Apple releases MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone edited August 2021
Apple has launched a new $99 MagSafe Battery Pack for the iPhone 12 range, which automatically charges alongside the phone.




Following previous rumors that Apple has been developing a pair of MagSafe Battery Packs for the iPhone, the company has now released one on the Apple Store.

"Its compact, intuitive design makes on-the-go charging easy," says the Apple Store Listing. "The perfectly aligned magnets keep it attached to your iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro -- providing safe and reliable wireless charging."

"And it automatically charges, so there's no need to turn it on or off," continues Apple. "There's no interference with your credit cards or key fobs either."

The MagSafe Battery Pack sports a capacity of 1,460mAh and the pack itself can be charged at up to either 15W or 20W, depending on connection. Significantly, the new pack is only able to charge an iPhone 12 mini to around 60%, or an iPhone 12 Pro Max to 50%.

"Just plug a Lightning cable into the MagSafe Battery Pack for up to 15W of wireless charging," continues Apple. "With a higher than 20W power adapter, you can charge both the MagSafe Battery Pack and your iPhone even faster."






Apple notes that iOS 14.7 is required for the MagSafe Battery Pack. Also, it must be fully charged the first time it used, with a Lightning to USB-C cable and 20W or higher power adaptor.

The MagSafe Battery Pack costs $99 in the Apple Store. It does not come with either an adaptor or cable. Apple recommends a USB-C to Lightning cable, and "20W or higher USB-C Power Adapter."

This model also appears to feature a form of reverse charging, a first for Apple's iPhone lineup. According to an accompanying support document released today, the battery pack can be charged from an iPhone that is plugged into a power source.

Updated to include information about capacity and reverse charging capabilities.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 55
    clexmanclexman Posts: 209member
    “Just plug a Lightning cable into the MagSafe Battery Pack for up to 15W of wireless charging”

    That statement is kinda funny. 
    byronlfastasleeppscooter63cjcoopssflagelfahlmantwokatmew
  • Reply 2 of 55
    OctoMonkeyOctoMonkey Posts: 311member
    Wow is that thing...  ugly.  As much as I hate to say it, bring back Jony!  ugh - I regret saying it already.
    williamlondonh4y3s
  • Reply 3 of 55
    rjintrepidrjintrepid Posts: 4member
    OctoMonkey said:
    Wow is that thing...  ugly.  As much as I hate to say it, bring back Jony!  ugh - I regret saying it already.
    I mean it’s a battery pack. I’m not sure what you’re expecting except a box. You could make it more stylized perhaps but then you lose capacity. 

    Capacity seems like a disappointment. As does the fact it seems like it needs to be hardwired to charge at 15W. Unless they release a faster charging one with greater capacity Ill probably settle on Anker or Belkin options 
    byronlfahlmanuraharakurai_kagewatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 55
    shaminoshamino Posts: 527member
    How much thicker does that make the phone?

    And wouldn't it look a lot better if Apple would just make the whole phone a bit thicker and fill the extra space with a bigger battery?  And as a happy side-effect, get rid of the camera bump as well.
    muthuk_vanalingamelijahgwilliamlondonpscooter63Beatswatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 55
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Just make the phone thicker for heavens sake. No bump, bigger battery, happy me.
    elijahgrcfashaminopscooter63hodartwokatmewchemengin1
  • Reply 6 of 55
    iakonaiakona Posts: 1member
    This model also does not feature the previously claimed reverse charging facility. It's still possible that this may be reserved for a later model.
    This is false. From the Apple website:
    You can also charge both if you attach your MagSafe Battery Pack to your iPhone, then plug your iPhone into a power source. You might want to charge this way if you need to connect your iPhone to another device while charging, like if you're using wired CarPlay or transferring photos to a Mac.
    byronljdb8167patchythepiratefastasleeptwokatmewwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 55
    tylersdadtylersdad Posts: 310member
    crowley said:
    Just make the phone thicker for heavens sake. No bump, bigger battery, happy me.
    If they did that, how could they sell you the additional battery?
    twokatmewchemengin1
  • Reply 8 of 55
    hentaiboyhentaiboy Posts: 1,252member
    Teeny weeny plastic MacBook circa 2009 adhered to the back of your phone. Nice for nostalgia buffs 👍


    byronlpatchythepiratefastasleepmike54fahlmanTRAGkurai_kagewatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 55
    longfanglongfang Posts: 450member
    shamino said:
    How much thicker does that make the phone?

    And wouldn't it look a lot better if Apple would just make the whole phone a bit thicker and fill the extra space with a bigger battery?  And as a happy side-effect, get rid of the camera bump as well.
    Well in my case I don’t need the additional battery capacity, but i am using the magsafe wallet. So from a choice perspective that makes your suggestion less desirable. 
    williamlondondewmeStrangeDaysmike1kurai_kagewatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 55
    AppleishAppleish Posts: 691member
    Oh, yeah. I'm going to buy an Apple iPhone accessory this close to a new iPhone release. 

