Magsafe 1 To Magsafe 2 The Cheap Way
[Klakinoumi] wanted to use their Magsafe 1 charger from 2007 with their newer Macbook Pro Retina from 2012 — but it had a Magsafe 2 port. There were a few options on the table (buy an adapter, buy a new charger, cry) but those wouldn't do. [Klakinoumi] went with the brute force option of grinding a Magsafe 1 charger to fit Magsafe 2.
Based on the existence of passive adapters that allow Magsafe 1 chargers to work with newer laptops, we'd assume that the older chargers are probably electrically similar to the newer models. That said, it's not our gear and we'd definitely be checking first.
With that out of the way, it's a simple enough modification — grind away the Magsafe 1's magnet until it fits into a Magsafe 2 port. It really is that easy. The spring-loaded pins all seem to line up with the newer port's pads. [Klakinoumi] reports it worked successfully in their tests with 2012, 2014 and 2015 Macbooks but that it should be attempted at your own risk — good advice, as laptops ain't cheap.
When doing this mod, consider taking care not to overheat the connector during grinding. You could both melt plastic parts of the connector, or ruin the magnet by heating it past its Curie point.
Interested in the protocol Magsafe speaks over those little golden pins? Find out here.
Newest ESR Apple-certified MagSafe Lineup With CryoBoost Drastically Speeds IPhone Charging Time!
This story is sponsored by ESR. PhoneArena's opinions in this article have not been affected in any way! Disclaimer If there is one area where Apple needs to improve its iPhones that are lagging way behind the Android competition, that's fast charging. The iPhones charge painfully slow on both wired and wireless chargers, so every little bit of boost helps. In the case of storied Apple device accessory company ESR, that's CryoBoost, a proprietary phone cooling technology that allows to pump an iPhone's battery full of electrons at peak speeds. Its newest range of "Made for MagSafe" Apple-certified wireless chargers ups the charging speed of your iPhone by an hour or more.For PhoneArena readers, ESR's powerful 25W 3-in-1 or 15W Car Charger with MagSafe and CryoBoost technology can be yours with a discount using the code ESRPR10OFF from the Amazon links below!
Get top iPhone charging speeds with ESR MagSafe chargers The latest additions to the ESR MagSafe collection combine Apple-certified Made for MagSafe 15W charging with innovative phone cooling CryoBoost tech to fully charge an iPhone 14 Pro faster than Apple's MagSafe charger and other third-party MagSafe chargers, too!ESR Magsafe charger speeds
As you can see by the ESR charger speeds certified by the independent testers from the German TUV Rheinland authority, the 3-in-1 charging stand and the MagSafe car charger offer faster iPhone charging speeds than Apple's own official MagSafe chargers.
The main benefit of being Apple-certified with "Made for MagSafe" certification is that it allows ESR to utilize full-speed 15W fast charging for iPhone as opposed to the 7.5W that "MagSafe-compatible" chargers are limited to. Being officially certified also guarantees that the whole charger has been tested by Apple to ensure safe and reliable charging for its devices, plus full support for future software updates.
One of the main reasons for the faster charging besides the Made for MagSafe-certified communication with the phone's wireless circuits is the so-called CryoBoost technology. It keeps the phone itself much cooler than other MagSafe chargers, thus allowing for more efficient energy transfer to the wireless charging coil inside the iPhone and ultimately speeding up the charging process.
The proprietary CryoBoost technology keeps the iPhone in charge at steady 98-degree temperature for more efficient energy transfer
The ultimate Apple MagSafe charger ESR will have a powerful 100W 6-in-1 MagSafe charger, first of its kind on the market later this year, which is currently in the Kickstarter campaign stage. This GaN charger output can safely and quickly top up ALL of your Apple devices, from the smallish Apple Watch, to your MacBook, hooked up at once. Keep an eye on its development at this space as we may have another surprise discount for you when the world's first Apple-certified 6-in-1 GaN charger goes up for preorder in October and is now at a super early bird price of $143 over at Kickstarter!Will The IPhone 15 Have USB-C? Here's What We Know
AppleInsider
For years, one of the greatest criticisms directed at Apple has been its refusal to ditch the antiquated Lightning connector on iPhones for the faster, more flexible, and more commonly supported USB-C format. All modern Android phones rely on USB-C, as do Apple's own iPads. Will we finally get USB-C on 2023's iPhone 15?
