MagSafe Q's - New to MagSafe

[80s Fan]

I'm new to MagSafe (coming from an 11) and have a couple of questions. Hope someone here can help. I'm looking for a slim battery pack like Apple's, Anker's, Baseus's, etc. I see lots of these that charge at 7.5W. Are there some that actually charge (via MagSafe) at 15W? And I realize 15W is much faster but do you find that when you are out-and-about and need a charge from a battery pack, is it that much of a difference to have a 15W charger vs. a 7.5W?

Finally, any recommendations?

Thanks.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I would buy an Apple Battery Pack from a reliable source if possible. Charging at 7.5 will be better for the battery long term. I also have never had a problem with it not charging fast enough when out and about, which is not often. Keep expectations realistic and you will be fine.

 

[scouser75]

A boy of a thread revival here as didn't want to start a new thread when one's already in motion 😄

I'm also new to Magsafe technology having just bought an iPhone 13 and have a few q's too.

1) For overnight charging, is it better to charge using magsafe or the traditional cable method?

2) is it better to buy official Apple chargers? Or would a reputable 3rd party charger be just as good?

3) Any recommendations for a good over night charger?

4) Any recommendations for a travel power charger?

 

[Ralfi]

1) For overnight charging, is it better to charge using magsafe or the traditional cable method?

I’ve been using a 3rd party wireless charging stand for years (since the iPhone 13) & it’s been great.

Having an angled stand makes it easier to glance at the time while lying down & tapping the Snooze/Stop button.

This is a slow charger & it should be for overnight use, as you’re not in a rush to charge the thing & you don’t want to impact the battery life every night.

2) is it better to buy official Apple chargers? Or would a reputable 3rd party charger be just as good?

I have a mix - the 3rd party I mentioned above & a MagSafe in an adjustable stand in the Kitchen, which I also use with the AirPods Pro.

3) Any recommendations for a good over night charger?

Mine was from Kmart. Presume Target & other large department stores will have similar.

4) Any recommendations for a travel power charger?

Wireless again? I don’t travel with a wireless charger myself. I just have a Belkin Dual USB-C brick (~40W total, but ~20W max on each port).

 

[scouser75]

I’ve been using a 3rd party wireless charging stand for years (since the iPhone 13) & it’s been great.

Having an angled stand makes it easier to glance at the time while lying down & tapping the Snooze/Stop button.

This is a slow charger & it should be for overnight use, as you’re not in a rush to charge the thing & you don’t want to impact the battery life every night.

I have a mix - the 3rd party I mentioned above & a MagSafe in an adjustable stand in the Kitchen, which I also use with the AirPods Pro.

Mine was from Kmart. Presume Target & other large department stores will have similar.



Wireless again? I don’t travel with a wireless charger myself. I just have a Belkin Dual USB-C brick (~40W total, but ~20W max on each port).

Ahh! So wireless charging is not the same as magsafe charging?

If that's the case, I could buy a normal wireless charger for over night and then a magsafe for fast charging. What's the best watts to go for to save battery health?

If I do go for magsafe, any good recommendations for us folk in the UK?

 

[Ralfi]

Ahh! So wireless charging is not the same as magsafe charging?

Plain Wireless ‘Qi’ charging doesn’t give you the magnet feature (although there are 3rd party accessories & chargers which do now). Not sure how they compare. Someone else can jump in here.

If that's the case, I could buy a normal wireless charger for over night and then a magsafe for fast charging.

Yeah you could. My overnight charge stand (non-magnetic, hence why the stand is good idea, again) Is only 5-7.5W max, so it just slowly tops it up overnight. I also have the 80% max battery charge feature (not sure if iPhone 13 has this) activated to help preserve the battery & this has suited me as 80% is enough for my day (I have access to regular daily charging).

What's the best watts to go for to save battery health?

