Everything about MagSafe

Apple reinvented MagSafe with the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro models which were introduced back in October 2020. The name MagSafe was once used for breakaway magnetic charging cables which were designed for the MacBook but the repurposed MagSafe name still pertains to magnetic-based accessories the only difference is that this time we will find the name MagSafe on iPhone 12 and other iPhones rather than the Macs.

This time we will find that the iPhone 12 models will have a ring of magnet built into the back of the handset around the wireless charging coil that will be there to the MagSafe-based accessory like a case and charger and this guide outlines everything you need to know about the MagSafe.

How MagSafe functions: in order to understand how this feature works we explored and found that we need to put a MagSafe on iPhone 12 model in order to connect to the accessory that also has a magnet built inside. So basically the Apple MagSafe charger actually snaps right onto the back of an iPhone just like we have magnets that snap onto the refrigerator. In the same way, it falls on to the magnet ring built into the iPhone. This design of the magnet ring actually allows the iPhone models to be compatible with the whole range of accessories that depend upon magnets which range from charges to mounts to cases.

The magnet ring inside the iPhone: all the models of the iPhone 12 have been given a ring of 18 rectangular magnets which have been arranged in a circular shape located underneath the wireless charging coil within each device which is the reason behind what allows the MagSafe magic to play its part. The older models of the iPhone that used to come also had the same wireless charging coil but they did not have the magnets underneath in order to allow for magnetic connections.

Magsafe charger: if you look closely then you will find out that the MagSafe charger looks something similar to a larger Apple watch charging puck that has an aluminum body and a soft white material at the top of the charger. This MagSafe charger just snaps onto the iPhone 12 with the magnet inside that helps it perfectly align to the charging coil in the MagSafe charger with the charging coil into the iPhone. One of the repairing online portals took a step further in order to analyze the MagSafe charger and did an x-ray to show us the charger’s internal build. Seeing this analysis we found that inside the iPhone there are a series of magnets placed which are compatible with a magnet in the iPhone that surrounds an internal charging coil and the circuit board that is able to manage the charging process.

The brand has also designed a MagSafe Duo charger which will be rolled out in the market in the coming future which will combine the MagSafe charger with an Apple Watch charging puck in a foldable package which will be ideal for the travel purpose. This MagSafe Duo charger costs around $129 for the combo charger and will be launched soon by the brand. It is also a fact that the MagSafe Duo charger will not be able to charge an iPhone 12 at full 15-watt power. When we analyzed this feature further we found that with the Apple 20 watt charger the MagSafe Duo charger will perform at a maximum of 11 watts and with a 27 watt or higher USB-c power adaptor it will charge at up to 14 watts. Another bugging thing about this is that the MagSafe Duo will not come with a power adaptor and it has to be purchased by the user separately.

Comparing the MagSafe charging with the traditional charging: when we tried to compare the charging power of the two different types of charger we found that the Magsafe on iPhone 12 took about an hour to charge from 0 to 50% which was actually double the time that was taken by a USB C to lightning cable and a 20 watt plus USB-c power adaptor. Although the MagSafe charging idea is an innovative one it comes with its own bugging factors which may not be liked by every user out there.