Is the iPhone 15 getting USB-C?
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Probably, on some or all models of it. In 2022 the European Union announced that it would require USB-C for wired charging by December 28, 2024. While Apple could hypothetically abandon the European market, its profits from countries like England, France, Germany, and Spain are far too valuable to sacrifice. It could postpone USB-C until the iPhone 16, but that might be cutting things too close.
Sure enough, leaks and rumors seem to be pointing to an imminent USB-C switch. There could, however, be a discrepancy between Pro/Ultra models and regular iPhone 15s. While all models should support USB-C's superior charging speeds and likely its faster data transfers, anonymous analyst 941 recently claimed that only Pro/Ultra models may support Thunderbolt cables up to 40Gbps. That could be a real boon to people who shoot 4K or ProRes video, since Lightning is so slow versus USB-C and Thunderbolt that it's sometimes faster to use Wi-Fi or the cloud to transfer clips.
Apple is likely feeling some pressure to evolve, regardless. Even the iPhone 14 Pro Max can't charge any faster than 27W, whereas some Android phones have been topping 100W — Xiaomi's Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus reaches an insane 120W.
Will the iPhone 15 have USB-C in the US?If USB-C is present on European iPhone 15s, it will almost certainly come to American ones as well. Strictly speaking, Apple could produce separate SKUs for Europe and the US, but the internal design changes needed to implement a USB-C port are probably too significant to easily swap for Lightning in other countries. That would also require operating separate supply chains and producing separate accessories.
Apple is thought to be exploring the idea of ditching ports entirely in the long term now that is has MagSafe wireless power to fall back on. That's even slower than Lightning however, typically no better than 15W. Apple needs efficiency improvements to make MagSafe a practical substitute, and regardless, wired connections may be critical not just for high-speed charging and data but some troubleshooting functions.
Will you be able to use any USB-C cable with the iPhone 15?
That one's a wildcard at the moment. You should be able to get base data and charging functionality out of any USB-C cable, but sources like well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo have hinted that only MFi (Made for iPhone/iPad) cables certified by Apple might be able to achieve maximum performance.
Those claims have already generated outrage, since the U in USB-C stands for Universal — the format is supposed to operate the same on a Samsung phone as it does on your iPhone, your GoPro camera, or your Eero router. Die Zeit reports that the European Union's Internal Market Commissioner, Thierry Breton, contacted Apple in mid-2023 to warn the company that it wouldn't be able to sell devices without universal compliance.
Expect Apple to back down there's a legitimate threat of iPhones being blocked in Europe. The company is likely to resist if it can, since MFi certification not only generates money but enables greater control over the iPhone ecosystem.
FAQs What is MFI Certified?
MFi stands for "Made for iPhone/iPad." MFi-branded accessories aren't just built for Apple devices — they're officially certified as meeting certain specifications, and only companies that complete that certification can display the branding.
While the MFi label usually ensures a certain level of quality and safety, it's sometimes controversial. There are extra costs involved in gaining certification, and Apple sometimes restricts what non-MFi accessories can do, if they work at all.
Is USB-C better than Lightning?Yes, across the board. Even the Lightning port on Apple's high-end iPhone 14 Pro Max can only charge at 27W. Over USB-C, some Android phones are breaking 100W.
Lightning's data speeds are meanwhile capped at 480Mbps. USB-C speeds vary, but usually range between 5 and 20Gbps, depending on generational compatibility. Still higher speeds are possible if a port doubles as a Thunderbolt connector.
Will I need a new charger for my iPhone 15?Possibly, but probably not. Apple and others already tend to use USB-A or USB-C on their chargers, simply asking that you pair it with an appropriate Lightning-to-USB cable. Since Apple will probably include a USB-C-to-USB-C cable in the box, you should be good to go.
"Need" and "want" are different words, mind you. Many existing iPhone chargers top out at 20 or 30W, so you could find yourself upgrading anyway if you want to take full advantage of USB-C.
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