    That's like buying their flagship AirPods Max, then less than six months later, them releasing their flagship lossless audio that doesn't work with them.
    williamlondonJapheytylersdadtwokatmewchemengin1
  • Reply 11 of 55
    elijahgelijahg Posts: 2,759member
    No one is going to buy an iPhone over an Android phone because it’s 1 or 2mm thinner. But someone certainly would buy an Android phone with a 24 hour battery over an iPhone with a 15 hour battery. Make the damn thing slightly thicker, which allows them to lose the camera bump, make longer telephoto lenses more easily, make the camera’s aperture wider, have better battery life, better speakers, better Taptic Engine and no stupid charging wart. The number of functional compromises made to satisfy the obsession over thinness is ridiculous. 
    tylersdadoberpongoshaminomuthuk_vanalingammike54fahlmantwokatmew
  • Reply 12 of 55
    elijahgelijahg Posts: 2,759member
    Wow is that thing...  ugly.  As much as I hate to say it, bring back Jony!  ugh - I regret saying it already.
    Have you not seen the X era battery wart? 


    edited July 2021 bloggerblogapplguyfahlman
  • Reply 13 of 55
    matznermatzner Posts: 3member
    From the Apple Support Document for the battery, it seems, "When charging on the go, your MagSafe Battery Pack can charge your iPhone with up to 5W of power" -- that's the same speed as non-magsafe magnetic chargers like the one from Anker. Hmm...
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 55
    tylersdadtylersdad Posts: 310member
    elijahg said:
    No one is going to buy an iPhone over an Android phone because it’s 1 or 2mm thinner. But someone certainly would buy an Android phone with a 24 hour battery over an iPhone with a 15 hour battery. Make the damn thing slightly thicker, which allows them to lose the camera bump, make longer telephoto lenses more easily, make the camera’s aperture wider, have better battery life, better speakers, better Taptic Engine and no stupid charging wart. The number of functional compromises made to satisfy the obsession over thinness is ridiculous. 
    Totally agree. And to your other post that shows the iPhone case with the built in battery, I would actually prefer that over the Mag Safe one. At least the giant hump on the back is flat, which means I would be able to use my phone as a level again. With the bump from the camera, the level feature is essentially useless, unless the level takes into account the camera bump. 
    williamlondonelijahg
  • Reply 15 of 55
    kkqd1337kkqd1337 Posts: 424member
    you would think the 'pro' iphone would be thick enough for a 2 day battery
    elijahgtwokatmew
  • Reply 16 of 55
    OctoMonkeyOctoMonkey Posts: 311member
    Frankly, I am all for going back to swappable battery packs.  My old Sanyo SCP-6000 had a standard battery for people who wanted a svelte look and an extended battery for people who wanted endurance.
    shamino
  • Reply 17 of 55
    OctoMonkeyOctoMonkey Posts: 311member
    kkqd1337 said:
    you would think the 'pro' iphone would be thick enough for a 2 day battery
    My 11 Pro Max lasts for days and days, but I rarely use it and have just about everything turned off...  perhaps 10%-15% per day if I leave it off the charger.
  • Reply 18 of 55
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,767member
    Another instance where the rumor mill works against Apple. Like the new Apple TV and the AirPods Max before it, many will skip this release and wait for the second version they are reported to be working on. A gaming-centric ATV, AirPods Max Sport, and a battery pack with reverse wireless charging are all compelling reasons to be patient. To wait, or not to wait? That is the question…that Apple fans will always have to ask. 
  • Reply 19 of 55
    jdb8167jdb8167 Posts: 626member
    elijahg said:
    No one is going to buy an iPhone over an Android phone because it’s 1 or 2mm thinner. But someone certainly would buy an Android phone with a 24 hour battery over an iPhone with a 15 hour battery. Make the damn thing slightly thicker, which allows them to lose the camera bump, make longer telephoto lenses more easily, make the camera’s aperture wider, have better battery life, better speakers, better Taptic Engine and no stupid charging wart. The number of functional compromises made to satisfy the obsession over thinness is ridiculous. 
    While I wouldn’t buy an Android phone I would buy a 2 mm thinner iPhone if given the chance. I never use 100% of my battery in a day but I would love a lighter full-size iPhone with a thinner case. 
    StrangeDayswilliamlondonfastasleepmike1Rayz2016watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 55
    thttht Posts: 5,437member
    No information regarding how the battery is used? That is, the external battery pack charges the internal battery and the phone components use power from the internal battery?

    It doesn't work the other way around? The internal phone components use power from the external battery and when the external battery is out of power, the phone starts using the internal battery?
    dewmepscooter63watto_cobra
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