Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Upgrading to an iPhone 13 Pro from an iPhone XS had me pretty starry eyed at first - catching up on three years worth of new features was an exciting prospect. I was especially excited about Magsafe accessories, but Apple’s offerings are so disappointing that it makes me wish I had held out for a Pixel 6. Let’s go over the details of the case first, in case you want to know what the experience is like: it’s exactly like putting on a normal case. The rims cause friction, which is good! You don’t want this thing falling off. But it’s definitely not the effortless snap-into-place you might have expected from Apple’s marketing. And taking it off is much harder than a normal case. The magnets are *strong*. Again, that’s good, but completely contrary to Apple’s marketing. I was expecting effortless case swapping, but had to wrench this thing off with so much force that I was afraid I would cause a permanent bend to the leather. The case itself is fine. It is worth $40 tops. The buttons are plasticky and the thin leather is unlikely to survive a fall without tearing. The rims provide so little protection that it’s a 50/50 chance a fall impact will have dire repercussions. I’m ashamed to admit that part of my decision to go Official Apple was the idea of swapping case colors on the fly, which has gone out the window with how exasperating the removal process is. But hot-swapping cases isn’t the main reason anyone wants to buy *this* Official Magsafe Case. You want to take advantage of the shiny new charging ecosystem Apple has promised. Unfortunately, it’s such a joke that I wish I had gone with Android or, better yet, kept my XS. If you want to use that Magsafe Charging Puck, here’s what you need: • This case (or a similarly expensive one that includes the magnets needed to take advantage of the increased power) - $60 • The puck - $40 • A USB-C charging brick - $20~ No, you can’t use your USB-A brick from two iPhones ago. Apple decided that, after leading into “no free wall charger” under the guise of environmental advocacy, they’re just going to make you buy a new one and throw out your old one anyway. Their USB-C brick is $20. Generic is $10. Make your choice. It’s going to be over $100 for Magsafe either way. To add insult to injury, the puck might be the worst designed charger I’ve ever used. The magnets are so strong you have to use two hands to snap it off, removing the “effortless” gimmick of wireless charging. You have to move it around a bit to make it fully snap into position, removing the “just pop it on” illusion Apple’s marketing presents. The cord is a pathetic three feet long, which means you can’t use it comfortably while charging if you’re sitting on the couch or laying in bed. The cord is hardwired to the puck, so you can’t add a longer cable. It’s completely inferior (and three times more expensive) than a generic case and a 10 foot Lightning cable. But what about the *ecosystem*? My first glimmer of hope: Magsafe could be a godsend for car convenience. Guess what: there are *no* official Magsafe car chargers. Your options are either a Magsafe *mount* (which snaps your phone into place so you can connect your normal Lightning car cable for the low low price of $40) or a $35 mount *for the $40 Magsafe puck* which allows you to suspend the overpriced disc from your air conditioner. Oh, and you’ll doubtlessly need a $20ish USB-C car adapter too. That’s about $100 USD for the “seamless” experience of being able to use Magsafe in your car instead of sliding it in and out of a plastic mount. How about charging on the go? Well, Apple no longer sells their fantastic battery cases - you have to shell out for their $100 Magsafe battery pack which *cannot fully charge an iPhone*. These battery packs are unwieldly and swivel uncomfortably while you hold your phone. Sure, competitors sell magnetic battery packs for half the price with more capacity, but even then they’re not half as convenient as my old iPhone XS battery case. Unofficial magnet batteries also aren’t Magsafe Sanctioned, so they charge at half speed. So if you want to use Magsafe charging at home, and on the go, *and* have a Magsafe battery for backup, you’re looking at about $300 in extra costs on top of the price of an iPhone 12 or 13. Sure, you could use generics for a lot of this stuff, but only Magsafe Official Products will wirelessly charge your phone at a reasonable speed. (And there’s no other way to get those endorphins from having Official Apple Whiz-Bang Animations when snapping on their overpriced battery, of course.) Even at this premium, the experience pales in comparison to the convenience of what you may already own. Every step of the way, Apple has designed the Magsafe standard for maximum profit and minimum convenience to customers. And all of this is fixable! Bring back the battery case. Open up the Magsafe ecosystem. They could even let us ***switch out the cord*** on the puck. But no. Apple’s strategy is unbelievably disappointing, and bodes poorly for my personal future choice in phones. Go with a cheaper case, keep using your normal accessories. The seamless wireless future is a long way off.