Hands-On With Apple's iPhone 12 and 12 Pro MagSafe Cases

Apple's iPhone 12 and 12 Pro are launching this Friday, and ahead of that release date, Apple is shipping out various accessories like the MagSafe charger and ‌MagSafe‌ cases. Yesterday we took a look at the MagSafe charger, and today our ‌MagSafe‌ case came in the mail, so we thought we'd take another look at the charger to see how it works with the case and just how strong the case magnets are.


Design wise, the new Apple Silicone Case with built-in ‌MagSafe‌ compatibility is similar to any other Apple Silicone case designed for past iPhones, but there is a little circle inside the case that lets you know there's a magnet ring built in. The case slips on and off the iPhone easily, and it's made from the same silicone material as previous ‌iPhone‌ cases.

magsafecaseboxes
We looked at an OtterBox ‌MagSafe‌ case yesterday and weren't super impressed with the design because the magnets were just glued into the back of the case and covered with a bit of plastic, but Apple's design has the magnets built into the silicone of the case for a nicer finished look.

magsafecasedesign
The magnets in the OtterBox case were strong enough for everyday use but not super strong, and while we thought Apple's magnets might be stronger, that's not the case. The magnets in the Apple Silicone case are about the same strength as the magnets in the OtterBox case, and if you watch the video up above, you can see them in action.

magsafecasedangle
We don't have an ‌iPhone 12‌, and the ‌iPhone 12‌ has its own magnets and is a key part of how these cases and attachments work, so keep that in mind when watching our video. ‌iPhone 12‌ reviews came out today, though, giving us an idea of how strong the magnets are. Some reviewers ended up being unimpressed with the magnets for use with accessories like the Wallet that Apple makes.


MKBHD, for example, used the Wallet accessory from Apple with the ‌iPhone 12‌ and when he put the phone and wallet combo in his pocket, the wallet attachment fell right off, which is not ideal given that what's generally kept in a wallet is important.

magsafecaseandcharger
Magnet strength isn't as important when it comes to the ‌MagSafe‌ charger because it's mainly meant for charger alignment, but for an accessory like a wallet, it needs to be solidly stuck in place. More testing is required, but early impressions suggest ‌iPhone 12‌ buyers should use caution with the Wallet option.

If you missed our dedicated ‌MagSafe‌ charger video yesterday, make sure to check that out too if you want a better look at the ‌MagSafe‌ design.


We'll have an ‌iPhone 12‌ and 12 Pro to test out on Friday with both the ‌MagSafe‌ charger and the ‌MagSafe‌ cases, so tune in to MacRumors later in the week to see both of these accessories in more detail alongside the new ‌iPhone‌ models.

Related Roundup: iPhone 12
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

btrach144 Avatar
32 months ago
I’m shocked to see everyone giving the wallet such easy feedback. “Well it falls off easily and I guess that’s an item wouldn’t want to lose.”

How about the wallet is a failure and does not do what it was designed for... to keep your ID and a credit card or two safe. It’s a literal piece of crap.

Stop going soft on Apple and call them out when they produce crap. They shouldn’t release the wallet IMO. It’s going to tarnish their brand (to some degree).
Score: 60 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SuperCachetes Avatar
32 months ago
MR has really doubled down on the "we don't have all the parts, but here's how this one component functions without much context" videos.

I mean, I'm super-excited for all of this new stuff, too - but these premature puff pieces run the risk of crowding out meaningful stories as we scroll through the MR feed. Ah well.

Edit: and I keep seeing these videos of people slinging attached phones around by the MagSafe cord to prove the magnetic strength... Are we just trying to prove that the cord will fail and that it should've been detachable? Lol.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EatinPonies Avatar
32 months ago

How about the wallet is a failure and does not do what it was designed for... to keep your ID and a credit card or two safe. It’s a literal piece of crap.
Cool your jets there, turbo. The only thing that is a "literal piece of crap" is, well, quite honestly: a piece of crap.

Great points on the wallet case, though. Absolutely unusable as a wallet case.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PTLove Avatar
32 months ago
The idea of using MagSage for a car dashboard stand are out the window. It will fall out at any decent sized road bump.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NMBob Avatar
32 months ago
Maybe the magnets are something someone should have said "no" to.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vinegarshots Avatar
32 months ago
Would you be comfortable attaching your credit cards, cash, driver's license, etc. to yourself with post-it notes?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro Buttons CAD Leak

iPhone 15 Pro Low-Energy Chip to Allow Solid-State Buttons to Work When Device is Off or Out of Battery

Wednesday March 29, 2023 1:54 am PDT by
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will use a new ultra-low energy microprocessor allowing certain features like the new capacitive solid-state buttons to remain functional even when the handset is powered off or the battery has run out, according to a source that shared details on the MacRumors forums. CAD-based render of new solid-state buttons on iPhone 15 Pro models The source of this rumor is ...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2023 Event Taking Place June 5 to 9

Wednesday March 29, 2023 9:58 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 34th annual Worldwide Developers Conference will take place from Monday, June 5 to Friday, June 9. Like WWDC 2020, 2021, and 2022, WWDC 2023 will be an online event for the most part, and it will be open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple will provide online sessions and labs, which will allow...
iPhone 15 Pro Multi Purpose button Mute Switch Feature Green 2

iPhone 15 Pro Rumored to Feature Multi-Use Action Button Instead of Mute Switch

Wednesday March 29, 2023 7:28 am PDT by
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models are rumored to feature a customizable Action button like the Apple Watch Ultra, according to a MacRumors forum member who leaked accurate details about the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models last year. The source claimed the Action button will replace the Ring/Silent switch that has been included on every iPhone model since 2007. They did not...
iOS 16

Apple Releases iOS 16.4 With New Emoji, Safari Web Push Notifications, Beta Changes, Voice Isolation for Calls and More

Monday March 27, 2023 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 16.4, the fourth major update to the iOS 16 operating system that initially came out last September. iOS 16.4 comes two months after the launch of iOS 16.3, an update that added Security Keys for Apple ID. iOS 16‌.4 and iPadOS 16.4 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes...
Apple Music Classical

Apple Explains Why It Launched an iPhone App Dedicated to Classical Music

Monday March 27, 2023 8:54 pm PDT by
Apple today published a support document explaining why it decided to release a standalone Apple Music Classical app for classical music. In short, Apple says the app was designed to support classical music's complex metadata:Classical music is different. It has longer and more detailed titles, multiple artists for each work, and hundreds of recordings of well-known pieces. The Apple Music...
iOS 16

Apple Seeds First Betas of iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5

Tuesday March 28, 2023 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a day after the launch of iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4. Registered developers can opt in to the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to Software Update, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option and toggling on the iOS 16 Developer Beta. Note that an...
home upgrade available feature

PSA: Apple Has Made Its New Home Architecture Update Available Again

Tuesday March 28, 2023 1:50 am PDT by
Apple has made the option to upgrade to new Home architecture available again with the release of iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3, after it temporarily pulled the update in December. After updating Apple devices to the latest software, users can once again opt to upgrade any homes set up in the Home app to the new Home architecture, which Apple says brings faster, more reliable ...