I recently bought an iPhone 13 Mini and wanted some way to charge the phone in the car without having to remove the phone’s case.
My previous phone had a case with thin steel plates attached to align with dashboard-mounted magnets. It was charged normally via a sync cable. Initially I was using the same process with the new phone but that’s wasting the MagSafe charging potential.
MagSafe is Apple-speak for induction charging with magnets in the back of the phone aligning with a magnetic ring in the chargers which hold the device securely and in the right position for the optimum charge.
MagSafe for the iPhone 13 Mini can deliver up to 12 Watts but only 7.5 Watts if used with a generic Qi wireless induction charger.
Put off by Apple’s Magsafe charger & case prices, I shopped around and settled on a car charger/mount combination which was compatible with MagSafe components but only charging at 7.5 Watts. This would suggest it’s a Qi charger even though it uses magnets to align the phone.
The device I bought is an ESR Halolock dashboard mount & I also got one of their silicone cases which incorporates the ring things to work with MagSafe.
The all-up cost of the Halolock gear was line-ball with the price Apple charges for the MagSafe charger alone.
The ESR case is cross-compatible with MagSafe & Halolock wireless charging systems.