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MagSafe Charger - Do Not Buy It!

7:18 video

This is the MagSafe charger for the iPhone 12. I’ve been pretty hard on it in my last few videos. After a week of using it, is it any good?

What MagSafe is

When Apple announced the iPhone 12, it reintroduced MagSafe as a circular set of magnets in the back that allow wireless chargers and new accessories to attach. The idea is simple: magnets in the iPhone align with magnets in the charger to keep the charger connected and centered on the charging coil, so you don’t wake up with a dead battery. That’s the biggest issue with regular Qi wireless chargers: if you don’t place the phone directly over the coil, it won’t charge properly, and even a notification vibration can move a phone out of alignment. Apple tried to solve this with the AirPower pad that never reached the market (I guess because of overheating), and Xiaomi developed a pad that detects where you place a device and moves the coil. MagSafe is simpler: a more secure connection and proper placement, and up to 15 W wireless charging versus 7.5 W with a standard Qi charger. That sounds good. Here’s what I don’t like.

Problems

  1. You need two hands to remove it. One benefit of wireless charging is that you place the phone on the pad and pick it up and walk away. With MagSafe, the connection is easy (put the phone over the puck and it snaps on), but to disconnect, you need to pick up the puck too. If you’re spending money to charge wirelessly and still do what you’d do with a cord, that’s no benefit to me.
  2. The cord is three feet. Commenters said the benefit is for gamers who want to charge while playing without a cord in the way. I plugged it into an outlet next to a chair and played a racing game for a long time, and when I moved forward to stretch, the cord and charger got ripped right out of the wall. Even sitting right next to the outlet, adjusting my seating position pulled it out. If you want it on a desk, the desk better be against an outlet, and a deep desk may not reach unless the charger is at the far edge, which is even more inconvenient since you need to reach back with two hands to disconnect.
  3. Finding a place for it. Maybe the kitchen (but you’d stand), or a dark, empty hallway with a power outlet, a chair, a table and a plant for my “charging station.” That only works if you have those.
  4. No charger in the box. I used an Anker USB-C charger because this $40 puck doesn’t come with one: Apple expects you to already have one or to buy Apple’s 20 W charger for another $20. For $60, you can almost get three RAVPower wireless pads with power adapters.
  5. You only get 15 W with Apple’s specific 20 W adapter. Any equivalent or even faster charger drops you to 10 W wireless, just 2.5 W more than a standard Qi charger.

Compared with a cable

Say you don’t mind the short cord and two-handed removal and have no issue paying $60 for the charger and adapter, because of the faster charging than standard wireless. Then it still provides zero benefit over a USB-C to Lightning cable and a 30 W adapter, which can charge the iPhone at 20 W or more, and a Lightning cable comes in the box. So you don’t need to spend $60 for a wireless pad with no benefits.

Verdict

Do not buy this Apple MagSafe charger: it provides zero benefit for regular charging, with maybe the exception of playing a game on the floor next to a power outlet. I’m not saying MagSafe is a bad idea: I think its future will be great, with new accessories, third-party charging docks and car docks, and maybe data transfer someday (an iMac-like dock that turns your phone into a computer?). That’s not what this charger is. If you’re interested in it, you’re probably interested in the iPhone 12 Pro; see my review on its camera, performance and design. (Later videos in this series cover MagSafe stands I liked better, such as the Belkin BoostCharge Pro.)

Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small commission. See my ethics statement.

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