With the MagSafe External Battery, Apple offers a magnetic battery that can be used to charge smartphones from the iPhone 12 wirelessly by attaching it to the back of the iPhone. The MagSafe battery, which costs 109 euros (RRP), used to charge the connected iPhone with a maximum of 5 watts, but now an update has speeded it up.
Firmware update for 7.5 instead of 5 watts
Instead of the previous 5 watts, the MagSafe battery charging power has increased to a maximum of 7.5 watts after the firmware update. The performance is thus increased to the level with which normal Qi chargers can also fully charge the iPhone. However, it’s still significantly slower than it can be charged with other MagSafe chargers, which allow up to 15 watts. It’s still a useful upgrade when you’re on the go, so you can get rid of the extra battery in the back more quickly.
Automatic or faster update via iPad or Mac
To charge with 7.5 instead of 5 watts, the MagSafe battery must be updated to the new firmware version 2.7.b.0, as Apple does now announced in a supporting document, which also reveals how to update the firmware. When the MagSafe battery is attached to the back of an iPhone, the firmware update is automatic, but cannot be started manually, so it can take up to a week to install the latest firmware. Also, the battery must remain connected all the time so as not to interrupt the process. Updating via a Mac or iPad is faster. To initiate an update on these devices, the MagSafe battery must be connected to them with a Lightning to USB-C cable. The firmware is then automatically updated within five minutes.
The firmware version of the MagSafe Battery can be viewed in the settings of the connected iPhone (Settings > General > About > External MagSafe Battery).
Load capacity for one time
The capacity of the MagSafe battery is 11.13 Wh (1460 mAh, 7.62 V), so smaller iPhone models can be fully charged almost once if charge losses are taken into account. If the battery is powered by a Lightning cable on a power source with at least 20 watts, it can also serve as a wireless charging pad for devices other than the iPhone, which can then be charged with up to 15 watts.
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