So this here is Apple's latest unexpected release the MagSafe Battery Pack.
It's a battery pack for your iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and even iPhone 12 Mini that magnetically
snaps on to your phone via magnets to give you some juice when you need it.
In addition, when you have the battery pack plugged in with a lightning cable it acts
as a secure wireless charging pad.
It even introduces a feature we’ve never seen before on an iPhone, which we’ll talk
about more in a bit.
The thing that I really like most about batteries like this is the fact that they are detachable
so you can simply snap it onto your phone when you need it.
It's not like a bulky battery case that would always have to be on your phone.
Having this battery pack would have definitely been handy during my road trip to the mountains
of New Hampshire last week when my phone almost roaming for a cell signal.
The design of this battery pack is simple, minimal and to the point.
It’s white with the Apple logo around back, a lightning port and a charging light indicator
on the bottom.
To use it, you have to make sure you’re on the latest version of iOS and just attach
it to your iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro or even iPhone 12 Mini.
That’s it.
As Apple likes to say, it just works.
The magnets in this battery pack are very strong.
If you use MagSafe accessories with your iPhone 12, you'll know what to expect here and you'll
how strong it latches onto your phone.
When the pack is on, it doesn't move nor does it budge no matter if you have a case on or
if your phone is bare.
The side of the battery that snaps on has a rubbery texture so it's not going to mark
up or scratch your phone or case.
Do note that if you do use a case on your iPhone, it does need to be MagSafe compatible
so the battery will securely latch right on.
If not, you will need to take the case off.
This Battery Pack charges your iPhone at 5 watts when it’s attached via MagSafe or
if you connect the pack to a 20 watt or higher wall charger, it can wirelessly fast charge
your iPhone at 15 watts speeding things up significantly.
In that case, it will charge your iPhone first and then fill up the battery pack.
What I found to be interesting about this MagSafe battery is that it shows us something
we’ve never seen before out of an iPhone.
Reverse wireless charging.
Samsung and others have doing this for a while with their phones where you place your headphones
or watch on the back of the phone and it's going to wirelessly charge it.
This is a very useful feature for charging up on the go.
The MagSafe battery pack is the first accessory that introduces this reverse wireless charging
feature to the iPhone.
When you have your iPhone plugged in and the battery attached, your phone will charge to
full first and then the phone is going to reverse wirelessly charge the battery pack.
It's pretty neat.
I'm not sure if this is something that will come to existing iPhones via a software update
or will be introduced in upcoming iPhone models but the feature is here and the MagSafe battery
pack is the first accessory to take advantage of it.
So I’ve been using this new battery pack for a little over a week now and I really
do love the convenience that it offers.
Rather than always having a bulky battery case on your phone, a detachable battery like
this is very useful to have with you to just snap on when you need it.
Like most first party accessories, it also integrates very well into the iPhone experience
in that it just works.
Attaching it to you phone brings up a charging animation and you can also view the remaining
capacity of the battery in Today View or via the battery widget.
I also do oddly like the feeling of this battery pack.
I originally thought that it was going to be you know like that iPad Pro Magic Keyboard
like rubbery feeling and it kind of is on this side but this side, it actually feels
pretty satisfying.
It's plasticky but there is like a little bit of a hint of a rubber which does feel
pretty good.
Although this battery is very convenient, it is far from perfect.
As I mentioned before, it does only charge your iPhone at 5 watts via MagSafe, which
is very, very slow.
The capacity of the battery is also quite limiting so it's not going to fully charge
your phone from empty to full.
Instead it will either top off your phones battery when you have existing battery left
or it will give you just enough power to no pun intended.
Power through the day.
If you plan on getting this battery pack, you do need to be aware of its limitations
and the fact that it offers far less capacity than a standard portable battery.
Overall, at $99, the MagSafe Battery Pack is expensive for what it is but it does come
with extra features that third party batteries like this can’t offer.
The software integration to check the charge level, reverse wireless charging, ease of
use and that official Apple peace of mind all make this MagSafe Battery worth paying
the extra bit of money for.
As with almost all first party accessories, it compliments the iPhone experience very
well - but is it worth it?
I think the convenience that it offers does make it worth it but again, you do have to
be aware of the fact that it does have limitations and it's not a standard portable battery.
It's there to just slap right on your phone when you need some extra juice and that's
really what this thing is all about.
Anywho, that’s about it for this video!
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Peace!