2021 Apple MagSafe battery pack price – what is the best alternate MagSafe battery pack?

Share

How much is 2021 Apple MagSafe battery pack price? Is it worth investment? Apple released a MagSafe battery pack for the iPhone 12 earlier at price $99 around. As MagSafe is fully backward compatible with Qi, this is technically able to charge any other Qi-enabled device. It is compact, solid, effortless to use, integrates well into iOS, and has features built-in for both the MagSafe battery and your phone’s battery long-term health.

Consumer Reviews is supported by its audience. This website contains Paid Links. As an affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchase. Find more

What is the best alternate MagSafe battery pack? Apple isn’t the only company to make a MagSafe-compatible battery pack that leverages Qi wireless charging to keep your iPhone charged when you’re on the go. Mophie, Anker, myCharge and Hyper are just a few of its competitors. Get more in 2021 Apple MagSafe battery pack price and review.

Pros & Cons – 2021 Apple MagSafe battery pack

Pros

  • Sturdy design
  • Simple, bidirectional pass-through charging
  • Deep integration with iOS takes full advantage of the battery pack 
  • Smart charging ensures proper iPhone and battery pack charging
  • Your iPhone uses reverse wireless charging to charge the pack
  • It charges via Lightning
  • It fast charges (up to 15-watts) when plugged into power
  • Works great as a wired MagSafe charger
  • Can also charge other Qi devices like AirPods

Cons

  • The most expensive battery pack of the bunch 
  • It only comes in white
  • It’s expensive
  • It cannot be wirelessly recharged when not connected to iPhone
  • Not as high-capacity as other options

Specs – 2021 Apple MagSafe battery pack

  • Apple MagSafe battery pack price $99
  • Capacity: 1,460mAh/ 11.13Wh
  • Charging Port: Lightning
  • Power button: No
  • Compact form factor
  • Wonderful iOS integration
  • Thoughtful battery health features
  • Fast power input
  • Up to 15W of power while plugged in
  • Magnetic force is strong
  • Uses same Lightning cable as iPhone
  • Provides good amount of charge to latest iPhones
  • Supports reverse wireless charging

Compatibility

The perfectly aligned magnets keep it attached to youriPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro — providing safe and reliable wireless charging. 

we could place our AirPods Pro on the circle, and they instantly began to charge. The MagSafe Battery Pack can also charge the Qi-enabled AirPods via their cases.

iPhone Models

  • iPhone 13 Pro
  • iPhone 13 Pro Max
  • iPhone 13 mini
  • iPhone 13
  • iPhone 12 Pro
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max
  • iPhone 12 mini
  • iPhone 12

2021 Apple MagSafe battery pack price

Anybody considering spending $99 on this battery ought to keep one important fact in mind: even Apple cannot break the laws of physics. It is just as bound by the same rules of magnetism and electrons as everybody else.

Anker, Hyper, and Mophie have all released similar battery packs with larger capacities for under $50. 

Apple MagSafe battery pack review

Build

The white plastic has a matte finish that helps a little with grip. The outer shell is made of a durable white plastic with a gray Apple logo centered in the upper half. The charging face of the battery pack is covered in gray silicone that matches the logo on the other side. A Lightning port and an indicator light are on the bottom edge.

Design

Apple’s new MagSafe Battery Pack is a white rectangle you can stick to the back of an iPhone 12 to charge it. The MagSafe Battery Pack is a small, slightly chunky device that measures 3.75 by 2.5 by 0.43 inches (HWD).  Small enough to slide into a pocket or bag, the MagSafe Battery Pack adds hours of use to your phone, snapping neatly into place with the aid of precisely positioned magnets.

Capacity

The rear of the battery pack reveals the cell inside: a 1,460mAh (11.3Wh). Both numbers relate to total capacity, but the Wh is close to that of an iPhone 12 or 12 Pro, so we’d imagine it’s not a small 1,460mAh cell inside but potentially two of them. 

Charging speed

Apple’s official portable battery for iPhone 12 comes with some key advantages. It charges When plugged into a powerful enough wall charger, the MagSafe Battery can charge the phone at up to 15W, just like the standard MagSafe disc. The charger can fill up both itself and your iPhone. If you want to prioritize charging speed on the iPhone, you can plug it in instead and then the iPhone will use reverse wireless charging to top up the battery.

