LordHamster

I for one am super-excited about the potential of Apple's MagSafe. The Nexus 5 line had this, but never was successful enough to drive the industry. Not that I think it is any better than a standard QI Charger except for several things:

• Alignment - Most wireless charging issues I've had have been due to alignment issues. Some of my chargers are finicky and will either not charge or generate excess heat if even a smidge off center. Magsafe's magnets solve this.
• Secure Hold - I've knocked my phone off the charging pucks, or off center enough times overnight where I now don't trust them near my bed. Magnets solve this
• Mounting/Charging - I've had similar cases/car chargers that used magnets and allowed QI charging in the past, but they were always proprietary and not very good in their magnet geometry. I'm excited about getting a good in-car magnetic mounting/qi charging solution. For now I'll just 3m Dual-lock fastner tape a MagSafe puck to my dash.
• Standardization - Apple being apple has essentially defined a new defacto geometry for these MagSafe magnets. With any luck, a slew of third party cases, accessories, chargers, etc will soon hit the market.

ikwia

What do you mean by "defect geometry"?

I assume MagSafe is proprietary so we won't see compatible accessories for Android, right?

LordHamster

Sorry, I meant "defacto" geometry. Damn Safai autocorrect.

Anyway, I'm guessing that there will be tons of QI chargers that may integrate a MagSafe geometry ring of magnets for the purposes of working better with iPhones and taking advantage of the "buzzword." While the magnets won't h help current Android phones, they won't hurt either. No reason an Android case maker could not make a case with a magnetic ring embedded...thus taking advantage of the better alignment/mounting provided by chargers / car chargers designed for iPhone.

Pitaka for example already makes cases for Android with built in magnets. https://www.ipitaka.com/products/mag...google-pixel-4
Their old QI charger had magnets built in as well. Their old magnet layout isn't very compatible with MagSafe currently (I checked), but they may standardize on the MagSafe layout...which could in turn benefit even Android users of such cases.

ikwia

Ah, obvious in retrospect

Hopefully some of this will come true. Is there any reason that an Android manufacturer couldn't put the magnet right in the phone?

The case you linked to looks nice, but costs 4x what I paid for my current Pixel 3 case (Spigen -- which I've been very, very happy with). Still, if it offered a real advantage, I would not hesitate to buy one.

LordHamster

The old Google Nexus 5 had magnets in the phone and charger and it was great! Don't know why they ever killed that feature other than Google just hates me.

The case I linked to was great from a feel perspective, but the charger wasn't that great. I think that company had already announced MagSafe compatible cases.

DYKWIA

I've been reading reports that the magnet is not particularly strong, so the phone is easily dislodged, especially when it's 'slid' from the side. I definitely won't be relying on iffy magnets to hold a £1000 phone. My phone is generally on a stable QI charger, on my desk, or in my pocket - so no real need for magnets anyway.

There was also a video showing the new magnetic wallet in action. Very easy to slide off when putting the phone into you pocket. One of the more bizarre Apple products!

LordHamster

I feel like a strong hold can be achieved by utilizing Stronger magnets on whatever 3rd party charger you end up with. Not too worried about that. For me the biggest benefit is that alignment. My current Pixel 4XL is super finicky with my "Pixel Stand" charger. I often have to pick up the phone 2-3 times before the phone starts charging, as the phone gives me a red-text on-screen prompt" "realign phone for proper charging."

With previous iPhones, I've accidentally knocked them off center overnight with either my arm or my pillow. This kind of thing should no longer be an issue, even if the magnets aren't super-strong.

As for the wallets, I've seen that video. I suspect a combination of three things at play:

• MKBHD (the reviewer) wears skinny jeans
• The case was "slid" off not pulled off. As you know, sliding magnets apart is easier than pulling them apart. I'm not worried at all for car-mounts because of this.
• MKBHD wasn't using a case. I think the silicon MagSafe case will provide more friction, thus reduce the chance of the magnets sliding apart. Another reviewer UrAvgConsumer (not sure how to spell his name) did the same test but with a case and while not wearing the world's tightest jeans...he has no issue. Personally though, I have zero interest in the magnetic case.

I'm actually looking forward to the advent of snap-on batter packs. They will be almost as convenient as the old user-replaceable batteries were back in the day. Yes, they won't be as efficient as wired, but they'll be super convenient. I can imagine traveling with two extra MagSafe battery packs in my travel bag.

pseudoswede

Motorola had them for some of their phones (along with other magnetic snap-on accessories like speakers, a projector, a really fancy camera, and a expanded battery pack with built-in wireless charging capabilities). It never really caught on, which is a shame.

https://www.androidauthority.com/moto-mods-789689/