Apple's MagSafe charging connector is expected to make a long-awaited return to the MacBook Pro later this year, according to new reports.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said in a recent report, which outlined many of the changes coming to the new high-end Mac laptops, that "the MagSafe charging connector design is restored" on the upcoming MacBook Pro models. Expected to come in 14- and 16-inch sizes, the 2021 MacBook Pro models are believed to deliver a number of significant design changes, such as removing the Touch Bar and adding more ports. Restoration of the MagSafe connector, which has been absent on new MacBook Pro models since 2015, appears to be another of these unexpected changes.
This has been corroborated by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who explained that the restored MagSafe charging will include a similar design to the previous incarnation of MagSafe on MacBooks. Two USB-C ports are expected to remain on the left of the MacBook Pro, next to the returned MagSafe connector.
The return of MagSafe may deliver a number of practical benefits, such as faster charging speeds, according to Gurman. The presence of the connector would also restore its original main selling point, which was easy connection and disconnection using magnets.
MagSafe first debuted in January 2006 when Apple launched the first-ever MacBook Pro. The MagSafe port featured a rectangular design with five holes, which corresponded to an accompanying connector with magnets.
The simple idea behind MagSafe was that if tugged on, the charger would detach quickly and smoothly without causing damage to the port or dragging the MacBook Pro. Better still, charging was easier than with USB-C because there was no need to align and insert a connector deeply into a port thanks to its shallowness and use of magnets.
In 2016, with the introduction of the USB-C MacBook Pro models, Apple began discontinuing MagSafe, and the last machine with MagSafe, the 2017 MacBook Air, was discontinued by Apple in July 2019. The switch back to MagSafe is likely to be popular with MacBook Pro owners who have missed the feature.
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro are expected to feature new designs, brighter panels with higher contrast, function keys with no Touch Bar, more ports, and Apple Silicon chips. For more information about MagSafe, see our "Look Back at Apple's Original Magnetic Charging Technology".
