iPhone 13 Mini Still Limited to Maximum 12W of Peak Power via MagSafe Charger

While Apple's standard MagSafe Charger can typically support up to 15 watts of peak power delivery to iPhone models when used with an appropriate power adapter, last year's iPhone 12 mini was limited to a lower 12-watt peak, perhaps due to thermal constraints with the smaller device.

iphone 13 magsafe 1
As highlighted in an update to Apple's support document on the ‌MagSafe‌ Charger today, that restriction remains in place for this year's ‌iPhone‌ 13 mini, similarly subjecting it to the lower 12-watt limit. Given the nearly identical body size between the ‌iPhone 12 mini‌ and ‌iPhone‌ 13 mini, it's not particularly surprising that the limit applies to both devices, but to our knowledge this is the first time Apple has confirmed it.

An ‌iPhone‌ connected to ‌MagSafe‌ intelligently manages its power draw to prevent overheating, and thus even a fully supported model capable of charging at 15 watts may see much of its charging time spent below that threshold in an effort to protect battery health.

The smaller battery of the mini-sized ‌iPhone‌ models also means that they require less energy to recharge than larger models, so an ‌iPhone 12 mini‌ or ‌iPhone‌ 13 mini capped at a peak of 12 watts may not take any longer to charge to full via ‌MagSafe‌ than an ‌iPhone‌ 13 with a 15-watt limit. Still, users should be aware that this restriction persists with this year's mini ‌iPhone‌.

This isn't the only MagSafe-related topic making the rounds today, as it's been discovered that the ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro with Apple's standard case on it doesn't sit quite properly on the MagSafe Duo Charger due to the size and height of the lip that protects the rear cameras. Despite the fit issue, the phone seems to make a proper connection and charge normally.

Related Forum: iPhone

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Top Rated Comments

cmaier Avatar
57 months ago
Ah, now comes the stream of people complaining about 3W.

It’s actually pretty remarkable how many care about a watt here and there, actually.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vojta3476 Avatar
57 months ago

Fast compared to what? Even at 15W it would be charging pretty slowly.
All my phones ever have charged fast compared to the 6-8 hours I sleep at night. That's all I care about.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
usagora Avatar
57 months ago

Ah, now comes the stream of people complaining about 3W.

It’s actually pretty remarkable how many care about a watt here and there, actually.
You think a watt is bad? My battery health just dropped from 100% to 99%. Is my phone trash now? omg I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight. This is SO much worse than not being able to charge my phone 5 minutes faster.

EDIT: LOL @ the thumbs-down reaction. Always that one person who doesn't recognize obvious sarcasm.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
5105973 Avatar
57 months ago
Donut care. It’s little and the 12 charges plenty fast to suit me.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
now i see it Avatar
57 months ago
I don’t think anyone who uses wireless charging is in a rush. And anyway, as stated in the article, the mini uses a smaller battery so of course it’s going to charge at a lower current
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DeepIn2U Avatar
57 months ago

I can't imagine needing to charge any faster than what I'm experiencing with MagSafe. It's definitely not slow. Or maybe I'm just more patient than others, so it's a perceptual thing? In any case, I've never once had the thought "Gee, I wish MagSafe charged my phone faster." Everyone's always going on about how wired charging is faster, but I honestly see no appreciable difference in real life. Not saying there isn't one - just that it's not night or day or anything like that.
personally a faster wireless charging would be nice when:

Apple implements a vapour chamber to keep the device and battery cool from over-heating which leads to poor battery life and capacity longevity. Until then 12w is fine by me.

looking at my 8mths old iPhone 12 mini that I mostly charged over MagSafe and my battery health drop, I’ll be much smarter using Lightning on the 13 mini going forward.

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Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)