Apple quietly added a new accessory in their MagSafe lineup that includes phone cases and wallets. This time, it tackles one criticism about iPhones which is battery life.
The new MagSafe battery pack is basically a small power bank that magnetically attaches to the back of your iPhone 12 (or through a case with MagSafe). Useable for iPhones running iOS 14.7 and newer, it has a Lightning connection and is capable of charging the iPhone up to 5W. If you have it plugged in with a 20W power source or higher, you can charge them at the same time, with the iPhone juicing up to 15W.
Apple implemented their charge management feature on the battery pack that stops charging if it’s already full and you left it plugged. It will also stop charging above 80% when the device and battery pack gets too warm and will resume once temperature has dropped.
In one of the product photos, there’s a fine print about the specs of the battery. It has a 1,460mAh, 7.62V and 11.13Wh maximum capacity. But since the voltage of the iPhone 12 lineup is only at 3.81V or half the voltage of the battery pack, that means it has a total of 2,920mAh which is a perfect assist to the iPhone 12 Mini.
The biggest Easter Egg with its support page though is the confirmation of reverse charging in the iPhone 12 lineup. Its support page online stated that if you plugin your iPhone for charging and attach the battery pack, the accessory would be charged as well. This is useful if you got your phone hooked up to a car system or Macbook so you can continue your task without additional clutter.
With this subliminal admission, it could be a matter of time before Apple officially implements reverse charging for the iPhone. This is most beneficial to those heavily invested in their ecosystem as larger phones like the 12 Pro Max can power up other smaller devices like the Apple Watch, even for just a few percent.
The new MagSafe battery pack is available for $99. PH pricing will come soon once it’s available in the Apple Store – Philippines.
