Ever since Apple introduced MagSafe, the magnet system on the back of the iPhone 12 that holds accessories, there’s one idea we’ve been looking forward to: a MagSafe battery. Instead of buying a case with an integrated battery as Apple has offered for a few years with its Smart Battery Cases, it would be a battery pack that sits on the back of the iPhone only when you need it.
This is what Parker Ortolani conceptualized by creating a “MagSafe Battery”. This product is placed on the back of the iPhone and it works only by induction, without a physical connector. The battery would charge the smartphone by induction and above all it would be recharged itself by induction, thanks to the MagSafe charger.
On paper, this idea is obvious and we hope Apple works on it. However, there are still some technical questions, starting with the space required for the two coils, which should a priori be placed in the battery itself. There would be one for charging the iPhone, but a second would be needed for charging the battery itself, as the metal components of the battery normally act as a barrier to induction waves.
Two reels so close is technically a major difficulty and to our knowledge no one has done so before. The latest Smart Battery Cases can be charged inductively, but the iPhone is powered through their Lightning plug, not inductively. For his part, Mophie imagined a battery for MagSafe, but the battery recharges in Lightning, which also solves the problem, but in a less elegant way.
If Apple succeeds, would there be enough room for a sufficiently sized battery? And above all, could we then limit losses to maintain good efficiency and keep temperatures at a reasonable level? Knowing that the MagSafe charger already tends to heat the iPhone 12 a little too much, it is a real problem to imagine such a product today.