Apple MagSafe Battery Review

CNN
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The common truth with phones is that as the design thins, the battery life decreases. The iPhone 12 family is no different – 12 Mini, 12, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max included – and on intense days with FaceTimes, lots of typing, and games, the battery percentage can drop quickly.

So what is the solution ? Traditionally, this is a portable battery that you plug in or a battery box that snaps onto your phone. The new solution is the $ 99 MagSafe Battery, which attaches to the back and charges your iPhone wirelessly. And we spent several days with the MagSafe battery pack, using it on the entire iPhone 12 family. Let’s let the lightning strike and unbox the latest iPhone accessory.

Who is he talking to : The MagSafe Battery is a specially designed accessory that takes advantage of the design of the iPhone 12 and aims to extend the battery life a bit more. This is ideal if you don’t want to be bothered by carrying a separate portable charger.

What would you like to know: This accessory offers iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max users an easy and attractive way to extend battery life. Plus, it integrates with iOS in a way that other batteries or options can’t. However, it is not the most durable or the fastest charger on the market.

How it compares: Apple’s MagSafe Battery is neither the thinnest nor the fastest portable charging solution. Traditional batteries may be larger and be an entirely separate device, but they offer more mAhs and ports, allowing you to charge more devices. Third-party solutions, such as Anker’s or Hyper’s magnetic power banks, still attach easily to the back, but don’t offer software integration and slim designs. Often times, they are larger and produce a bit more heat when in use. However, no other portable battery offers deep integration with iOS. The MagSafe Battery Pack is firmly an extender that won’t fully charge an iPhone but offers convenience and some cool tips for $ 99.

The MagSafe battery is all about power and design, the latter taking advantage of Apple’s MagSafe technology. This battery quickly snaps into the back of the iPhone 12 Mini, 12, 12 Pro or 12 Pro Max. The magnets built into the back of the iPhone match the magnets on the battery itself. And he slams with a satisfying thud in the back.

Like Apple’s Smart Battery Cases, this accessory will create a bump on the back of your phone. MagSafe batteries are approximately 11 millimeters thick and weigh 113 grams. It’s smaller than the original iPhone and close to the size of a MagSafe wallet. This is a hard shell plastic design that only comes in white with a gray Apple logo centered at the top. Previous Smart Battery Cases have gone for a soft silicone case, but this harder plastic looks better against denim and drops. Namely, it does not scratch off as quickly and does not show the dye of jeans after a few initial tests.

The bottom of the MagSafe battery features a Lightning port and a single LED indicator that lets you know when it’s charging. You won’t find a Lightning cable included in the box, but you will need it to charge the battery. Here is the best Lightning cable of 2021. When you plug the battery into a Lightning cable to charge it, the LED indicator will light up a little amber and green when fully charged. We imagine that Apple has gone for the Lightning port because you already have it for the iPhone it will be attached to.

Now, regardless of your iPhone – 12 Mini, 12, 12 Pro or 12 Pro Max – you will get the same MagSafe battery pack. It’s a unique approach. On an iPhone 12 Mini, it covers the lower back, harmonizing perfectly with the edges. On the 12 or 12 Pro, you have more leeway left, right, and bottom. With the 12 Pro Max, it is centered on the back with plenty of room. The bigger the iPhone, the more perspective there is.

Jacob Krol / CNN

It is therefore a small bump on the back which, although noticeable, is not unpleasant. The iPhone 12 or 12 Pro is still easy to hold with the MagSafe battery and makes the 12 Mini easy to rock. We’re also happy to announce that it still fits in the front pocket of our skinny jeans. The magnet provides a strong connection that we couldn’t remove by waving our phone or sliding in and out of spaces like jeans.

There’s nothing really fancy here, although we can’t help but wonder why Apple hasn’t offered this new accessory in other colors. A color-matched MagSafe battery with a purple or blue iPhone 12 12 Pro would have been a delight.

The MagSafe battery pack does not compete with traditional portable batteries or fast chargers. It is best to think of it as a battery extender. When you have a long day where the iPhone 12 needs to go the extra mile, you can attach the MagSafe battery and recharge.

Apple doesn’t usually share a lot of specs, and with the MagSafe battery pack, the company didn’t initially indicate the battery size. The back of the battery reveals the cell inside: a 1460 mAh (11.3 Wh). Both numbers are for total capacity, but the Wh is close to that of an iPhone 12 or 12 Pro, so we imagine it is not a small 1460mAh cell inside, but potentially two of them. Apple’s charge rate here is faster than alternatives from Anker ($ 45.99; amazon.com) or Hyper ($ 39.99; hypershop.com), which feature larger cells and a lower price tag. Dear.

And after nearly a week of testing, you can expect the MagSafe battery to deliver around 60% of the power to the iPhone 12 or 12 Pro. With the iPhone 12 Mini, this percentage is higher, and on the 12 Pro Max, it is slightly lower. However, it is indeed an extender and the amount of power you get will vary depending on what you are doing on the iPhone while it is charging. With the MagSafe battery just attached to the iPhone, it charges wirelessly at a relatively slow 5 watts of power. This is both for the health of the battery and for the heat. And connecting it doesn’t generate a huge amount of heat either. This is similar to the level of heat that a smart battery box provides.

For example, being on FaceTime or playing a game is more taxing on the battery and charger, so you won’t see a wild jump in real time, especially at 5 watts. We attached a fully charged MagSafe battery pack to a dead iPhone 12, and after an hour of charging it hit 46% with around 25% battery in the pack. It’s pretty awesome. During a long day at work, we attached the MagSafe battery before heading home to make sure we had enough battery life. On a typical night, we ended up with around 15-20%, and we came away with 30-40% using the device for streaming and communication during commuting. So, yes the load varies, but it’s an extension cord when it’s just attached to the back.

If the MagSafe battery is plugged in with a cable while it is attached to the back of your iPhone 12, the charging speed reaches 15 watts. This is a much faster standard than the MagSafe Wireless Charging Washer can produce. It is also very practical since the MagSafe battery pack is dual purpose; you can use it to keep the iPhone running on the go or plug it into your desk with wireless charging capability.

Jacob Krol / CNN

What’s really cool is that if your iPhone 12 Mini, 12, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max is plugged in with the MagSafe battery pack attached, the phone will charge the pack as well. This is done via reverse wireless charging, and this is the first time this ability has been unlocked on the iPhone. It’s similar to how the Pixel 5 or a Samsung Galaxy can charge a pair of headphones or other Qi-enabled device on the back. This charging feature is a pretty interesting bonus.

Along with a simple design and extra battery life, the $ 99 price tag also offers some convenience. The MagSafe battery is built into iOS in a way that no other battery can. Similar to what happens when you connect a MagSafe wallet or case, the MagSafe battery pack flashes a graph and the battery level of the pack once you connect it. The battery indicator in the top right corner of iOS will light up green when it starts to draw power. As soon as it is connected, it will start powering the iPhone. You will need iOS 14.7 to take full advantage of all that the MagSafe battery has to offer.

Like previous Smart Battery Cases, it’s all about convenience here, not battery size. You can get much bigger batteries for less than the MagSafe battery’s $ 99 price tag, but they don’t snap into the back of your phone in an instant or integrate with iOS. You can monitor the battery life of the pack directly in a widget and the iPhone can power the MagSafe.

If you want a purpose-built battery that doesn’t add a lot of weight and brings a ton of features, we’d say the $ 99 MagSafe Battery will help you cross that finish line at the end of a busy day. It’s not an endurance charger, however. Those looking for purely more potency should look to the Hyper or Anker Magnetic Packs.