Despite its small stature, the iPhone 12 mini supports the same features as its larger brethren in the lineup. That includes wireless charging with MagSafe. However, there’s a catch.
With the iPhone 12 mini (and iPhone 12 Pro Max) set to go up for pre-order this Friday, November 6, Apple has updated its support document detailing MagSafe wireless charging (via MacRumors). Apple has noted in the past that the iPhone 12 lineup can handle up to 15W peak power delivery, but that’s not the case with the iPhone 12 mini. According to Apple’s official documentation, the smallest of the iPhone 12 lineup supports up to 12W peak power delivery with the wireless charging solution.
Apple’s support document also notes to reach this peak power delivery, the USB-C Power Delivery adapter must meet or exceed 9V/2.03A.
Per the document:
Compatible power adapters for up to 15W faster wireless charging
- USB-C connector. USB-A is not supported
- 9V/2.22A or 9V/2.56A and higher
- iPhone 12 mini can get up to 12W for faster wireless charging with at least 9V/2.03A
- Higher wattage adapters at orabove 9V/2.56A will also deliver a maximum of up to 15W peak power to iPhone 12*
When Lightning accessories such as headphones are connected, charging is limited to 7.5W to comply with regulatory standards.
* The MagSafe Charger will also function with power adapters that provide a minimum 12W (5V/2.4A) of power, but this will result in slower charging.
A couple of other things
The support document has plenty of other important details in there. However, I just wanted to point out a couple of others that caught my eye.
First, Apple says that it’s important to first plug your MagSafe wireless charger into a power source before you connect your iPhone 12 to the charging puck. According to the company, this makes it possible for the MagSafe Charger to determine it’s “safe to deliver maximum power”. What happens if you connect your iPhone 12 to the MagSafe Charger before you plug it into a power source?
If you happen to place your iPhone on the MagSafe Charger before plugging into a power source, simply remove your iPhone from the MagSafe Charger, wait three seconds, and then put it back on to resume maximum power delivery.
The other detail regards Lightning. The iPhone 12 lineup still features a Lightning port on the bottom of the handsets, so you can still charge with a cable if you wish. If you happen to have your iPhone 12 variant connected to both a MagSafe Charger and the Lightning cable, then your iPhone will prioritize charging over Lightning. Basically, it will charge through the wired solution versus the wireless solution.
You can read through Apple’s support document if you want to get caught up on other MagSafe details.