The arrival of the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro models was accompanied by the reinvention and return of MagSafe, and it became an instant hit! There is a great sense of satisfaction, in my opinion, to have things just stick to your phone. Be it a pair of earphones (maybe that’ll be the next generation of AirPods) or have your phone just conveniently stick to a charging pad – it’s almost like magic! The reintroduction of the MagSafe led to a whole new world of accessories being unleashed! Designers and creatives were racing to create a whole range of products for the repurposed MagSafe. And we’ve been loving every bit of it! From a UFO-inspired MagSafe charger to a MagSafe car mount that doubles up as an air freshener – there’s a MagSafe accessory out there for your every need. And, we’ve curated a bunch of products that we truly believe are worth buying and investing in. This army of accessories will truly amp up your Apple experience!
1. The Fjorden
The Fjorden turns your iPhone into a hybrid DSLR. It physically snaps onto the back of your iPhone, giving you analog camera controls including a two-stage shutter button, a jog dial, a zoom slider, and even an extra multi-function button you can use to do stuff like trigger the flash. The overall form is comfortably tactile and grippy (and comes with the same texture found on cameras) and orients the buttons in a way that’s intuitive and easy to use (so you don’t have to sprain your thumb to reach the shutter button while holding your phone with the same hand). Moreover, the actual physical buttons allow you to use the camera with gloves on, an understated-yet-impressive upgrade to the iPhone camera experience).
2. The UFO MagSafe Wireless Charger
For geeks who want more than just a standard MagSafe charger for their den, the UFO MagSafe Wireless Charger will be the preferred choice. This cute-looking accessory for the Apple ecosystem is currently just a concept design, but we want to see it make it to the shelves. It’s like a UFO riding on the back of your iPhone 13 minus, all the shenanigans of gimmicky gadgets. The accessory is minimalistic in form and doesn’t go overboard with the spaceship design. UFO MagSafe strikes on first look and doesn’t fade away like other flashy accessories. In fact, it grows on me every time I have a glance at the realistic renders to churn out this write-up.
3. The Snapods
The Snapods by Scendo are a pair of TWS Earbuds that come with a flat case that snaps right to the back of your phone. Building wonderfully on the capabilities of the MagSafe feature introduced in the latest iPhones, the Snapods make carrying earphones convenient. Just snap them to the back of your phone and you’ve got yourself a pair of earphones that are easy to store, quick to access, and hard to lose. The case’s design is inspired directly by where it’s located. Made to sit against the back of your phone, the Snapods case comes with a flat, wedge-shaped profile, making it easy to slip your phone into your pocket. The slim case doesn’t just dock the earphones, it charges them too, giving you an impressive 45 hours of playtime.
4. The Chargepuck
The Chargepuck acts as a replacement for the wireless charging dock or mat you’ve probably got lying on your desk or somewhere at your bedside. Instead of being a static device that sits plugged into an outlet forever, the little puck sits attached to your iPhone and comes with its own retractable cable that lets you plug it in anywhere. The Chargepuck isn’t a battery pack (it doesn’t have its own battery inside it), but rather, it’s a charging apparatus that sits attached to your phone and lets you charge three devices at the same time.
5. The NUMBER ZERO
The NUMBER ZERO’s design comes with a clever bit of consideration that’s often overlooked by other companies. The mount’s design was created to look good even there’s NO phone mounted on it. Rather than just use that opportunity to slap a massive piece of branding onto the mount’s design, the NUMBER ZERO comes with a neat little kinetic animation that’s powered by the wind from the AC. The mount comes with a variety of animations to choose from, all of which feature a rotating element that’s powered by the wind coming off the AC vent at the back. The air from the vent pushes a series of gears that then cause the kinetic animation to gently rotate, allowing the NUMBER ZERO to look eye-catching even when the phone isn’t mounted in place.
6. Chau
Chau is a wireless charger that can be either mobile or stationary. Much like wireless chargers already on the market, Chau comes in two parts: a wireless charger and its charging dock. The charging dock can be plugged into any outlet and features two charging stations for Apple products. The raised charging station holds the auxiliary charger in place so users can either leave their phone to charge on the dock or dislodge the auxiliary charger from its magnetic port and charge on the go. Working from home, we don’t have all of the supplemental charging accessories that fill up the office and our appliances with juice. Chau is designed especially for new WFH circumstances, where we move from one room to the next with our iPhones in tow and our chargers left behind. With Chau, our iPhones can always have access to some extra battery juice.
7. The Gomi Wireless Mag Charger
With an output of 15W, the charger matches the power delivery of Apple’s own MagSafe Charger, albeit with a sustainable twist. The Gomi Wireless Mag Charger works with all wireless-charging enabled devices, allowing you to charge your phone, AirPods, and any other devices you may have. Its MagSafe compatibility works with iPhones 12 and future MagSafe models, allowing you to snap your phone right in place, aligning the wireless charging coils perfectly for uninterrupted charging.
8. The Magnetic Dual Powerbank
Dubbed a ‘wireless charging sandwich’ by The Verge, the Magnetic Dual Powerbank from Zens is quite literally the ‘meat’ in this equation, i.e., it brings all the flavor! The wireless power bank comes with not one, but TWO charging coils, located on either side of the device, letting you simultaneously charge two devices at a time. Zens’ Magnetic Dual Powerbank comes with an internal 4,000 mAh battery that’s good for 1.5 full smartphone charges. The power bank is MagSafe compatible on one side too, allowing you to easily snap your iPhone to it without worrying about alignment. The other non-magnetic side is good for your AirPods, or potentially even a second smartphone (if you’re that kind of person).
9. Iván Antón’s Apple TV 2021 Concept
In this vein, designer, Iván Antón has come up with an Apple TV 2021 concept, which comes with a wall plug built-in. Now that’s full marks for the compact build, but the practicality is debatable until we have something like this to use. Taking nothing away from the vision, I’m impressed with the concept of Apple TV’s ability to interact with Siri without the need of a remote. Furthermore, the new concept also integrates the MagSafe charger into the Apple TV unit, so the compatible remote can now be charged conveniently by sticking it to the back of the set-top box.
10. The Bellroy Mod Case
The Bellroy Mod Case gives your iPhone an aesthetic and functional makeover, cladding it in a grippy, non-slip leather robe that feels great to the touch, along with a snap-on card wallet that holds as many as 3 cards at a time. Designed to work with the MagSafe feature, the case + wallet comes in 4 leather-tanned colors, with a flex polymer bumper around the edge of the case, and a microfiber-lined inner to protect your phone and cards from getting scratched or damaged. The Mod Case goes beyond Apple’s leather cases with its eco-tanned, full-grain design. It highlights the leather’s wonderful grain, elevating the iPhone with its premium choice of material. The case supports Apple’s other MagSafe accessories including its wireless charger and is purpose-built to snap on Bellroy’s Mod Wallet.
