Hands-On With Apple's MagSafe Charger for iPhone 12 - MacRumors

Alongside the new iPhone 12 models, Apple introduced a MagSafe charger that attaches to the back of the iPhones using magnets embedded both in the charger and in the iPhone.

The charger is designed to snap on to a ring of magnets built into the ‌iPhone 12‌ and 12 Pro, for a perfect alignment without any hassle.

Apple's MagSafe chargers line up right with the charging coil inside the ‌iPhone 12‌ models, and can provide up to 15W of power.

When used with an ‌iPhone 12‌, the charger snaps onto the back of the device with what appears to be a strong magnetic connection, but the older iPhones don't have that same magnetic ring so it the MagSafe charger can't connect in the same way.

We don't have an ‌iPhone 12‌ model on hand yet to see the actual difference between the magnetic connection of one of the new models and an existing ‌iPhone‌, but just based on the marketing materials Apple has released, that magnetic ring in the ‌iPhone‌ is an important factor when it comes to the strength of the connection.

Even using a MagSafe-compatible ‌iPhone 12‌ case from OtterBox results in a connection that's not super strong, and it appears that OtterBox, at least, has just stuck a couple of magnets in a little insert in the case to add MagSafe functionality.

Presumably, the MagSafe ring built into the ‌iPhone 12‌ models makes the connection between MagSafe charger and ‌iPhone‌ much stronger, and Apple's own cases may also be more magnetic?

While the ‌iPhone 12‌ models can charge at 15W using the MagSafe charger, it's not yet quite clear how fast it can charge older iPhones, so there may be some speed limitations involved when using it with non-iPhone 12 models.

We'll have an ‌iPhone 12‌ and 12 Pro on Friday to test out with the MagSafe charger, so make sure to tune in to MacRumors later in the week to see our ‌iPhone 12‌ hands-on with more detail on using the MagSafe charger with an ‌iPhone‌ that has the built-in magnetic ring.

While the iPhone 12 models can charge at 15W using the MagSafe charger, it's not yet quite clear how fast it can charge older iPhones