Charge Indicator

If your iPhone is in low power mode, the circle will highlight in yellow rather than green. When you plug the Battery Pack into a Lightning cable for charge, the LED indicator will glow orange for a bit, and green when it’s fully charged. We imagine Apple opted for the Lightning port as you already have that for the iPhone it will be attached to.

At any time, you can also glance the battery’s remaining capacity with Apple’s battery widget on your Home Screen. The battery widget can also be Smart Stack so that it intelligently shows when your battery pack is connected.

 iOS compatibility

To diffuse any responsibility on your part in managing your battery, Apple has put in place tight integration with iOS. To fully support the battery, users need to have iOS 14.7 or later. Currently, beta users of iOS 15 don’t have full support, but we’re expecting it soon.

How to charge 2021 Apple MagSafe battery pack

Charging the battery pack is done via a Lightning connector on the bottom of the pack. If you use a 20W adapter, you can charge both the pack and the iPhone at the same time by plugging the connector into your iPhone. Your iPhone will then use reverse wireless charging to top off the battery pack — the first time we’ve seen such a feature in use from any iPhone model. 

2021 Apple MagSafe battery pack Performance review

when you place the pack on a compatible iPhone, you’ll see an animation on your screen letting you know how much of a charge the pack has. It will automatically begin charging your phone. The first time you attach one to your phone, you’ll also see an alert letting you know it will keep your phone at 90% to protect your battery. The battery widget built into iOS will show the pack’s current charge level, right alongside your iPhone and other accessories. 

the MagSafe Battery was fully drained when my iPhone 12 Mini reached 83 percent, which took 130 minutes of charging. I didn’t have it plugged in for this test, which meant it charged at a relatively pokey 5W speed, so as to minimize heat and maximize the battery’s longevity.

I used the iPhone very sporadically during the charging period (mostly to record the results every 15 minutes), though I did listen to a 15-minute podcast over Bluetooth which slowed the charging down a bit.

2021 Apple MagSafe battery pack customer review

Simple, Stylish, Expensive, Lacks 1 Major Feature

I have an iPhone 12 Pro. Because it features MagSafe, I’ve purchased a few MagSafe charging pads because it’s great to place it down and pick it up without having to search for wires or hope for the perfect alignment on non-MagSafe Qi chargers.

My iPhone 12 Pro started off with maybe 18 hours of battery life with my normal use. However, with the newer iOS updates (and because I’m too stubborn to re-install iOS), the phone seems to last about 8 hours before it hits the dreaded red zone for the battery. Because of the pandemic, it didn’t matter much as I was usually working from home and always had access to power, but it started to become bothersome as the world opened and power wouldn’t be as accessible.

I saw Apple released this MagSafe Battery Pack and got really excited. I prefer the deep iOS integration, I loved the fact that it had MagSafe, and was excited to be able to charge my phone while on the go. Of course, as usually happens with new accessories, I read all the reviews, most of which were negative, before even ordering it. I figured, worst case scenario, I’d return it if indeed the additional battery life was not useful or if it was too big or if I felt the value wasn’t there.

The device is stylish, looking like an integrated part of my blue iPhone 12 Pro. The magnets are strong and, except for putting it into and taking it out of my pocket, the pack will not fall off the phone. Yes, it adds some weight and thickness, but, because it’s MagSafe and not a case, I can easily put it on or take it off as needed. There are no buttons, all you do is attach it to your phone and look at the battery widget to see how full it is.

When it arrived (around 3 in the afternoon), my phone was down to about 15%. The device’s instructions recommend plugging it in to fully charge it before using. I used my 20W brick and lightning cable, and about 45 minutes later it was full. The phone was now about 10%. I put the pack on the phone, I got the MagSafe animation and saw the phone was charging and the pack was at 100%.

On first use with a very unscientific observation, I was a little disappointed: it took about 3 hours to get the phone to about 70% before running out of juice, and both the phone and the pack felt warm. I was hoping for a higher and faster charge. However, understanding it’s now 7pm and I have 60% left, I realized how useful this can be; after all, do I really need more than 60% at 7pm?

