No more tangled cables: Inductive charging stations fill the batteries of Apple devices without messy cables and annoying plugs. This also works three times.
Apple has not yet been able to deliver the AirPower charging mat that was announced years ago. Now other manufacturers are showing how iPhones, Watches and AirPods can be charged wirelessly and simultaneously with one device. Fortunately, with the wireless charging introduced with the iPhone 8, Apple initially stuck to the Qi standard, which ensures the greatest possible compatibility with many devices. The MagSafe that came onto the scene with the iPhone 12 is also compatible with Qi: MagSafe iPhones can be charged on Qi stations and, conversely, MagSafe chargers also charge smartphones or other devices with Qi, such as the AirPods battery case. However, only MagSafe products officially licensed by Apple are guaranteed to charge iPhones with up to 15 watts. With Qi, Apple only has a maximum of 7.5 watts.
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MagSafe also holds the iPhone with its magnets and ensures that the coils are correctly seated in relation to each other, which generate an electromagnetic field from electricity and electricity from the field on the other side. In addition, both devices can exchange information via near-field radio (Near Field Communication, NFC). For example, certain MagSafe cases or chargers conjure up an animation (of the same color) on the iPhone display when they are put on.
short and sweet
- Inductive triple charging stations reliably charge an iPhone, a watch and a pair of AirPods at the same time.
- There are differences of up to 33 percent in the charging time for iPhones.
- Some models have to be supplemented with a power supply, cable, MagSafe charger or Apple Watch puck.
- The official MagSafe licensing does not play a major role in practice.
Qi with magnets
Many of the cheap charging stations are advertised by the manufacturers as compatible with MagSafe: They hold an iPhone with magnets, but only charge it via Qi. This can be seen, for example, from the missing circular animations on the phone’s display when connecting. Since Qi is only allowed to charge an iPhone with a maximum of 7.5 watts, charging should take significantly longer compared to the 15 watts of MagSafe – but the test showed contradictory charging times. Therefore, practical values and measurement results are once again more important than theory.
