Convenient with Apple’s MagSafe Battery

The new MagSafe battery pack that Apple launched this week is coming to customers starting today, and it’s also now available for in-store pickup at many Apple outlets around the world. We grabbed one this morning and thought about taking a look to let MacRumors readers know if it’s worth the asking price of $ 99.

As the name suggests, the ‌MagSafe Battery Pack‌ is designed to attach magnetically to the back of an iPhone 12 model. It is sized to take up a large portion of the back of the iPhone 12 mini underneath it. camera, and on other models it is a bit smaller.

If you’ve only seen the MagSafe Battery Pack‌ in Apple’s marketing photos, you might be surprised at its size. It’s thicker than you might think, since it measures 11mm. For comparison, an iPhone 12‌ is 7.4mm thick, so it adds another thick iPhone and more. As for the weight, it is around 115 grams, or a quarter of a pound. An iPhone 12‌ weighs 164 grams, so it is not as heavy as an ‌iPhone‌.

We thought the MagSafe Battery Pack‌ might be made from the same soft silicone material as Apple’s previous battery cases when it was first announced, but it isn’t. It is constructed from a hard, white plastic. This is a plus as it’s unlikely to get dirty and attract dust and lint, but it can have scuffs and scratches, and it’s a bit slippery.

Currently, the MagSafe Battery Pack‌ is only available in white and it is not clear if Apple will release other color options in the future. Attached to an ‌iPhone‌, the MagSafe Battery Pack‌ stays in place thanks to a strong magnet. If you shake your phone it is unaffected, but it slips right away if you push it to the side, so you will need to be careful putting it in a pocket.

The ‌MagSafe Battery Pack‌ has a battery capacity of 11.13 Wh, which for most ‌iPhone 12 will models will be a partial charge. The iPhone 12‌, for comparison, has a 10.78Wh battery, but wireless charging is not particularly efficient and there is a loss of power to deal with.

Charging performance can be affected by a number of factors such as ambient heat and whether or not iPhone‌ heats up while charging. Due to heat issues, the MagSafe Battery Pack‌ charges an ‌iPhone‌ to just 5W while on the go.

If you plug in the ‌MagSafe Battery Pack‌ using a Lightning cable and a 20W + power adapter, it can charge the ‌iPhone‌ up to 15W while charging itself, and it is the first Apple accessory. to offer reverse wireless charging. You can plug a Lightning cable into an ‌iPhone 12‌ model and attach the MagSafe Battery Pack‌ and charge both devices this way as well.

There’s no major benefit to doing this, unless you’re plugged into a Mac or other device and getting power that way. It’s a nice feature to have if you need it. It should be noted that the ‌MagSafe Battery Pack‌ must be charged using a Lightning cable (or the ‌iPhone‌) – it does not support charging via a MagSafe charger.

The ‌MagSafe Battery Pack‌ can be used to charge AirPods and other Qi-based devices like older iPhones, without the magnetic functionality. It does not charge the Apple Watch because the Apple Watch does not support Qi. You can use a case, but it must be a “MagSafe” case and other accessories like the “MagSafe” wallet need to be removed for the battery.

iOS 14.7 added support for MagSafe Battery Pack‌, and update is required to use it. If iOS 15 is installed, the ‌MagSafe Battery Pack‌ is not yet supported and it does not work properly. The ‌MagSafe‌ charge animation appears when you attach the ‌MagSafe Battery Pack‌, and you can see the charge level using the Batteries widget.

Overall, it’s not a bad accessory if you have an iPhone 12‌ and want a hassle-free charging option, and it’s especially useful for the iPhone 12 mini‌, which has the lifespan of the shortest battery of all iPhones. That said, $ 99 is expensive, and you can get a much bigger battery for that price if you don’t mind losing wireless charging and MagSafe‌ functionality.

Do you have the MagSafe Battery Pack‌? Let us know what you think in the comments.