A few days back, someone on Nigerian Twitter asked if women would date a man who always moved around with a power bank. Seems like a harmless question, right? Well, that singular tweet snowballed into a denouncement of power banks and all who wielded it—laughs in irregular power supply. Well, I wonder what they’d say when they see Apple’s new MagSafe Battery Pack.
After teasing us with the spanking new magsafe feature on its iPhone 12 series last year, Apple has finally launched the long-awaited MagSafe Battery Pack—its wireless charging option. This exciting piece of hardware is currently available on the Apple website at $99 and is compatible with all iPhone 12 models.
MagSafe Battery Pack Specs: the lowdown
Yes, yes, we know it sounds corny, but I couldn’t resist.
The MagSafe Battery pack sports a battery capacity of 1460mAh at 7.62V. Compared to other magsafe power banks, like Anker’s PowerCore Magnetic 5K Wireless with its 5000mAh battery, Apple’ new battery pack just doesn’t cut it. Especially since the Anker option is a little above half of the Apple MagSafe price.
However, the MagSafe may have some redeeming qualities.
For one, it is wireless, and has a slim, classy build—way slimmer than the Anker option. That increases the cool factor and forgives the low battery capacity—somewhat.
It also packs a charge. According to Apple Insider, the MagSafe Battery Pack might fully charge an iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro with little issue. Though this depends on how much energy it wastes during charging—wireless charging produces a lot of heat, and this reduces the charge.
The battery pack also has a reverse-charge feature. This means that not only can your plugged—and attached—MagSafe Battery charge your phone, you can also charge your attached MagSafe while your iPhone is plugged to a power supply.
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.
If you charge your iPhone and MagSafe Battery Pack at the same time, your iPhone might charge to 80% or higher before your MagSafe Battery Pack begins charging.
— Apple Support
Fun fact: When connected to a 20W or higher power source, the MagSafe Battery can charge with up to 15W of power.
You can also see your charging status and battery pack percentage on your lockscreen when charging. However, your MagSafe-compatible iPhone should run the iOS 14.7 update or later.
Are these features worth $99? You tell me.
But one thing’s for sure, your date will probably not run when they see you with this stylish gear.
