Hear me out: MagSafe has failed to reach its potential, but the foldable iPhone Ultra could revive it heres how

Date:
Sun, 10 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Description:
MagSafe isnt as good as it could be, but the iPhone Ultra is a chance for Apple to put things right.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Its fair to say that MagSafe is a much-loved part of the Apple ecosystem: ask owners of any of the best iPhones what they think of it, and youll likely get a unanimously positive response. The magnetic attachment system lets you wirelessly charge your iPhone, attach accessories to its back, connect it to stands and car phone holders, and a lot more.

Like all good Apple products, its incredibly simple to use, yet performs exceptionally well with admirable reliability. On the surface, it would seem to be a roaring success story for both Apple and its customers. Yet despite all that, I cant help but feel disappointed by MagSafe. Sure, its great at what it does, and its easy to understand why so many people love it, myself included. But when I think back to how it was first introduced to the world,
I cant escape the idea that it just hasnt lived up to its potential. Far from being the revolutionary innovation it was hyped up to be, MagSafe feels so much more limited than it should be. Latest Videos From You may like From
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AirPower was an experimental wireless charger that introduced the idea that you could put any Apple device capable of wireless charging including iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods cases onto the pad, in any order and orientation, and theyd all juice up to full.

The trouble is that AirPower required a mass of overlapping charging coils on the inside, and this created far too much heat to be able to operate safely. Embarrassingly for Apple, the company had to cancel AirPower after publicly revealing it at one of its own events a chastening lesson on revealing products before they're ready that Apple apparently has not fully learned ( cough Apple Intelligence cough ). Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

MagSafe, then, emerged from this milieu. It was essentially brought in
because AirPower failed, but MagSafe was a much less aspirational project.
Yet in lessening the scope, Apple was able to create a working product that has become highly popular among the firms fans.

But when you know that history, MagSafes drawbacks become more apparent. AirPower was undoubtedly the more ambitious device and would have had much more of that Apple magic if the engineers had managed to pull it off.

MagSafe still has some of that magic, but being able to drop your iPhone down anywhere on your charger and have it power up would have been a far stronger embodiment of the it just works philosophy. Sadly, that never became a reality. What to read next If Apple is truly learning from the MacBook Neo,
it should return the iPhone to its $199 roots The foldable iPhone Ultra could cost even more than an M5 MacBook Pro Theres one thing I want from Apple at WWDC 2026 and it isn't Siri 2.0 We were promised more (Image credit: Moment) MagSafes more conservative approach compared to AirPower isnt the only way that I feel its falling short. When we listen to Apples own words, it becomes apparent that MagSafe could and should be so much more.

When the MagSafe charging system was first introduced to the world in October 2020, Apple promised a robust and ever-expanding ecosystem of MagSafe accessories . The company claimed that it was enabling a whole new ecosystem for MagSafe and that We cant wait to see the innovative ways that others will use MagSafe.

Yet while there is some variety, the ideas that companies have come up with havent been as inspiring as Id hoped. Almost everything falls into one of three camps: cases, charging peripherals, and small magnetic accessories
(such as wallets and kickstands).

Worse, I cant say that anything has really changed since MagSafe first launched over five years ago. The world of MagSafe accessories seemed to have settled into place almost as soon as the new standard arrived, and it's never really developed since then. Thats as true for third-party devices as it is for Apples own efforts. (Image credit: Future) However, theres one thing that Im hoping will shake things up a bit: the iPhone Ultra. Apples foldable phone is not just a new product its a whole new form factor . And not only that, its a device thats designed to be carried in your pocket yet is also one that folds out to a sizeable proportion in use. Its set to become the largest iPhone ever in terms of dimensions, and that means there could be a whole lot of surface area for MagSafe accessories.

With more room to play with, device makers could get creative with what they can snap onto the back of the phone. No longer will they be limited to the narrow width of a standard iPhone; they'll instead have the iPhone Ultras wider form factor in their sights. Who knows? Maybe someone will be able to dream up a MagSafe peripheral that works when the phone is both folded and unfolded.

Its this new device that could prompt the serious overhaul that MagSafe has been crying out for.

Really, I would have wanted to see more creative solutions far earlier in MagSafes lifetime. After all, weve had years of sluggish development and
timid product ideas. But with the iPhone Ultra resetting expectations, this might be a golden opportunity for MagSafe to finally come into its own.

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/hear-me-out-magsafe-has-failed-to-reac h-its-potential-but-the-foldable-iphone-ultra-could-revive-it-heres-how


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