Apple’s MagSafe puck, which was jut updated with faster charging
Poking around the internet, there appears to be the idea that Apple will phase out MagSafe just as it did to 3D Touch. MagSafe isn’t going anywhere.
Earlier in 2025, Apple dropped the iPhone 16e. It is Apple’s most affordable iPhone and includes new features like its first in-house modem, C1.
At the same time, it also opted not to include MagSafe. This magnetic connection and charging system has grown in popularity and set up alarm bells when it wasn’t present.
Many have feared, that like 3D Touch, MagSafe would go by the wayside and in the coming years, Apple would remove it altogether.
3D Touch, which is still to this day one of my favorite features that I’m forever crushed by its removal, wasn’t very popular. Users didn’t know about it and it didn’t get used.
Its fate was sealed when it could recreate a very similar feature via software. There was no need for the more expensive display, especially as Apple wanted to innovate with the display in other ways.
Here, MagSafe is insanely popular. And there is no way, other than buying a compatible case or attaching a ring, to make this work without the physical magnets.
After going down multiple social media rabbit holes, I’m seeing two prevailing theories from users. That Apple will remove it completely or they will relegate it to an external case.
Qi2 and MagSafe
What’s important to know going into this is the relationship between Qi2 and Apple’s MagSafe.
Qi2 is actually based on MagSafe. Not that they copied the idea, but that Apple contributed its work on MagSafe to the Wireless Power Consortium for them to use it as the basis for the Qi2 spec.
There would be no Qi2 without MagSafe. Apple’s iPhone lineup also became the very first products to be certified with Qi2.
Unlike with regular Qi that could not have magnets surrounding the coil, to be Qi2 certified, you must include the ring of magnets.
I can’t imagine Apple wanting to create an uncertified Qi2 device, following along in Samsung’s footsteps with its “Qi2-ready” devices.
People seem to forget that while MagSafe is absent on the iPhone 16E, Apple just updated MagSafe’s capabilities this past fall to support 25W of power.
Not a move they’d make with the anticipation of starting to phase it out in only a few months.
I spoke with the WPC at CES 2025 and they told me that they believed Apple would continue to innovate with MagSafe and the Qi standard would then follow them, adopting their changes.
That likely means we’ll see 25W Qi2 charging down the line and leave the door open for Apple to continue to increase speeds or improve efficiency when it’s ready.
Just move MagSafe to the case!
The second thing I’ve seen floated a lot is that Apple won’t ditch MagSafe, rather, they’ll merely remove the magnets from the phone. If you want MagSafe, you’d just get a case with magnets in it.
This too doesn’t pass the smell test for a litany of reasons. Least of which, Apple never markets its phones with cases.
It would be a huge departure from highlighting the beautiful design of the phone to showing them with cases. Even if least to show all the various MagSafe options.
Unless you bought a case, Apple’s own accessories wouldn’t work on a phone sans-MagSafe. The MagSafe wallet and MagSafe charger would require a whole secondary purchase.
Same with partner accessories like Belkin’s MagSafe mounts for your laptop or monitor or the stand for Apple Fitness.
The most visible confirmation that this won’t happen is already here. Apple’s cases for iPhone 16e do not have MagSafe magnets.
I have to believe that if that was Apple’s strategy, to just rely on cases, it would be putting that into place now so customers begin to adjust to that idea.
MagSafe is likely only just going to get better
When everything is taken into consideration, there’s no reason for Apple to remove MagSafe. At most, it would save them a very small amount for the magnetic components.
At worst, you’re stripping away a wildly popular feature for car mounts, stands, wallets, batteries, and more, and forcing people to buy a case.
It would make it harder to use StandBy mode, again, another popular MagSafe-enabled feature.
Apple doesn’t support MagSafe in its iPhone 16e cases. And it’s very unlikely for it to invent a standard, promote it until it’s popular, and then kill it off.
Look, I may be wrong here.
There’s a chance that the powers that be in Cupertino may decide to remove MagSafe, despite everything I’ve laid out here.
But my money is that come this fall, and next fall, we’ll continue to see MagSafe on the core iPhone models.
