Hands on with Apple's 25W MagSafe charger for iPhone 16

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in iPhone

Alongside it new iPhone 16 lineup, Apple also released a new, faster MagSafe charger. Ours arrived ahead of the launch so here's how it differs from the original models.

The box of Apple's MagSafe charger sitting on its end on a white table
Apple upgraded its MagSafe charger this year



MagSafe is Apple's proprietary charging technology that magnetically connects to the rear of your compatible iPhone, encompassing the iPhone 12 and later. It's similar to Qi2, which is based on Apple's technology.

The biggest change is that the charger itself supports 25W of power compared to only 15W before. But we were curious if anything else changed.

A pink iPhone 16 dummy with the new MagSafe charger on the back while sitting on a white table
The iPhone 16 series benefits from higher charging speeds



We picked up the new cable, grabbed our iPhone and a power supply, and tested it out.

Hands on with Apple's 25W MagSafe charger for iPhone 16



To be clear, the new charger is designed to complement iPhone 16 but it will still work on older iPhone models. It just won't charge as fast as the new phones.

A USB-C cable plugged into a power meter which is plugged into a power supply showing only about 10W of charging speed going through
Both cables averaged only about 10W of power as wireless charging has a lot of variables



We tested this by connecting the a new MagSafe charger and an old version to a power meter and charging our iPhone 15 Pro Max. They both drew the same, just around 15W max, as expected.

A set of AirPods placed on a MagSafe charging puck
You can charge any Qi, Qi2, or MagSafe device on the new charging puck



This charger is backwards compatible with Qi2 and Qi charging, so any Qi or Qi2 device will also be able to use this including your AirPods or Android phones.

The charger itself has slightly changed. It's a millimeter or two smaller, meaning that it won't necessarily be compatible with any "holder" accessories you may have had.

A round brown leather cover sitting just askew on the MagSafe charging puck
Some accessories, like this leather cover, won't fit the new MagSafe charger



Many companies have produced charging stands where you insert your MagSafe puck and it holds it, versus doing the electronics themselves. Since this is smaller, it will probably just slide out.

We also had a leather cover for our old MagSafe cable, which too, doesn't fit. It's not snug and just falls off.

The old versus new MagSafe charging as viewed from the front on a white table
The new charger (right) has slightly smaller bezels around the edge



The new charger has slimmer bezels around the metal rim and the whole device itself is thinner. It's impressive Apple was able to up the speeds while also making it overall smaller.

The old versus new MagSafe charging pucks on their side, showing the new one is thinner
The new MagSafe charger (right) is thinner



The last change is the cable itself has a braided covering, similar to what's found on Apple's other latest products. It makes it feel more premium as well as more durable.

Showing the two white USB-C cables from the old and new MagSafe chargers with the new one being braided
The new MagSafe cable is braided for extra durability



To get the faster charging, you need at least a 30W power adapter, up from the previous 20W requirement. You'll have to provide your own as there isn't one included with the MagSafe puck.

Available now



The new 25W MagSafe puck is available now in one-meter and two-meter versions that will run you $39 or $49 respectively.



Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    Slide-out-of-holder-feature confirmed!   Damn it.  😂😂

    Got mine earlier this week and it doesn’t stay in my bedside mount.  Oh, well.   Just one more thing to buy.  :)
    jetpilotllamaappleinsideruserwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 11
    I don’t understand this article. What were your test results? Only 10W? On which iPhone? But 15W on last year’s Pro Max?

    Both cables averaged only about 10W of power as wireless charging has a lot of variables

    We tested this by connecting the a new MagSafecharger and an old version to a power meter and charging our iPhone 15 Pro Max. They both drew the same, just around 15W max, as expected.


    edited September 19 elijahgwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 11
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,226member
    abrvhm said:
    I don’t understand this article. What were your test results? Only 10W? On which iPhone? But 15W on last year’s Pro Max?
    I believe the confusion stems from an iPhone 16 not being available yet. Kind of a premature article.
    omasoullamaabrvhmOferelijahgwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 11
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,411member
    What would be the use case for this over a USB C (or Lightning cable) to charge a phone or any other device?
    I have MagSafe chargers by the nightstand and for traveling and I like them, but if I am going to have a wire connected to a charger in the wall, why not use the USB C connection?
    kdupuis77watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 11
    I'm often carrying something in my left hand when I arrive home, so it's much easier to just use my right hand only to plop the phone onto the charger. As opposed to setting down whatever is in my left hand so I can use both hands to plug in a USB-C charger.
    Oferwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 11
    cpsro said:
    abrvhm said:
    I don’t understand this article. What were your test results? Only 10W? On which iPhone? But 15W on last year’s Pro Max?
    I believe the confusion stems from an iPhone 16 not being available yet. Kind of a premature article.
    It says all over the article and in the headline it's for the iPhone 16 which ships...tomorrow.  What's confusing about that?
    muthuk_vanalingamwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 11
    llamallama Posts: 104member
    They clearly did not run the power test on the iPhone 16, so they don't have one in hand to make the test.  Updated article tomorrow.  ;)
    abrvhmOferwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 11
    snookie said:
    cpsro said:
    abrvhm said:
    I don’t understand this article. What were your test results? Only 10W? On which iPhone? But 15W on last year’s Pro Max?
    I believe the confusion stems from an iPhone 16 not being available yet. Kind of a premature article.
    It says all over the article and in the headline it's for the iPhone 16 which ships...tomorrow.  What's confusing about that?
    The confusion is that the article makes it sound like there is no increase in charging wattage when comparing the two versions. Cpsro’s comment helped me understand why that was. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 11
    So will there be an update or follow up, testing with the iPhone 16?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 11
    Slide-out-of-holder-feature confirmed!   Damn it.  😂😂

    Got mine earlier this week and it doesn’t stay in my bedside mount.  Oh, well.   Just one more thing to buy.  :)
    Exactly. This is what you were waiting for to justify buying a 3D printer! How easy it would be to print up a thin ring to bring it back to the original dimensions.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 11
    mike1 said:
    What would be the use case for this over a USB C (or Lightning cable) to charge a phone or any other device?
    I have MagSafe chargers by the nightstand and for traveling and I like them, but if I am going to have a wire connected to a charger in the wall, why not use the USB C connection?
    Agreed. I have MagSafe chargers in mounts on both our nightstands for evening charging (as well as the old 5W Apple Watch chargers). I also have a USB-C cable is right there, connected to a 20W charger, for charging my iPad every few days and now that nicely doubles as a fast charger for the new iPhone 16 Pro on the occasion when I pass out doomscrolling and need a fast charge first thing in the morning to get going lol.

    I travel w/ a folding MagSafe Duo Charger which is fantastic for bedside use in hotels when on the road and at work (I live and work on cargo ships half the year). But I also keep USB-C cables (and a Lightning cable) in my backpack with a 20,000MAh battery bank. If I need to charge on the go, I'm definitely plugging in the cable so as to not waste my precious battery bank charge to the inefficiencies of wireless charging. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love MagSafe charging on the nightstand year round, but cables can't be beat for efficiency and charging time when needed (ie. getting lost on subway system in Tokyo with a dead iPhone lol - hence the battery bank paranoia haha).
    watto_cobra
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