Apple stunned us Tuesday by merely placing its newest iPhone accent on sale. The $99 MagSafe Battery Pack isn’t the primary energy cell we’ve seen that makes use of Apple’s new magnetic system to attach with the iPhone 12 household (Anker affords a 5,000mAh pack with slower 5W charging for $45.99), however it’s the first one from Apple and might cost at as much as 15W whereas it’s plugged in.
MacRumors and 9to5Mac level out a help doc that helps reply just a few questions we instantly had concerning the gadget, together with affirmation that this can unlock the iPhone 12’s “secret” reverse charging characteristic. Whereas iFixit didn’t spot any extra {hardware} so as to add wi-fi charging, FCC filings revealed the corporate’s plan to allow you to cost equipment whereas the iPhone 12 is plugged in and charging, full with diagrams that now look very acquainted.
As Apple’s help web page explains:
Cost your MagSafe Battery Pack and your iPhone
If each your iPhone and MagSafe Battery Pack should be charged, you possibly can cost them on the similar time. Connect your MagSafe Battery Pack to your iPhone after which plug the MagSafe Battery Pack into an influence adapter. Utilizing a 20W or greater energy adapter, the MagSafe Battery Pack can cost your iPhone with as much as 15W of charging energy.
You may also cost each if you happen to connect your MagSafe Battery Pack to your iPhone, then plug your iPhone into an influence supply. You would possibly wish to cost this manner if it’s essential to join your iPhone to a different gadget whereas charging, like if you happen to’re utilizing wired CarPlay or transferring images to a Mac.
Should you cost your iPhone and MagSafe Battery Pack on the similar time, your iPhone would possibly cost to 80% or greater earlier than your MagSafe Battery Pack begins charging.
Notably, reverse charging solely works (up to now) with this accent, after an upcoming software program replace and solely whereas the iPhone 12 is plugged in. Google’s Pixel 5 can function as a Qi pad whereas plugged in, and Samsung gadgets have been charging something you slap in opposition to them for a few years, however now Apple customers can take pleasure in an identical characteristic. Will this newfound means additionally cost your AirPods, Apple Watch, or the rest sooner or later? Apple isn’t saying (but).
Additionally, in case you missed it, one picture of the battery pack revealed its capability specs: 1460mAh, 7.62V, 11.13Wh. We’ll have to do some testing to determine precisely how a lot charging it may well add in actual life, nevertheless it’s value remembering that on this case, watt-hours of charging is the extra vital determine to give attention to, as seen with Apple’s previous non-magnetic battery instances.
