iPhone Magsafe Charger - Why Aren't There Many Compatibles?

I tried looking for a compatible MagSafe charger for my iPhone at Officeworks, JB Hi-Fi, and Kmart, but I could hardly find any. Eventually, I bought one on AliExpress that claims to have MFi certification. It needs to be connected to a PD port, and it charges my iPhone 16 at a reasonable speed. However, the phone heats up quite a bit after about 30 minutes of charging.

By the way, when I connect it, the MagSafe charging animation appears briefly. From what I understand, a MagSafe charger is basically just a Qi2 charger with magnets. My question is: is it safe to use a non‑MFi charger like this?

Comments

  • From what I understand, a MagSafe charger is basically just a Qi2 charger with magnets.

    no it's not. I saw a test Qi (7.5W max on iP) vs Qi2 (15W) vs magsafe (15W).

    only apples own magsafe charging thing (round thing with the cable) can communicate with the iphone. it smartly adjusts charging speed constantly to manage temperature better. Qi and Qi2 both made the phone a decent amount hotter than magsafe charger, but magsafe charges the phone just as fast as Qi2.

    and it didn't make sense to me but yes the test shows Qi (7.5W) was the slowest and also made the phone hotter than magsafe did.

    also keep in mind apple released the new magsafe charger with up to 25W. I don't think anyone has tested against others with temperature and charge times yet.

    my advice don't risk your $1k iP with a charger from Aliexpress. buy the apple one.
    also the official animation is easy to hak. they did the same with knock off Airpods.

    • Thanks for the excellent info and advice.

      • also forgot to mention some other info I learned.

        15W and 25W are the maximum the Apple magsafe chargers actually charge the phone wirelessly.
        the 15W magsafe model needs to be plugged into at least 20W USB-C charger, because it consumes 18W~20W.
        I think the 25W needs to be plugged into at least a 30W charger.

        because there is more loss to heat in wireless charging, to charge at 15W it needs to consume more than that.
        some people seem to not know this and so they are confused when the charger doesn't charge as fast as claimed.

        afaik the USB-C charger doesn't need to be apple. because people say it works just fine with the correct watt power bank etc.

    • my advice don't risk your $1k iP with a charger from Aliexpress. buy the apple one.

      And this is how people end up spending $69.00 for a cable they'll have to attach to their phone anyway - just with magnets on the back instead of into the USB-C port on the bottom.

  • You can get battery packs that have MagSafe, and just treat it as a desktop charger. I got the Apple one too and much prefer that though, connects with a satisfying snap sound.

  • However, the phone heats up quite a bit after about 30 minutes of charging.

    This is normal for wireless charging, induction coils is a very inefficient way of transferring electrical energy - I don't remember the exact figure, but it's something around 50% as efficient as using copper wires. The remaining energy is lost as heat and is what is heating up your phone.

    My question is: is it safe to use a non‑MFi charger like this?

    Define what you mean by "safe".

    MFi is a scam, basically it's just a proprietary certification that ensures Apple gets a kickback for every accessory made for iPhone. Whilst there is some minor level of compliance required to earn the MFi certification, it's actually self-certified, meaning that the manufacturer (if they have paid the fees to Apple) gets to go out and say that they are following Apple's guidelines.

    Ultimately the vast majority of accessories, cables, and otherwise are safe. Generally, products that sell in large batches have such a large sample that if there are systemic issues, they often come up naturally. That said, the only way to actually know for sure is independent testing, either conducted by yourself or by others online who have access to the right technical equipment.

  • -1

    There is a good reason electric cars do not charge wireless.
    I cooked my Samsung S21u on 3rd party wireless pads. Several times it got so hot that I shut it down and chucked it into the fridge.
    Now I use inferior Iphones because I am too lazy to use fingerprint. Got to post process every photo but do not need Samsungs bloatware or gazillions of emojis.

    Get a mag case with a hard disk and film like a pro in log mode. At least it is doing a good job on video.

    • There is a good reason electric cars do not charge wireless.

      Yep, because they charge at up to 10,000 times the rate phones do.

      But there's a lot of people trying to make it work.

    • Now I use inferior Iphones because I am too lazy to use fingerprint.

      Really?

      One of the things I dislike most about my iPhone (as someone who carries both an iPhone and Android phone) is the lack of fingerprint reader.

      The fingerprint reader works almost 100% of the time, the iPhone's face ID basically works like 50% of the time - has to be aligned with face, doesn't work if phone is sitting on the table, doesn't work if phone is sitting in the phone holder in my car (probably because my face is just out of sight), doesn't work when my eyes are half closed in bed in the morning…etc.

      • Mine works 98% glasses on or off. But wondering if this gives me a false sense of security?
        Funny I know a number of doctors who refuse the use of fingerprint readers, some for hygiene, others claim their fingers were damaged so they all use pin numbers to log in as they insist on Samsung.

        • Mine works 98% glasses on or off. But wondering if this gives me a false sense of security?

          I assume you only use your phone whilst held in your hand (e.g. not sitting on a table)?

      • The iPhone mostly uses the eyes to unlock, not the rest of the face. I can get mine to unlock with my sleep apnea mask on (one that covers my nose and mouth). Probably due to the covid thing.

        Can't say I know of many times when I use my phone while it's flat on a table, except when I'm cooking. But then I just hover my face over it like a moron (and remember to turn on recipe mode if the recipe site has that).

      • There are two aspects of a security device "working". It allowing you in. And it not allowing other people in. It is doing a poor job if it does one well by doing the other poorly. How well it works depends on it doing both well.

Login or Join to leave a comment