What Is The MagSafe Feature In The iPhone 12
Recently, Apple launched its new iPhone models along with a new feature: The MagSafe. So what is this MagSafe feature, and what can you do with it?
The MagSafe feature is a magnetic innovation that snaps a charger, a case, or even a wallet to the back of the iPhone 12 models. The wallet is meant, for storing your most valuable cards, like your credit cards and the like.
You may have heard about the MagSafe in the old early days of the MacBook Pro and the Air. These older MacBooks had a magnetic charger port to attach and remove the lightning cable without any hassle.
The MagSafe is quite similar to this concept but different at the same time. Yes, you can use it to charge the new iPhone 12 and 12 Pro, but it’s not integrated into the charger port. It’s more located at the back of the iPhone. So you just have to drop your phone on this wireless charger, and it will start charging right away.
What Can You Do With MagSafe?
So what’s the primary purpose of MagSafe? I mean, we already know that it’s capable of connecting a wireless charger to the back of the iPhone, but is that it?
And the answer is no. MagSafe is useful for several more things. Besides the convenience of charging your phone by just snapping it to a wireless charger, you can also snap a specially designed wallet to the back of your iPhone.
These wallets are designed to keep your valuable cards, such as your credit card, safe. Afraid of losing the information on the credit cards due to the magnets? Don’t be. The wallets are manufactured in such a way that they block those magnetic fields. That’s why you can’t charge your phone wirelessly while having a magnetic wallet snapped to your phone.
Thus far, we only saw some beautiful wallets made by Apple, but I’m sure that third-party manufacturers will follow very soon. The Apple wallets are made of leather, and they are available in black, Saddle brown, California Poppy, and Baltic Blue. As always, Apple has a delicate taste in choosing colors.
Magnetic Cases
Aside from the wallets and the wireless charger, there is one more thing that the MagSafe is suitable for: attaching a magnetic case to it.
But why would you choose a magnetic case if the normal ones are by nature already fastened to the iPhone? Well, if you’re using a magnetic phone case, you can connect a wireless charger to the back of your phone without removing the case. Any other phone case would prevent that.
The cases are available in all shapes and sizes. Apple sells them for $49. Just make sure to select the one that says MagSafe in the description since the silicone models look much alike.
Is MagSafe a Bridge To eliminate the lightning port?
There are some noises that the MagSafe is only a bridge to kill the lightning port. Does that mean that the next-generation iPhones will be produced portless?
We already saw a similar trend in the previous iPhone generations with the headphone jack. Apple introduced the Airpods in December 2016, and right after this release, the new iPhones 7 didn’t have a headphone jack. Yes, they delivered a lightning-to-headphone jack cable for quite some time, but that stopped with the iPhone Xs and the Xs Max release.
This is Not The First Time Apple Kills a Port
The iPhones are not the only devices that gave into it. We saw a similar trend going on on the MacBooks Pro and later the MacBook Air. The 2016 MacBook Pro models didn’t have a built-in SD Card slot. As a matter of fact, they didn’t have a USB-A port either.
They were introduced with only a headphone jack and USB-C ports that had multiple essential functions: charging the MacBook, connecting devices to the MacBook, and outputting audio.
But what about eliminating the lightning port in general? Will Apple kill the iPhone’s lightning port soon?
There are some serious rumors that Apple plans to kill the lightning port on the next generation of iPhones. This will then start with the iPhone 13!
But How To Connect Your Phone Then?
But what about connecting your phone to another device, like a laptop or a MacBook? Well, connecting your iPhone to a MacBook doesn’t need to be done with a cable since Airdrop works very well. And a Windows laptop, you may ask.
Well, that might be a problem for the end-user but not for Apple. One of Apple’s main goals is to get you in their ecosystem. That means that if you’re an iPhone user, you will also need to have Airpods, a MacBook, and even an Apple Watch.
European Regulators Requests To Switch To USB-C
Plus, there are high requests from European regulators to change the lightning-port for a UCB-C port due to environmental reasons.
This all means that Apple has two choices: switching to a USB-C port or introducing a new portless iPhone. Going for the latter might not be a huge problem for Apple since they already have the option for wireless charging. And most likely, wireless charging will be the next thing other phone manufacturers will focus on, given the convenience it brings.
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Does MagSafe Wireless Charging Consume More Power Than Cable Charging?
Some rumors are claiming that cable charging may disappear from feature iPhones. So it might not be crazy to ask yourself whether wireless charging will consume more energy than cable charging. After all, the main focus of Apple is to reduce climate impact across their entire business to zero.
Our products will be made entirely with clean energy by 2030. That means transitioning hundreds of our manufacturing suppliers to 100% renewable sources of electricity
So does it cost more energy to charge your iPhone wirelessly? According to multiple studies, wireless charging can use 30% to 60% more power than charging with a cable. The energy that’s going from the wireless charger to the phone may get lost along the way.
But it needs to be said that a magnetic charger can reduce this energy-spillage to such an extent.
Since MagSafe uses a magnetic construction to charge the iPhone, we may assume that energy-spillage will be on the low end. However, because millions and millions of people will all eventually be directed to this new way of charging, the environment may suffer from it in the long run.
Some Other Related Questions
Which iPhone Have Magsafe?
The Magsafe came with the iPhone 12 series. Meaning that only the iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 mini, the iPhone Pro, and the iPhone Pro Max have this MagSafe option. It doesn’t mean that you can’t charge your iPhone 11 with the wireless charging we just talked about. Since it’s only designed for the iPhone 12 models, It will take you a very long time to charge your iPhone 11.
Will MagSafe Wireless Charging Charge My iPhone Quicker?
According to Apple, charging wireless with MagSafe will charge your iPhone quicker and safer. This new system charges an iPhone 12 at up to 15W. This power delivery may differ, depending on your power adapter and system conditions.
