MagSafe: The Best Way to Charge Your iPhone?
One of the new products Apple announced at its recent event was the return of MagSafe, this time as a type of wireless charging rather than the fondly-remembered clip-on magnetic cable. It‘s designed to work with all iPhone 12 models, and it looks like there will be further MagSafe products in the future, including a $129 MagSafe Duo and a multitude of cases and other accessories. It seems like MagSafe is here to stay, so it‘s worth asking the question, is this the way everyone will be charging in the future?
What‘s It All About?
The new iPhone 12 models each come with a ring of magnets embedded in the back, and these surround the regular magnetic coil that‘s used for wireless charging. There‘s nothing particularly special or new about the coil itself, the innovation is the use of magnets to help the charging pad snap on and stay in place. The advantage of this is that the coils will always be perfectly lined up, something that‘s hard to guarantee with a regular wireless charging pad. Sometimes a phone will slide off a charging pad during the night, or be placed carelessly so that it doesn‘t actually begin charging. To brand it as “safe” though seems like a bit of an overstatement, since wireless charging is completely safe with or without magnets. The MagSafe brand does have a degree of cachet with Apple fans though, so it‘s probably best not to think too literally about it.
Only Half of What You Need
Unfortunately, Apple hasn‘t done a particularly good job of informing users that the MagSafe kit is only half of what you‘ll need to actually charge an iPhone 12 in this way. The Amazon page selling the new MagSafe charger is full of negative reviews from customers who didn‘t realize that this kit still needs to be connected to a fast-charging USB-C charger in order to work. Apple doesn‘t provide any charger at all with the iPhone 12, and the old 5W USB-A chargers aren‘t compatible, so the vast majority of users will need to purchase a separate charger. Apple does sell a 20W USB-C charger, but it‘s overpriced and not particularly compact. If you‘re interested in trying the new MagSafe, AUKEY‘s Omnia Mini 20W is a much better option. It‘s much smaller and cheaper, and we think it looks better too.
Is it Really “Wireless”?
The extent to which this technology is actually “wireless” is also up for debate. The advantage of a regular wireless charging pad is that you can pick the phone up freely with one hand, without having to disconnect anything. With MagSafe, the phone is physically tethered to the charger via a cable, the only difference being it‘s connected with magnets rather than through the charging port. If your phone was charging on your bedside table during the night, you‘d still have to use two hands to disconnect the magnetic pad if you wanted to use it.
It should be noted that a truly wireless charging experience is possible using a wireless power bank such as AUKEY‘s Basix Pro Wireless 10000mAh or Basix Pro Wireless 20000mAh. With these, you really can charge without any wires or connections at all, and with the handy built-in stand, the coils will always be well-aligned just like with MagSafe.
Better Ways to Charge Your Apple Gear
The new MagSafe is also compatible with AirPods Pro and AirPods Wireless, and the upcoming MagSafe Duo is designed specifically with Apple Watch in mind. This begs the question, is there a better way for Apple fans to charge all their Apple products wirelessly? AUKEY has a wireless charging station designed specifically for this purpose. Our 3-in-1 wireless charging dock is ideal for charging an iPhone, AirPods, and an Apple Watch all wirelessly and all at the same time. It‘s $10 cheaper than MagSafe with three times the utility and is fully $100 cheaper than MagSafe Duo despite having more features and functionality.
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