iPhone 16e – Image Credit: Apple
Despite the iPhone 16e getting loud criticism for not including MagSafe, in real-world testing, MagSafe chargers can barely attach to it magnetically.
Be clear about this from the start — it is a curiosity, it is not an actually useful magnetic connection for chargers. The iPhone 16e does lack MagSafe, and that is a problem, but MagSafe chargers will still connect magnetically to the metals inside it.
It was already known that the iPhone 16e would actually charge from MagSafe chargers, it just wouldn’t stick to them magnetically. So the phone could never be used on a vertical or reclining MagSafe charger, and it won’t ever be mountable in a car.
Or at least, not by itself. There are already MagSafe cases available for the iPhone 16e, and doubtlessly more coming.
However, while testing that the iPhone 16e could indeed be wirelessly charged from a MagSafe charger flat on a desk, Macworld discovered that there is magnetic attachment. The charging puck stayed affixed, if only briefly, when the iPhone 16e was picked up from it.
The magnetic connection is extremely weak. Not only is it unable to let you rest the phone onto a vertical or reclining charger, but it also disappears entirely when the iPhone 16e is put into a case.
That said, if the iPhone 16e is out of a case and the MagSafe wireless charger is flat on a desk, the phone will stick to it magnetically. You have to position the charger carefully, the magnetic attraction will not tug the iPhone into place the way it would if the phone had MagSafe, but it will still make a little snapping sound when you get it right.
How real MagSafe works
Apple has yet to respond to questions about the magnets. But what appears most likely is that rather than specific magnets meant to hold the phone, the effect is because of the metal in the wireless charging induction ring.
MagSafe was introduced with the iPhone 12 range in 2020. It’s a combination of wireless charging and magnetic mounts that work with most current iPhones — except the iPhone 16e.