For 3rd party wireless or cable?
Wireless max for iPhones is 25W ~15W (i’ve gotten 18W), so it’s pointless going for anything more than 20W (for wireless charging).
Wired, it depends on how much battery you’re using through the day. My 20W Belkin USB-C port chargers the phone to 80% fast enough. It’s pretty quick actually. I think stick with 30W or below per USB-C PD port (PD = ‘Power Delivery’ which Apple supports for fast charging - make sure your brick has this fast charging format or else the quoted Wattages may only work with Android phones). 30W covers you for Wired/Wireless.

If I do go for magsafe, any good recommendations for us folk in the UK?

Again, I’d stick with Apple’s puck.

But if you want a stand to put the puck in, go for one that has adjustable angles, is sturdy & has grip feet. There are plenty on AliExpress. Here’s mine…



Not the best quality (on the screw which connects the arm to the base, I’ll fix it eventually), but it has two adjustable points to make it handy for viewing at different angles.

 

[scouser75]

Plain Wireless ‘Qi’ charging doesn’t give you the magnet feature (although there are 3rd party accessories & chargers which do now). Not sure how they compare. Someone else can jump in here.

Yeah you could. My overnight charge stand (non-magnetic, hence why the stand is good idea, again) Is only 5-7.5W max, so it just slowly tops it up overnight. I also have the 80% max battery charge feature (not sure if iPhone 13 has this) activated to help preserve the battery & this has suited me as 80% is enough for my day (I have access to regular daily charging).

For 3rd party wireless or cable?
Wireless max for iPhones is 25W, so it’s pointless going for anything more than that.
Wired, it depends on how much battery you’re using through the day. My 20W Belkin USB-C port chargers the phone to 80% fast enough. It’s pretty quick actually. I think stick with 30W or below per USB-C PD port (PD = ‘Power Delivery’ which Apple supports for fast charging - make sure your brick has this fast charging format or else the quoted Wattages may only work with Android phones).

Again, I’d stick with Apple’s puck.

But if you want a stand to put the puck in, go for one that has adjustable angles, is sturdy & has grip feet. There are plenty on AliExpress. Here’s mine…

View attachment 2368950 View attachment 2368951

Not the best quality (on the screw which connects the arm to the base, I’ll fix it eventually), but it has two adjustable points to make it handy for viewing at different angles.

Raifi thank you for such an informative reply. I think I'm now understanding all this wireless and magsafe stuff.

Wireless charging for slow overnight charging. Magsafe for when out and about (car etc).

I've just picked up an iPhone 12 pro and trying to find a clear thin magsafe case which either DOESN'T have a visible magsafe attachment OR the magsafe circle is in blue (I have the Sapphire colour).

I've got a Spigen Liquid Crystal but from what I've read, even though the phone will attach to a magsafe accessory, chances are it will fall off!

 

[Ralfi]

Magsafe for when out and about (car etc).

Keep in mind that if you use MagSafe in the car, & the back of the phone is exposed to the Sun, it may overheat, depending on how ventilated the back of the phone is. This happened to my iPhone 13 during the warmer months. Aiming the Air conditioner vents toward it helped.

I've just picked up an iPhone 12 pro and trying to find a clear thin magsafe case which either DOESN'T have a visible magsafe attachment OR the magsafe circle is in blue (I have the Sapphire colour).

You should find something here...

For eg.

I've got a Spigen Liquid Crystal but from what I've read, even though the phone will attach to a magsafe accessory, chances are it will fall off!

I've now converted to a thin case that doesn't have a MagSafe ring. I like how it's thin enough to grab the magnet & how I can remove it with one hand - cases with a MagSafe ring can be very strong, so depending on if you want to remove the phone quickly off the stand, it may be something to think about.

 

[scouser75]

Keep in mind that if you use MagSafe in the car, & the back of the phone is exposed to the Sun, it may overheat, depending on how ventilated the back of the phone is. This happened to my iPhone 13 during the warmer months. Aiming the Air conditioner vents toward it helped.


You should find something here...

For eg.


