Apple MagSafe Charger Works With Older iPhones, Report Says

KEY POINTS

Apple launched a new MagSafe charger alongside the new iPhone 12 series
The new charger also works with older iPhone models but is very slow
It's also significantly slower compared to wired charging

While the new MagSafe charger is designed to work with the iPhone 12 models, they can also work with older iPhone models, a report reveals. There's a huge catch to this, however – they reportedly charge older iPhones very slowly.

MacRumors reported that it ran tests to see how the MagSafe charger ($39.99 via Apple) fares in comparison to other Qi-based wireless chargers. The site used an iPhone XS Max for the tests.

It first drained the device's battery down to 1%, put it on Airplane Mode, then charged it using various charging devices for half an hour.

After doing the same process twice with the MagSafe charger, MacRumors found that Apple's new charging device was only able to juice the iPhone XS Max up to 13% or 14% after 30 minutes.

The site also repeated the process using a 7.5W Belkin charger and found that the third-party accessory did a better job charging the iPhone XS Max, charging the battery up to 26% after 30 minutes.

The tests indicate that while the Magsafe charger works with older iPhone models, it is significantly slower compared to a variety of Qi-based wireless chargers that are capable of charging iPhone batteries up to an average 25% in half an hour.

These results also mean that it won't make sense to get the MagSafe charger for use with older iPhone models.

How about the iPhone 12?

A review from the Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern revealed that the MagSafe charger works better when it is used to charge an iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro.

According to Stern, the MagSafe charger charges an iPhone 12 faster than a standard 7.5W Qi wireless charger. The new charging device is capable of charging an empty iPhone 12 to 50% in one hour. Other Qi-based wireless chargers like Anker's, on the other hand, can charge an empty iPhone 12 up to 50% in 1.5 hours.

Stern noted, however, that while the MagSafe charger is better than other Qi-based chargers when used on iPhone 12 devices, it still is slower compared to wired charging using Lightning. A 20W wired charger can charge an empty iPhone 12 to 50% in only 28 minutes.