Next Friday the iPhone 13 will be officially launched on the market, having opened the reservation period last Friday. Phones that, in the absence of in-depth testing, add interesting improvements to what we already had. All its characteristics will be worthy of analyzing for better or for worse, but we can already anticipate a disadvantage that they pose for all those who had a MagSafe Duo , either for having been carriers of an iPhone 12 or for having recently bought this dual charging base .
The iPhone 13, (almost) incompatible with MagSafe Duo
The MagSafe Duo is a dual charger launched by Apple last year that allows the iPhone and Apple Watch to be charged simultaneously. In the case of the iPhone, it takes advantage of the MagSafe technology introduced in the iPhone 12 so that it is magnetized and is in a perfect position that allows it to be charged without fear of it being out of square and therefore running out of charge. This charger is very functional for any of the four iPhone 12, but not so much for the new smartphones.
Alejandro Parra, an ITIGIC subscriber, alerted us yesterday of this problem between the MagSafe Duo and the iPhone 13. Alejandro has already reserved an iPhone 13 Pro and purchased an original leather case for this device in advance. His surprise (and ours) was capitalized when he found that due to the camera module there was not full compatibility.
If you look at the images, when placing the MagSafe Duo in the case, the corners of the MagSafe Duo occupy part of the hole for the camera module. Therefore it will be impossible to charge an iPhone 13 or 13 Pro with this charger while maintaining MagSafe technology. From what Alejandro has indicated, he has carried out a test with another smartphone and charge it, since in the end the full magnetization is not needed for this, but obviously all the grace of this charger is lost, which is precisely the power to place the iPhone on top and magnetically grip without worrying about attaching it to the exact position. In fact, in the photos themselves we see that for it to load it stays in an inclined position that seems impractical.
And you will think that perhaps when I have the iPhone 13 Pro to insert it into the case, things may change, but nothing is further from the truth, since it could even complicate the matter if we take into account that the lenses even stick out. This is a problem that will affect even the ‘mini’ model more because it has less space and a camera module of the same size. We have not been able to verify it in the ‘Max’, although in the next few days we will.
Will Apple launch a new compatible MagSafe Duo?
Obviously, as much as it may weigh us, Apple has no legal responsibility in this regard. In its day, the company launched this accessory for the iPhone 12 without saying that they would be compatible with later models. The fact that it is also not the most common to see users buying iPhone from two consecutive generations can serve to justify it in a way. However, it is understandable that people like Alejandro may feel angry after having made an outlay of 149 euros for a charger that, after switching to the iPhone the following year, is no longer as useful as it should be.
Therefore, this is where we wonder if Apple will launch a renewed version of this MagSafe Duo making it fully compatible with the iPhone 13. The fact that this problem has not come to light until now prevents us from having certainty about it, but taking into account the importance that the company gives to this new technology, it would not be unreasonable for them to already have this in mind and see that version adapted in the coming months. Luckily, the problem is not reproduced in other accessories such as MagSafe wallets, so this would be the only one affected by changing the camera module.
