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The iPhone 12 line introduced a magnet-based Qi wireless charging system called "MagSafe", but the Apple charger is darn expensive. Fortunately, there are other companies offering MagSafe chargers and cases, and one of the first to market is Benks Global. Tech expert Dave Taylor of https://www.AskDaveTaylor.com/ checks out and tests the Benks Global MagSafe charger and iPhone 12 Pro case and finds that it does significantly speed up wireless charging, with a magnetic coupling sufficiently strong that you can hold your phone by the charger wire!
Check it online at https://benksglobal.com/
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0:00
A MagSafe case for the iPhone 12 and a MagSafe charger? Let's check these out
0:14
Dave Taylor here, and I've had my iPhone 12 Pro for a while, and I've been really intrigued by the MagSafe wireless charging system that they have on this
0:23
The 12 is the first model of iPhone that has MagSafe charging
0:28
Now, if you're a long-time Apple product fan, you know that MagSafe started out as a magnet-based charging system for laptops, which they then got away with and just lost when they got to USB-C
0:41
I'm hoping it'll come back someday, because it was pretty nice. But they took the same name and they put it into this technology for the 12
0:49
And the idea is that by using magnets, if you have the right wireless Qi charging unit, it will automatically position in the optimal spot to get you the fastest possible charge
1:02
Cool idea, right? And the problem is, as with so much from Apple, the Apple MagSafe charging system is ridiculously expensive
1:12
So, it's taken a while, but we're finally seeing third parties out there and introducing those MagSafe solutions
1:20
That's exactly what I'm looking at today. This is the first of a bunch of these I'll be looking at
1:24
I have a number of other ones in the queue. But this, this is the most interesting piece of it
1:29
This is the Banks MagSafe wireless charger. It works with any wireless charging system, but it's specifically designed for the iPhone 12, because it has that magnet
1:42
Let's see what happens. So, I just put it on the back, and now not only is it on the magnet, but it's a strong enough magnet that it's going to stay on there
1:52
Now, if I swing it around, that's not going to be a good solution for my phone
1:57
But still, really cool. And look how thin that is. This is this tiny little disc, and it can charge a maximum of 15 watts wirelessly
2:08
It obviously uses the MagSafe alignment system. It includes a built-in, this is really nice, 5-foot USB-C cable, so you don't have to figure out where to get a cable
2:19
And I think one of the things that makes the wireless charging bases bigger is the need to have a plug and have that space required for that
2:29
So, with this, they just sort of sidestepped that whole thing by having the built-in wire
2:33
Pretty handy. Now, as with all charging systems, you're going to want to know about protection
2:38
And this includes temperature control, surge protection, short-circuit protection, and it's all made out of ABS plastic, so it's also fire-resistant, too
2:49
In my experience, having this thing plugged into my phone and charging left it feeling just as cool as if I hadn't been using it at all
2:58
So, pretty nice. Now, how much is this? Well, right now, at BanksGlobal.com, it's $22.98
3:07
So, you obviously need more to get it to work, however, because this needs to be plugged into something
3:14
So, what I used is I used the exact same electrical characteristic device as what Apple charges and recommends, and that is a 20-watt charger
3:26
This is a 20-watt USB-C charger. This one happens to be from Spigen
3:31
It's gallium nitride, so that's why it's so darn small and powerful
3:37
And this is on sale right now at Amazon.com. Normally, it's $24.59
3:43
This is on sale right now for $12.74. That's some crazy, inexpensive pricing
3:50
So, plug that in, plug this in, put this on the back of my phone, and let's see
3:57
Is it charging? And it is charging. There you go. So, it works, and it works pretty well
4:07
Now, how fast does it charge? Well, I'm not quite ready to tell you that yet because I want to talk about their case, too
4:13
But before I get to the case, I'm going to ask if you can give me some feedback. Give me a thumbs-up if you like this review
4:18
Leave a comment talking about MagSafe charging system and wireless charging. Go ahead and subscribe to my channel if you're enthused
4:26
I really appreciate when you do that. Excellent. All right. Now, third piece of this trifecta is this
4:33
This is the Banks MFI-certified silicone case with MagSafe. That's what this is
4:42
This is, I guess, a piece of metal is my guess. And it helps actually center and locate the charger so that you get that maximum charge even through the case
4:53
And it's silicone, and it has a really nice feel to it
4:57
It's, like, really almost a velvety soft. And, in fact, the inside also has a microfabric interior
5:05
So, it's going to protect your phone except, obviously, where that MagSafe charging unit is
5:10
So, I'm going to go ahead and put my phone in here and talk about the case just for a second
5:16
But before we go any further, I suppose it would be appropriate to demonstrate that this all still works
5:25
And it is still charging. So, it all works really neatly together
5:30
Now, with any phone case, I think it's critical to have a raised edge
5:35
If I drop my phone, I want the case to take the impact, not the screen
5:40
And then, in terms of the cutouts, they have a pretty protective case design
5:45
But the cutouts are in pretty nice shape. And does it work wirelessly
5:49
Well, yeah, obviously, it works wirelessly, right? You can see it charging
5:54
So, let's see. The case comes in black or blue. This is the blue color
6:01
And it's really pretty soft. It's a pretty soft plastic. But it has a really nice feel to it
6:07
So, if you want a really minimalist case that supports the MagSafe wireless charging, this is definitely a good option
6:15
The problem is, if you get a case that doesn't support that MagSafe charging, then it's entirely possible that it won't work very well
6:23
Or you'll get a slower charge. So, let me tell you about the price of this
6:27
And then, finally, I'll tell you about how the charging is actually working
6:32
So, it comes in blue or black. This is an iPhone 12 Pro
6:36
The case is $3299, also at BanksGlobal.com. And how about that charge
6:43
Well, when I charged it through the case, I got a 56% charge in an hour
6:51
Now, wirelessly, that's pretty good. And particularly for Apple products. Apple tends to charge its devices slower because, believe it or not, some skeptics, Apple's really trying to maximize your battery life
7:05
So, 56% wireless charging is actually not bad at all. Works super easily
7:12
And as MagSafe products are coming out on the market, there's a lot of an ecosystem just starting to be born
7:19
And that's going to include things like really convenient car mounts. Because, obviously, when you have a battery, I'm sorry, when you have a magnet and it's this powerful
7:30
then it means that I could actually have it as the mount and it's going to keep my car, or keep my phone, sorry, in the right place in my car as I go over bumps and make sharp turns and do all sorts of crazy shenanigans
7:45
My phone will stay in the right place with a holder that small
7:50
Very nice. This is going to be a nice move forward for all of these products
7:54
And one hopes that other companies will also be thinking about magnet-based wireless charging
8:00
So, that's all I've got. Really, this is like a big promo or demo of the Banks MagSafe wireless charging system
8:09
And I really like it. I think they've done a great job in particular with this unit, plus the nice long cable
8:15
Lots to like here. Definitely worth checking out. If you've got an iPhone 12, then you really owe it to yourself to get one of these devices to really enjoy the maximum possible speedy wireless Qi charging
8:28
If you have another wireless charging system, it'll all work. You just won't get the fun of that magnet auto-positioning into the right spot
8:35
There you go. I hope to catch you in my next video. Be safe. Bye-bye
#Mobile & Wireless
#Mobile & Wireless Accessories
#Product Reviews & Price Comparisons
#Gadgets & Portable Electronics