The first real photos of Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack are here

It’s a chonk

by Sean Hollister

Jul 19, 2021, 6:23 PM UTC

Sean Hollister is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.

Apple’s first official MagSafe Battery Pack is beginning to arrive on shelves (alongside a new IOS release), and one iPhone owner has now snapped what appear to be the first actual photos of the gadget. And yes, it’s a chonk.

Photo by Steven Russell

Apple’s been going the big-bulge route for years, possibly for legal reasons, so it’s not too much of a surprise — but boy was Apple strategic about which angles it revealed when it first announced this new accessory! Compare to Apple’s original render:

Image: Apple

Now, here’s Steven Russell, the owner of the new pack, with a slightly different angle.

Photo by Steven Russell

Thickness isn’t necessarily a bad thing: wireless charging is notoriously inefficient, so Apple needed to put a decent-size battery inside to make it worth your while, and it’s probably still thinner than Anker’s option (which admittedly costs less than half the price).

Unlike Apple’s previously Smart Battery Cases, you may be getting more than just extended life for your phone — the snap-on, snap-off MagSafe pack appears to double as a Qi wireless charger for other devices. Russell says it seems to be charging his AirPods Pro wireless charging case, and you could theoretically even use it for an Android phone.

I’m buying one for my iPhone 12 mini. Here’s looking forward to seeing how Apple’s image (below) translates into the real world.