There is some pretty compelling evidence that Apple is going to remove the Lightning port in one of the next iPhones, and it appears that MagSafe is the vessel they will be utilizing to make that transition easier. And while I expect that Apple will be iterating on this tool when they start using it as the only physical connection to the phone, we can only speculate on that now. Instead, let's see how fast the current MagSafe solution is at charging the iPhone 12 Pro.

The Comparison

I'm using the new 20W charging brick with the MagSafe puck, and it's charging up the iPhone 12 Pro.

Last year I ran these same tests on the iPhone 11 Pro with the 18W charger and cable that came in the box.

Both phones are being tested a year apart, but they're using the same wall outlet and are being testing when they are both brand new, which should be more accurate than testing my year old iPhone vs a brand new one.

Also, I've run this test 2x on both phones to even out any potential variance between tests.

The Results

As expected, the iPhone 12 Pro charged up much slower than last year's phone with the stock charger. This is not a scandal by any means, as this is about what you would expect by going from wired to wireless, but it's worth noting that this is absolutely a regression in charging speed. And even if you are in the camp that likes slower charging because it helps your battery last longer, that's fine and all, but wireless charging is worse for your battery's longevity than wired slow charging, so I don't think this is a clear win either.

I think the 30 minute charge is a really important number, as it gives you a decent idea of how fast you can charge up in an emergency. This is where we see the biggest regression though, as the wired charge last year got your from zero to 56% in a half hour, while MagSafe got me exactly half of that at 23%. In fact, it took 84 minutes for MagSafe to get to that 56% mark.

Overall, there is a little deviance here and there, but in general the MagSafe charger seems to deliver 6-7% of charge every 10 minutes, while the wired charger that came with the iPhone 11 Pro delivered 15-20% every 10 minutes and then slowed down as it got close to fully charged as to not over-stress the battery.

Bottom Line

I like MagSafe, and I'm using it to charge my phone on my nightstand. It's great to feel confident that it's locking into place every time, and as someone who almost exclusively charged their phone wirelessly already, this feels like a lateral move to me.

But if you are used to topping up your phone quickly, the current state of MagSafe is going to leave you getting less charge than you may have been used to before.