MagSafe Battery Pack

The MagSafe Battery Pack was the successor to the Apple Smart Battery Case and is compatible with any iPhone with MagSafe. It had a relatively small charging capacity but had multiple unique features that made it a worthwhile purchase.

Before the MagSafe Battery Pack, users would have to purchase a new battery case each year to fit their new iPhone. Since the battery pack could attach magnetically, it didn't rely on iPhone design to dictate how it worked.

Apple discontinued the MagSafe Battery Pack in September 2023 when the iPhone 15 lineup was announced with USB-C. It isn't clear if Apple will introduce a new battery pack with USB-C.

Details below this point were written before the device's cancelation. Even though Apple no longer makes the accessory, they still exist and work with MagSafe iPhones.

Features

The feature list for the MagSafe Battery Pack is short and straightforward. It is a battery pack meant to augment the internal battery of your MagSafe-compatible iPhone.

The battery pack magnetically attaches to the back of the iPhone and charges it automatically based on several factors. For example, once the iPhone reaches 90%, the battery pack will stop charging to maintain efficiency.

Connecting the battery pack to power turns it into a makeshift MagSafe Charger. The battery pack will charge at 5W while also providing 15W of power to the iPhone. However, the power adapter will need to be 20W or greater to work correctly.

The unique feature of Apple's battery pack is reverse charging. Connect the iPhone to power with the MagSafe Battery Pack attached, and it will be charged via the iPhone.

Apple hasn't provided much detail about the reverse charging feature. Presumably, the iPhone will need to be fully charged before it starts passing power through to the battery pack.

The battery pack originally shipped with only 5W wireless charging but increased to 7.5W wireless charging via a firmware update released in April 2022.

Design and Dimensions

There is only one color option for the MagSafe Battery Pack — white. The soft-touch plastic material doesn't attract fingerprints easily and feels almost rubbery to the touch.

It is designed to be the exact width of an iPhone 12 mini and slightly thicker than any iPhone 12 model. It measures 4.46in x 3.24in x .93in and weighs about 4 ounces.

There is a small cutout for an LED to indicate when the battery pack is working. It briefly shows a green light when connected to an iPhone or power.

The MagSafe connection feels strong enough to grip the battery pack without fear of the iPhone dropping away. In addition, the strength of the magnetic connection feels stronger when using an official MagSafe case, likely due to the proximity of the magnets.

When anything MagSafe is used with leather cases, expect a slight indentation from the MagSafe magnets. This is expected and described in the product support information by Apple.

The MagSafe Battery Pack has a 1,460mAh capacity at 7.62V. This translates to roughly 2,920mAh since the iPhone has a 3.81V rating.

Since the battery pack sits external to the iPhone, it isn't dependent on design compatibility. Users who purchased the MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone 12 can continue to use it with the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 14.

Capacity Explained

Neither the 1,460mAh rating nor the 2,920mAh adjusted rating tells the whole story. Thanks to power transfer efficiency, neither of these numbers can define what the MagSafe Battery Pack is capable of providing.

Several factors affect how well a battery pack performs, and while AppleInsider covered this in-depth before, here's a quick overview.

Regular Qi chargers are estimated to have about 50% efficiency. Unfortunately, this means a battery pack rated at 5,000mAh will only provide about 2,500mAh to the iPhone.

Testing shows that MagSafe can charge at a much higher efficiency, around 70%. This means Apple's 2,920mAh equivalent battery can charge an iPhone about 2,000mAh before being exhausted.

AppleInsider put this to the test with an iPhone 12 Pro Max at 1% battery. It charged 53% before the MagSafe Battery pack was completely discharged — in line with our expectations and the calculated 2,000mAh.

Reception and Controversy

When it announced the MagSafe Battery Pack, Apple didn't provide any specifications, which led to the usual rampant speculation and drama surrounding Apple products. Fans hopeful for a high-capacity battery were disappointed by the 1,460mAh found on a regulatory label in official Apple photos.

It seemed that Apple was charging more than double to prices of its competitors for a seemingly weak device. However, as explained in the previous section, these early reports were overblown, and we've found that 2,000mAh for the battery size is more than adequate.

Third-party accessory makers like Anker provide battery packs with the MagSafe moniker but don't offer many of the same features found in Apple's. Qi charging is highly inefficient, and these batteries often require a power button or switch, so users have to remember to turn them off and on.

The third-party options are often much thicker for very little capacity advantage. As previously mentioned, a large and heavy 5,000mAh Qi-based battery will provide only a 2,500mAh charge, that's only 500mAh more than Apple's with none of the other perks.

The proprietary nature of the MagSafe Battery Pack does cause some competitive issues. Apple is the only one with built-in system animations, dedicated widget glyphs, and smart device paring and control.

Review

Despite controversy and the proprietary nature of Apple's MagSafe Battery Pack, we found it has quickly become one of our go-to accessories.

The simple design and no-button-needed interface are much better than third-party alternatives. Apple's battery pack is thinner and lighter than the other options as well.

The system-wide animations and other small touches set this battery pack apart. When connected to an iPhone, a notification alerts the user how much charge the battery could provide.

Our testing revealed that charging a drained iPhone 12 Pro Max to 53% took about two hours. It produced very little heat and added hours of use to the large iPhone.

We like that the battery pack will charge while the connected iPhone is wired into CarPlay. The reverse charging feature is only available on Apple's battery pack and adds another reason for the higher price.

You cannot charge the battery pack using Qi or Apple's MagSafe Charger. That means if you've gone all-in on wireless charging, you'll still need at least one Lightning charger for Apple's battery pack.

While the MagSafe Battery Pack isn't for everyone, we believe it is the best MagSafe-compatible battery pack on the market so far. The unique feature set and small size make it a standout option.

Price

Customers can buy the MagSafe Battery Pack for $99 from the Apple Store and other retailers. It is only available in white, though some accessory makers like Nomad are making skins to add some extra flair to the device.