Apple's new MagSafe Battery Pack, designed for the iPhone 12 series, is officially being marketed starting today. Now more and more details are being documented.
The MagSafe Battery Pack, which costs 109 euros in this country, is magnetically attached to the back of the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 12 Pro Max and offers additional hours of battery life. According to Apple, the battery pack, made of hard plastic, is able to charge the iPhone wirelessly on the go with up to 5W or with up to 15W if the battery pack is connected to a power adapter with 20W or more with a Lightning to USB-C cable.
Apple MagSafe Battery Pack compared with Anker's version
The accessory weighs around 115 grams. As Twitter user Tommy Boi reported, an iPhone 12 mini with the MagSafe Battery Pack weighs around 250 grams, making it heavier than the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which already weighs 228 grams. However, the charging accessory is flatter and lighter than Anker's product. Below is a comparison photo I took.
Quick note: I find that the iPhone with Apple's MagSafe Battery is more comfortable to hold than with Anker's version. Steven Russell, who got his hands on the product over the weekend, confirms that the MagSafe Battery Pack cannot be charged with Apple's MagSafe Charger or other Qi-based wireless charging pads. However, when connected to an iPhone 12 that charges via Lightning, the iPhone can supply power to the Battery Pack. The reverse wireless charging function requires a power adapter with 20W or more. The charging status can be tracked on the lock screen. The product can of course also be charged directly via Lightning. Russell demonstrated also that the MagSafe Battery Pack can charge the AirPods wirelessly. But as expected, it cannot charge an Apple Watch.
Specific details on battery life will be provided later
In addition, the product requires iOS 14.7, although I can confirm that devices running the third iOS 15 beta are not compatible. Apple will probably add support in the fourth build of iOS 15. If you want to take a look inside, you can find a simple teardown on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. There is currently no definitive information about the battery life that an iPhone 12 model can get from the MagSafe Battery Pack. This will follow shortly, however. Of course, I will report back as usual. In a preliminary assessment that I published a few days ago, I explain why the product is still recommended. Will I be right in the end? No idea - let's wait and see. You can find the article below. Apple MagSafe Battery - at Apple and Amazon available. (Image: Apple)
