MagSafe is a proprietary magnetically-attached wireless power transfer and accessory-attachment standard developed by Apple Inc. for the iPhone. It was announced on 13 October 2020, in conjunction with the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro series. It provides up to 15 W of power and is backwards-compatible with the open Qi standard for up to 7.5 W of power. The connector also enables connecting non-charger accessories such as card holders and cases with communication through an integrated NFC loop.[1] Apple released two chargers using the MagSafe standard in 2020: the MagSafe Charger, a single charging pad for iPhone, and the MagSafe Duo Charger, a charging mat with MagSafe and an Apple Watch charger.[2] In 2021, they released the MagSafe Battery Pack.
.svg) | |||
.png) The MagSafe Charger for iPhone | |||
| Type | Smartphone wireless power transfer connector | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Production history | |||
| Manufacturer | Apple Inc. | ||
| Produced | 2020 | ||
| Superseded | Qi | ||
| Hot pluggable | Yes | ||
| External | Yes | ||
History
The MagSafe name was first used by Apple for its laptops, beginning with the 2006 MacBook Pro. It began to be phased out upon the release of the fourth-generation MacBook Pro in 2016, which uses USB-C for charging.[3] The final MacBook to use MagSafe was discontinued in early 2019.
In 2017, Apple announced that they had been working on a device called AirPower, which was a wireless charging mat capable of charging an iPhone, AirPods, and an Apple Watch (which uses a proprietary wireless charging system) simultaneously and to be placed anywhere on the mat. However, it was canceled in early 2019 due to overheating issues with the many overlapping coils.
Apple announced MagSafe for iPhone on 13 October 2020 during the “Hi, Speed” Apple Special Event as a universal ecosystem of wireless charging. Apple's chargers based on MagSafe are their first to use the Qi standard, following the development of the never-released AirPower charging mat.[4] MagSafe is designed to correctly align an iPhone on a Qi charger, ensuring reliable charging.[5]
Products
- MagSafe Charger
- The MagSafe Charger is a single charging pad that has a disc made with aluminum and soft polyurethane that contains recyclable rare-earth magnets surrounding a Qi wireless charging coil attached to a 1 meter USB-C cable. The magnets allow the MagSafe Charger to align automatically and attach to compatible devices. The first compatible products are the iPhone 12 series, which have magnets surrounding the Qi wireless charging coil inside the back of the device. The charger delivers up to 15 W of power on iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max and 12 W on iPhone 12 Mini. It can also charge other Qi-certified devices, including older iPhone models and AirPods, though at a lower power transfer rate. Devices without MagSafe need to be manually aligned as they do not have the built-in array of magnets that interlock with MagSafe.[6][7] Apple recommends a 20 W power adapter.[8] Users have reported MagSafe Chargers leaving circular imprints on leather cases.[9]
- MagSafe Duo Charger
- The MagSafe Duo Charger is a foldable charging mat with a MagSafe charger on one side and an Apple Watch charger on the other. The Apple Watch charger disc can be raised to a 90 degree angle to charge a watch with a closed wristband. The MagSafe Duo charger can be folded when not in use.[10][11] The charger comes with a Lightning to USB-C cable, and Apple recommends their 30 W USB-C power adapter released in 2018, and notes their previous 29 W adapter is incompatible and can only charge one device at a time.[12] Durability testing performed by Apple Insider found that the hinge could fail with frequent folding, noting it "started to break down at 180 folds and ultimately failed at 212."[13]
- MagSafe Battery Pack
- In July 2021, Apple released the MagSafe Battery Pack. It contains a 11.13Wh, 1,460mAh battery that can charge an iPhone at 5W. It charges either via Lightning, which can also charge a connected iPhone at 15 W, or by reverse charging when connected to a compatible iPhone charging via Lightning.[14][15][16]
- Cases, wallets and sleeves
- Apple also implemented MagSafe into their line of cases and other accessories, such as leather sleeves and wallets that can attach magnetically to iPhones and cases with MagSafe. Apple states MagSafe charging works through their cases. Apple states that their leather wallets are shielded to protect credit cards from the rare-earth magnets used in these accessories, although warns that credit cards should not be placed between an iPhone and a MagSafe charger.[17]
- Third party chargers and accessories
- Apple worked with Belkin to design chargers using MagSafe, including a car mount, 2-in-1 charger and 3-in-1 charger.[18][19] Apple refers to officially licensed MagSafe devices as "Made for MagSafe". Belkin is the only third-party accessory maker Apple has licensed the MagSafe charging standard to, while OtterBox manufactures officially licensed cases.[20] While other third-party accessory makers advertise magnetic charging products as "MagSafe compatible," they use older Qi standards that deliver a maximum charging speed of 7.5 W, compared to MagSafe's 15 W, and lack integrated NFC.[21][22]
References
- ^ "Apple Event — October 13".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Apple Events - October 2020". Apple. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ Bowe, Tucker (28 May 2020). "What Ever Happened to One of the MacBook's Best Features?". Gear Patrol. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "Apple announces iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini: A new era for iPhone with 5G". Apple Newsroom. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Kingsley-Hughes, Adrian. "Apple solves iPhone's wireless charging hit-n-miss with MagSafe". ZDNet. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Phelan, David. "Apple MagSafe For iPhone 12: Complete Review". Forbes. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Stein, Scott. "MagSafe on iPhone 12: I still want USB-C, but I was wrong about Apple's magnetic charger". CNET. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ "How to use your MagSafe Charger with iPhone 12 models". Apple Support. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ "MagSafe chargers may imprint leather cases, are compatible with 12W adapters". AppleInsider. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ "Apple MagSafe Duo Charger Review: Useful, but expensive and underwhelming". TechCrunch. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Bohn, Dieter (9 November 2020). "The Apple MagSafe Duo charger is overpriced and under-delivers". The Verge. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Porter, Jon (11 December 2020). "Apple's old 29W chargers aren't good enough for MagSafe Duo". The Verge. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ "MagSafe Duo review: almost everything you need, but has too many compromises". AppleInsider. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ "MagSafe Battery Pack". Apple. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ "Apple's MagSafe Battery Pack has more capacity than it seems - here's why". AppleInsider. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ "Apple's MagSafe Battery Pack: Everything You Need to Know". MacRumors. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ "How to use your MagSafe Charger with iPhone 12 models". Apple Support. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
- ^ "Belkin's MagSafe Boost Charge Pro review: worth the wait". AppleInsider. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Patel, Nilay (16 April 2021). "Six months later, there still isn't a MagSafe car charger". The Verge. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Carnoy, David. "Best MagSafe and magnetic wireless chargers for Apple iPhone 12". CNET. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Karcz, Anthony. "MagSafe Cases And Accessories For The iPhone 12: Everything You Need To Know". Forbes. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Writer, Staff. "Buyer beware: 'MagSafe compatible' is not the same as 'Made for MagSafe'". Macworld. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
External links
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