The 4 Best MagSafe Accessories for Your iPhone of 2023

The Anker 622 Magnetic Battery (MagGo) is our new favorite MagSafe-compatible power bank. We’ve also added testing figures for the iPhone 13 to this guide.

I’m lazy. It's not that I find it particularly tough to plug a cable into my phone when it's time to charge, but if I can shave a millisecond off the process or do it with even a hair less thought, I’d like to. That's why I appreciate Apple's MagSafe system. Introduced as part of the iPhone 12 lineup in late 2020, MagSafe uses hidden magnets embedded in the phone to align the device with compatible wireless chargers, stands, and other accessories. So now, when I sit down at my desk, I can simply slap my phone onto a MagSafe charging stand. And when I head to bed and it's dark, I don't have to fiddle with a Lightning cable. MagSafe doesn't do anything you can't do without magnets, but it does make those things a little more convenient and foolproof.

There's a small but meaningful distinction between Apple-approved, MagSafe-branded accessories and those made by other companies that simply take advantage of the iPhone's magnets. True MagSafe supports wireless charging speeds up to 15 watts, which is the fastest wireless charging speed iPhones can achieve, while non-MagSafe magnetic charging accessories are limited to 7.5 watts (the same maximum speed that standard Qi chargers provide). That's the only functional difference, and we recommend a number of accessories that don't have Apple's endorsement but are still great options.

Although only a few MagSafe accessories are available at the moment, we’ve tested most of the iPhone cases, magnetic chargers, charging stations, magnetic power banks, and desktop stands you can buy today. These are our picks.

We’ve tested dozens of iPhone 12 cases—and iPhone 12 mini, Pro, and Pro Max options too—to find great options for a range of styles and needs.

Apple's iPhone 13 models are here, and with them a deluge of new case options to keep them safe. These are our favorite cases for almost any scenario.

Your iPhone should be in a case. And since there are so many good options now that don't cost much more than models without MagSafe technology, we think you should choose a MagSafe-compatible case that will allow you to use magnetic accessories just as you would with a bare phone. These cases have magnets matching those embedded in the phone so that you can still connect your device to accessories and charge it wirelessly.

Although we haven't encountered a single case that's the best option for everybody, we have found a number we like: Smartish's Gripmunk with MagSafe is a basic but high-quality case that offers good protection for a low price. The Apple Leather Case with MagSafe is our favorite leather case even if you don't use MagSafe. And Smartish's Gripzilla with MagSafe, which has a design that prevents dings and cracks better than less expensive cases, is our top choice if you want a little more protection from drops.

Each of these cases offer protection from scratches, a respectable degree of shock absorption if you drop your phone, and an attractive design, all without adding too much bulk. And all of them hide the MagSafe system, so from the outside, you can't even tell it's there.

This charger offers easy magnetic alignment and is as fast as any non-Apple-branded charger we’ve tested.

May be out of stock

*At the time of publishing, the price was $30.

If you want to charge a single MagSafe-equipped phone, RAVPower's Magnetic Wireless Charger (RP-WC012) is the best option. Although Apple makes its own MagSafe Charger, which works quite well and is the fastest available, the slightly slower RAVPower charger typically costs about half as much. It comes with the required 20-watt USB-C wall adapter in the box (Apple's MagSafe Charger does not), and it often costs less than many other wireless chargers.

Both models fit into a category of charger we usually refer to as "pucks"—flat, wide pads that magnetically snap onto the back of your phone or MagSafe case to charge, with a cable leading to a USB connector or an attached wall adapter. None of the pucks we’ve tested are large enough to make using the phone uncomfortable, especially since they’re so flat. In our testing, the RAVPower model charged an iPhone 13 to 18% after 30 minutes and to 33% in an hour, as fast as any other non-Apple option. Apple's MagSafe Charger juiced the phone to 30% and 57%, respectively, in the same time periods, but we don't think that difference is worth nearly twice the price.

If you need a longer cable, we like Native Union's Snap Magnetic Wireless Charger. Although this cord doesn't come with a wall adapter and costs more than the RAVPower RP-WC012 (which does have one), the 10-foot, fabric-covered cable is useful if your outlet is on the other side of the couch or otherwise too far from where you’re charging. You give up a little speed in comparison with using the RAVPower: In our tests the Native Union provided a similar 15% charge in half an hour and 30% in one hour.

