Apple’s magnetic MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone 12 costs $99. It charges the iPhone using the MagSafe magnets at the back of the iPhone. It’s a typical Apple accessory. It only comes in white, works out of the box, and charges using Lightning.
But it’s not without its issues. It has a tiny 1460 mAh battery that can’t even fully charge the iPhone 12. There’s no fast charging (it charges at the standard 5W rate). It does have reverse charging, but that only kicks in after your iPhone is 80% charged.
Unless the integrated Apple experience is critically important to you, the MagSafe Battery Pack is not worth the price. Especially when you can find third-party battery packs that will fully charge your iPhone wirelessly, while costing half as much. But first...
Things to know before buying a magnetic battery pack for iPhone
The world of magnetic battery packs for the iPhone 12 is quite new. These are essentially wireless battery packs with magnets that snap to the back of the iPhone 12 (and supported cases).
Before you buy one, here are a couple of things you should know.
Capacity: Most trusted magnetic battery packs will top out at 5000 mAh, and for a good reason: Not only are 10000 mAh battery packs heavy, but they also run quite hot. You’ll find compact 10,000 mAh battery packs on Amazon, but you should stay away from them for your own safety. Charging speed: The magnetic battery packs listed here are only MagSafe compatible, not MagSafe certified. This means that the charging speed is capped at 7.5W, while most will charge your iPhone at 5W (which is based on Qi charging standards). You’ll find battery packs advertising 15W charging speeds, but that’s just marketing hype, not reality.Now, on to our recommendations.