I've now converted to a thin case that doesn't have a MagSafe ring. I like how it's thin enough to grab the magnet & how I can remove it with one hand - cases with a MagSafe ring can be very strong, so depending on if you want to remove the phone quickly off the stand, it may be something to think about.

Thanks again Raifi. I'll check out that link.

 

[KevinCyrus]

idk whether this thin enough for you but it looks great to me. I believe its has 5000 mAh or something but can only charge my phone full once.

 

[aakshey]

Anker makes Qi2 power banks that charge new iPhones at 15W

Same MagSafe backpack just the underlying technology is Qi2 and that’s twice as fast as 7.5W

Not the slimmest, but pretty cool

Google Anker Maggo Qi2 10k power bank

Also comes in 6600 mah for slightly less

 

[aakshey]

Plain Wireless ‘Qi’ charging doesn’t give you the magnet feature (although there are 3rd party accessories & chargers which do now). Not sure how they compare. Someone else can jump in here.

Yeah you could. My overnight charge stand (non-magnetic, hence why the stand is good idea, again) Is only 5-7.5W max, so it just slowly tops it up overnight. I also have the 80% max battery charge feature (not sure if iPhone 13 has this) activated to help preserve the battery & this has suited me as 80% is enough for my day (I have access to regular daily charging).

For 3rd party wireless or cable?
Wireless max for iPhones is 25W, so it’s pointless going for anything more than that.
Wired, it depends on how much battery you’re using through the day. My 20W Belkin USB-C port chargers the phone to 80% fast enough. It’s pretty quick actually. I think stick with 30W or below per USB-C PD port (PD = ‘Power Delivery’ which Apple supports for fast charging - make sure your brick has this fast charging format or else the quoted Wattages may only work with Android phones).

Again, I’d stick with Apple’s puck.

But if you want a stand to put the puck in, go for one that has adjustable angles, is sturdy & has grip feet. There are plenty on AliExpress. Here’s mine…

View attachment 2368950 View attachment 2368951

Not the best quality (on the screw which connects the arm to the base, I’ll fix it eventually), but it has two adjustable points to make it handy for viewing at different angles.

Wireless max for iPhones is 15W
Max wireless for MagSafe/Qi power banks for iPhone is 7.5W
Max wireless for Qi2 power banks for iPhone is 15W
Max Magsafe for iPhones is 15W but not for power banks

Max wired for iPhone is 27W (I think), and that’s for 15 Pro Max

Most iPhones either don’t get any benefit at all or no tangible benefit beyond the 20W charger

Select iPhones like 15 Pro Max charge at 27W when you use 30+ watt chargers, at peak charging

 

[scouser75]

Wireless max for iPhones is 15W
Max wireless for MagSafe/Qi power banks for iPhone is 7.5W
Max wireless for Qi2 power banks for iPhone is 15W
Max Magsafe for iPhones is 15W but not for power banks

Max wired for iPhone is 27W (I think), and that’s for 15 Pro Max

Most iPhones either don’t get any benefit at all or no tangible benefit beyond the 20W charger

Select iPhones like 15 Pro Max charge at 27W when you use 30+ watt chargers, at peak charging

So a 15W charger should be more than enough?

 

[Ralfi]

Wireless max for iPhones is 15W

Thanks for that. I mixed up the wired max with wireless..I’ve actually gotten 18W with an Apple 20W brick & MagSafe puck…

Most iPhones either don’t get any benefit at all or no tangible benefit beyond the 20W charger

For Wired, my personal best was around 23W, for my iPhone 15, with a 25W in-wall charger…

So a 15W charger should be more than enough?

I think when shopping for charging bricks, you should cover yourself for both wireless & wired scenarios.

& then go slightly higher than your devices rated max charge.

So, I’d consider a 20W or 25W brick, but if you can find a 30W that’s on sale, go for that as it’ll give you enough charging efficiency/speed in the Apple ecosystem (say if you get an iPad in future, assuming they won’t come with their own bricks…).