This multi-device charger is the easiest to use and the best looking, and it provides the fastest possible wireless charging speeds.

May be out of stock

*At the time of publishing, the price was $150.

For those who are all-in on Apple and own an iPhone, an Apple Watch, and AirPods, we recommend Belkin's Boost Charge Pro 3-in-1 Wireless Charger with MagSafe as the best charging station for your nightstand. This sculpture-like charger provides full-speed power to all three devices, including 15-watt charging for the iPhone. Plus, using the charger is as simple as it gets: Just slap your phone against the pad, and the handset floats in place while charging.

For travel, we like Apple's MagSafe Duo Charger. It powers an iPhone and Apple Watch, it's just as fast as the Belkin, and it folds up to easily fit in a bag. It's more expensive than most models that charge only two devices at once, and if you add the price of the USB-C power adapter you need, the MagSafe Duo costs about the same as the three-device Belkin Boost Charge Pro. But the added value lies in its convenience and portability.

Anker's magnetic power bank snaps onto the back of MagSafe-equipped iPhones and provides nearly a full charge at a fast-enough speed, while also working as a stand when you need one.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $60.

Although you can use any wired USB power bank to charge your iPhone, with MagSafe you don't need a cable. Instead, you just slap a magnetic battery pack on the back of your phone and let it charge. The downside, however, is slower charging speeds compared with what you can get from a wired connection. But if you’re willing to sacrifice speed for convenience, we like Anker's 622 Magnetic Battery (MagGo), our power-bank pick for people who have a MagSafe-compatible iPhone. The 5,000 mAh (19.25 Wh) power bank holds enough charge to fill the fully depleted battery of an iPhone 13 to about 83%—nearly on a par with the results we’ve gotten from its closest competitors in this category.

Anker says its battery pack wirelessly charges at 7.5 watts, but in our tests the 622 brought the iPhone 13 to 14% in 30 minutes and to 27% in an hour, a speed comparable to that of other 5-watt magnetic power banks. And if you have a cable handy and need a quicker top-up, the Anker model's USB-C port supports 12-watt wired charging.

In addition to solid charging performance, the Anker 622 has a built-in, origami-like foldable kickstand that props up your phone at a 30-degree angle without adding extra bulk. It also fits every MagSafe-compatible phone, only slightly overhanging the bottom of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini.

The PowerWave Magnetic 2-in-1 Stand is a great accessory for your desk, offering fast charging and adjustable viewing angles at half the cost of comparable models.

May be out of stock

*At the time of publishing, the price was $46.

One of my favorite places to use a magnetic charger is on my desk. A stand positions my iPhone at an angle that makes it easy for me to see notifications, plus there's the grab-and-go benefit of not having to physically unplug my phone when I pick it up.

We’ve tested five charging stands, most of which also have a spot for wirelessly powering AirPods at the same time, and Anker's PowerWave Magnetic 2-in-1 Stand is the best of them. The simple plastic and rubber stand is pretty fast, charging an iPhone 13 from empty to 14% in 30 minutes and to 52% in an hour. It also has an adjustable charging head so you can find your ideal viewing angle, and a grippy pad on the base holds and charges an AirPods case without it sliding around. No wall adapter is included in the package, so we recommend picking up one of our affordable USB-C phone-charger picks.

Belkin's Boost Charge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charger Stand is MagSafe-certified and faster than the Anker, charging the iPhone 13 to 36% in half an hour and to 68% in an hour. It's also far more expensive ($100 at this writing, versus the $50-ish it would cost to buy the Anker and a 20-watt USB-C charger), although it does come with a wall adapter. Satechi's Aluminum 2-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charging Stand and the HyperJuice Magnetic Wireless Charging Stand charged at the same speed as the Anker in our tests, but each competitor has its own drawbacks: The Satechi model is more expensive than the Anker but doesn't offer any added benefits, and the Hyper charger doesn't even come with a USB-C cable, let alone a wall adapter. We also tested Choetech's Magnetic Wireless 2-in-1 Charging Stand, but it was a bit slower than any other desktop stand we tried.

Nick Guy

Nick Guy is a former senior staff writer covering Apple and accessories at Wirecutter. He has been reviewing iPhones, iPads, and related tech since 2011—and stopped counting after he tested his 1,000th case. It's impossible for him not to mentally catalog any case he sees. He once had the bright idea to build and burn down a room to test fireproof safes.

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