A few days ago, Apple officially announced the iPhone 12 series. The company also introduced a new MagSafe Wireless charger which comes with a magnet. The purpose is to match the magnets in the iPhone 12 Pro models for wireless charging. Unfortunately, the maximum power of this wireless charger is only 15W. The MagSafe Wireless charger is currently on the shelf for $39 and you will have to buy it separately.
However, is the MagSafe Wireless charger strictly for the iPhone 12 models? The answer is NO, but do not be too happy, it comes with a catch that you will not like. The MagSafe charger can technically be used with older iPhones, but the charging speed is annoyingly slow. According to MacRumors, two tests with the iPhone XS Max suggests that this charger can not be recommended for older iPhones.
It drained the iPhone XS Max battery to 1%, put it in airplane mode, and charged it for half an hour. In the first test, the MagSafe charger charged the iPhone XS Max to 13% in 30 minutes. For the second test, the iPhone XS Max battery hit just 14% in 30 minutes. This charger is so slow that you may be forced to think that it is harmful to your battery.
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In addition, many Qi-based wireless chargers are not as slow as this charger. In fact, even a Qi-based 7.5W charging speed is faster than this charger. For reference, a 7.5W charger can charge the iPhone to about 25% in half an hour. This is almost twice the charging speed of the MagSafe charger for older iPhones.
In another test of the iPhone XS Max with a standard 7.5W Belkin charger under the exact same conditions as the MagSafe charger, the battery hit 26% in 30 minutes. For those who do not have an iPhone 12, and wants to buy a MagSafe charger to use with an old iPhone, it is not worth it. This is because the charging speed is too slow, it is best to use a standard Qi charger.
However, the MagSafe wireless charger works perfectly with the iPhone 12 series. It charges faster than a regular Qi charger but it is only half the charging speed of the Lightning to USB-C cable and a 20W power adapter. The iPhone 12 can be charged to 50% in 28 minutes with a 20W USB-C charger. However, it takes 1 hour to use the original MagSafe wireless charger to get to 50%.
