- This is the MagSafe charger for iPhone 12.
I've been pretty hard on it over my last few videos,
calling out what I see as some issues.
After a week of using it, is it any good?
Hey, I'm Jerry.
And when Apple announced the iPhone 12 a few weeks ago,
they re-introduced MagSafe in the iPhone
as a circular set of magnets in the back
that allow for attachments of wireless chargers
and new accessories.
The idea is pretty simple,
magnets in the back of the iPhone align with magnets
in the MagSafe 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 T wireless chargers.
If you do not place your iPhone on the device directly
over the charging coils in the pad,
then your device will not properly charge
and you wake up with a dead battery.
Even vibrations for notifications
have been known to move a phone just enough
so that it falls out of alignment
and stops charging.
Apple tried to solve this issue
with the failed air power charging pad
that never made it to market, because I guess, overheating.
Xiaomi developed a pad that automatically detects
where you place your device
and moves the charging coil to alignment.
That's actually pretty neat.
And a number of companies have been trying to find new ways
to make wireless charging better.
MagSafe is a bit of a simpler design
besides having a more secure connection
and proper placement via magnets,
you also get the benefits of faster wireless charging.
MagSafe can give you up to 15 Watts of wireless charging
versus 7 1/2 with a standard T wireless charger.
I said up to 20 Watts more than that in a minute,
so those are really the benefits of MagSafe.
That sounds pretty good, right?
Faster, more secure wireless charging.
Sure.
Here's what I don't like.
Unlike a standard wireless charging pad,
I need two hands to remove the MagSafe charger.
One of the benefits of wireless charging
is you can just place your phone on the charging pad
and when you're done or ready
you just pick it up and walk away without thinking about it.
You can't do that with the MagSafe charger,
the connection is easy.
Just place the wireless charging puck on a surface,
put your phone over it and it snaps on and connects,
it's that easy and it's kind of cool,
but then you need to pick it up to disconnect it.
I know this seems like a dumb thing to complain about
but if you're spending money to wirelessly charge a device
and you still have to do the same thing
you would do with a cord
that just doesn't seem like a benefit to me.
I have gotten comments on my channel saying
that the benefit of using MagSafe will be for gamers
so that you can charge your phone and play your game
without the court getting in the way.
Well, the cord is a little bit short,
but let's give it a shot.
I plugged in the MagSafe to an outlet right next to a chair
and sat down to play a game.
I got really into this real racing game
and I played for a long time.
And then I just kinda needed to stretch because, you know,
sitting for a long time makes your butt tired.
So you gotta move every now and then.
So you move forward just a little bit
and the cord and charger get ripped right out of the wall.
So yeah, I think three feet is too small.
Even sitting in a chair right next to the power outlet.
I was easily able to pull this out of the socket,
just adjusting my seating position.
And if you wanna use this on a desk,
you better make sure that your desk
is right up against a power outlet.
And if you have a deep desk like this one is
it still may not reach
unless you put the charger way at the far edge of the desk,
but then it's even more inconvenient
because to remove your phone, you still have to reach back
with two hands to disconnect it.
So now you need to find a place
to put this wireless charger.
Maybe you put it in the kitchen,
but then you have to stand up if you're gonna use it
and charge at the same time
or maybe you can find a dark empty hallway
that just happens to have a power outlet.
I guess that could work.
You could just stand in the hallway
but, you know, power outlets are about this high.
So unless you're gonna be like Dobby from Harry Potter
and kind of crouching over it, you're gonna need a chair.
So maybe you bring in a chair.
Yeah, that looks good.
Yep, I can do this.
I'll just sit here and use my phone,
but wait, where do I place the puck?
I guess I could put it on the chair,
nah, I'm gonna need a table.
Yeah, that'll work.
But since I'm gonna be spending time here,
I may as well get a plant, make it look nice.
Yeah.
Yeah, that works.
I've got a nice little charging station
in a dark empty hallway.
Now, of course, that only works
if you have a dark empty hallway with a power outlet
and a stool and a table and a plant.
Now, you may have noticed
that I was using this anchor USB-C charging adapter.
And that's because this $40 puck
does not come with a charger.
Apple's expecting that you already have a charger
of some kind or you shell out another $20
for Apple's 20 watt charger.
Okay.
For $60, you can almost get three
of these RAV Power wireless charging pads
with power adapters and spread them around your house.
All right.
So I know what you're thinking,
you already have a power adapter of some kind
and $40 does not seem too bad
for this wireless charging puck
that gets 15 Watts of charging versus the standard
7 1/2 watt charging that you would get with a T charger.
Well, I'm sorry.
The MagSafe charger will only give you 15 watts
of actual charging if you use
Apple's very specific 20 watt wireless charger,
any equivalent or even faster charging brick
will drop you down to 10 watt wireless charging
just 2 1/2 watts more than a standard T charger.
Okay.
Let's say you don't care that the cord
is only three foot long and you don't care
that you need two hands to remove the charger from the phone
and you have no issues paying $60 for the MagSafe charger
and the Apple 20 watt adapter.
You tell me it's all worth it
because the faster charging you get
compared to a standard wireless charger.
If this is the case, the MagSafe charger
provides zero benefit over a USB-C to lightning cable
and a 30 watt adapter which can charge the iPhone
at 20 Watts or more.
And a lightening cable comes in the box with the iPhone,
so you don't need to spend $60 for the wireless, wireless,
wireless charging pad with no benefits.
So if you don't understand what I'm saying yet,
I'm saying, 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 that MagSafe is a bad idea,
I think the future of MagSafe is actually going to be great
with new accessories and third-party charging docks,
car docks and whatever.
And maybe they can do data transfer at some point,
and we can get some kinda iMac like dock
that you connect your phone to
and that turns it into a computer,
I don't know, that's crazy.
I think the future of MagSafe is going to be fun
and interesting but that's not what this MagSafe charger is.
But, hey, if you're interested in the MagSafe charger,
you're probably interested in the iPhone 12 pro,
you can get more information on my thoughts
about the camera, the performance,
the design of the iPhone 12 pro
in my review right over here.
Hit the thumbs up if you liked it,
hit subscribe if you want
and I'll see you next time.