Apple’s new MagSafe Dual Charger is a charging station designed to wirelessly charge two Apple devices, but not everything that glitters is gold and is especially expensive if you want to charge your iPhone quickly.
Good
The MagSafe Dual Charger is ideal for those who want to have a neat bedside table. You can use it to charge your new iPhone and an Apple Watch at the same time. You can also replace the iPhone with AirPods Pro or AirPods with a wireless charging case.
You may not realize the first two of its functions: you can fold the charger, and when charging the Apple Watch, you can place the charging surface vertically. This means that the Apple Watch can also charge in night mode and display the time in big letters.
Another advantage is that if you have placed the devices correctly, you will be notified on the screen of your iPhone or watch.
The bad
It has a hefty price tag of $ 149 / MXN $ 3499 (currently only available from Apple Europe), which is even truer when you take into account that it only includes a short USB cable. -C to Lightning. This means that if you don’t have it yet, you will need to purchase a USB-C adapter to charge it, as it does not work with USB-A adapters.
Also, being a cable of only one meter, it will not work for all occasions, you may want to buy a longer one. If you need a charger, Apple recommends you use a 20W or 27W.
Another problem is that before you charge your devices, you will need to remove any cards, credit or otherwise, that you have stored in your Apple case pocket. These cards should not be placed between the back of the iPhone and the charger to avoid damaging the magnetic strips or the chip.
You can use MagSafe to charge all your iPhones with wireless charging (from iPhone 8 to iPhone 12). However, only iPhone 12 models can be charged at high speed. The others load much slower.
The MagSafe Duo charger needs a fairly powerful plug. Apple recommends a minimum 20W charger. But that doesn’t mean your devices will charge at 20W. With Apple’s 20W adapter, you should expect 11W. Only 27W USB-C adapter can give you 14W charging power.
These adapters are not cheap at all. Apple’s 20W adapter costs $ 25 / MXN $ 549, while the 30W model costs $ 55 / MXN $ 1,349. We have not yet been able to use a compatible third-party charger.
More precisely, a 9V / 2.22A power supply offers a power of up to 11W; a 9V / 3A power supply offers a power of up to 14W. The iPhone 12 can charge at 14W and complete a charge in two hours. The iPhone 12 mini is different, because the charge is limited to 12W.
In a support document, Apple explains that its 29-watt USB-c adapter, which the company replaced with a 30-watt adapter in 2018, is not compatible with its dual MagSafe charger. The 29W model does not get that 15 watts (5V / 3A or 9V / 1.67A) required.
On the other hand, the device heats up while charging and at high temperatures the iPhone may stop charging or only charge up to 80%. If Lightning accessories are connected, the charging power is automatically reduced. And like we said, older iPhones charge a lot slower (although we don’t know how much).
Worst
And if all this was not enough, when using a leather case, marks can be produced by the pressure exerted by the magnets. According to Apple, this is “normal”, so if this bothers you, you should use another case for your iPhone 12.
Should you buy the MagSafe Duo?
No, save that money!
Instead, you should take a look at our pick of the best wireless chargers for iPhone, or go for one of these:
- AirUnleashed (81.60 $): You can charge an iPhone, an Apple Watch and some AirPods at the same time.
- Satechi wireless charger ($ 149.90): You can simultaneously charge an Apple Watch (up to 2.5W), AirPods with wireless charging case (up to 5W) and an iPhone (up to 7.5 W).
Original article published in igamesnews UK.
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