That night, I left the pack on the phone and plugged the pack in. With a 10W or higher brick, the brick and phone will both immediately start charging. With a 20W or higher brick, the pack will charge the phone with the full 15W promised by MagSafe. I have a 10W brick next to my bed, so the phone and pack had no issue reaching 100% between 10pm and 6am. I woke up to 100% on the phone and 100% on the pack.

I noticed something quite different the next day with the phone starting the day with the pack on. First, the phone used its battery to go down to around 90%. After that, depending on what I was doing with the phone, the charge would hover between about 85% to 92% – this is expected, as the phone will limit its own charge to about 90% with the pack on (you can override this if you want). Today, however, with the pack on the phone the entire day, the phone went until almost 4:30 getting power from the pack, at which point I had about 85%. I had about 70% at 7pm. It seems as though the way to get the most use of the pack is to marry the phone and the pack to start the day, rather than use the pack for a recharge. For me, it seems to squeeze about 10% more use out of the combined batteries rather than using the pack for a recharge. Either way, getting to 7pm with 60-70% is a huge change from needing a charge around 2pm.

My biggest complaint about the battery pack is its own lack of wireless charging. As I mentioned, I bought a few MagSafe charging pads for the iPhone because I like the convenience of MagSafe; with the MagSafe duo, I can travel with that and charge my phone and my watch with a compact pad, 1 brick, and 1 cord. To charge the battery pack, you have to plug it into lightning. Now, with one cord, you can charge the pack and iPhone, but you still need at least one more charging pad for the watch and a brick if you want to charge simultaneously. If I could still use MagSafe to charge the pack and the phone, then my other accessories wouldn’t seem so useless now.

A note about the above: I have read some reviews that say this is a great replacement to the MagSafe Duo or other MagSafe charging pads because you can leave it plugged in as your regular charging pad, but if you ever need to be mobile or recharge, you unplug it and take it with you. And because you use it as your regular charger, it’s always plugged in meaning it’s always charged. I’m sure that’s a good use of this for a lot of people, however in my experience you seem to get more out of the combined batteries by using both from the get go.

The other thing I’d like to address is price. Yes, this is twice the cost of accessories you can find elsewhere on the market. Yes, some of those other accessories come with more power capacity for half the price, along with USB ports for faster charging over cords. However, they are not MagSafe, not integrated into iOS, and not as simple (power buttons, etc.). They also do not have the capability to charge at 15W. If you those things don’t matter to you, then get one of the other devices. But, if you like tight integration with iOS and don’t mind paying a premium for a quality product, this is well worth the cost.

So long review, but hopefully you appreciate the detail. It’s a great battery pack that’s easy to put on and take off, deeply integrates into iOS, is stylish when on your iPhone 12, easy to use, and significantly extended the use I can get out of my iPhone 12 Pro. My biggest complaint is it’s inability to be charged on a MagSafe charging pad, making prior accessory purchases less useful.

By Eric at Best Buy

Alternate of 2021 Apple MagSafe battery pack at this price

Anker PowerCore Magnetic 5K

Anker PowerCore Magnetic 5K - alternate of Apple MageSafe


Capacity: 5,000mAh/18.5Wh | Charging Port: USB-C | Power button: Yes 


Anker’s PowerCore Magnetic 5K boasts a 5,000mAh (18.5 Wh) capacity in a fairly thick footprint. The Hyper battery pack only outmatches its size. You’ll find LED indicator lights to reveal the charge level, a power button, and a USB-C port on the bottom of the pack. 

You can charge the battery pack and your iPhone at the same time using pass-through charging, as I’ve personally tested and verified. One bonus feature Anker’s offering has over the competition is that it acts as an external battery pack in that you can use the USB-C port to connect the pack to another device, like your iPad, and charge it if needed. 

Pros:

  •    Supports pass-through charging 
  •    It can be used to charge another device via USB-C

Cons:

  • Thicker than most other battery packs   

Editor’s recommendations

Abu Saleh Rizvee
Abu Saleh Rizvee

I love to write content and contribute for my society. I invest my days in creating content for products those I love and brands who need online presence

Articles: 1357