
 
CarAnalogy said:
Which ironically makes them more likely to make a completely port-less one, which to me would be inferior. But I have a strong feeling they are going to try sooner rather than later. They love taking things away that people want and adding things they don't lately. The trend they're on now, they'll put a button there instead.
Click to expand...
“First, they came for the headphone jack, and I fought back—well, sort of...
I ranted online, swore I'd never buy an iPhone again…
Then I bought the new iPhone.

Then they came for USB-C… and, well, that was kinda that.
There were no other ports left.

So… I bought the new iPhone. Still better than searching for Lightning cable, I guess.”

— Me, in a few years, probably.
 
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