iPhone 17e’s best upgrade is MagSafe and that’s actually a big problem
iPhone 17e’s best upgrade is MagSafe and that’s actually a big problem
Publish Date: 2026-03-05 00:35:00
Source Domain: www.tomsguide.com
I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from the iPhone 17e launch earlier this week. Aside from the fact that most of the launch details leaked ahead of time, I was also very aware that there wasn’t a whole lot Apple could really do, not without raising the price (again) or cannibalizing sales from the iPhone 17.
I say this because I find myself strangely ambivalent about the addition of MagSafe in the iPhone 17e. On the one hand, I’m very pleased that Apple has brought the technology to its cheapest phone. MagSafe has been around long enough that it isn’t really a luxury, and, surprisingly, we haven’t seen it on a cheaper model before.
But on the other hand, I have to remember that MagSafe has been around for a while and isn’t exactly what I’d call new and exciting. Not on iPhone anyway. The fact that it’s one of the main upgrades on iPhone 17e is indicative of how weak an upgrade it really is — to the point where I wonder whether it was really necessary to release the 17e at all.
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The benefits of MagSafe
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide / Apple)
MagSafe is popular for a reason. It’s an excellent addition to any iPhone, and it even inspired an Android-equivalent technology — better known as Qi2 wireless charging. It’s not hard to see why people like MagSafe so much, even if it doesn’t actually offer any of the same safety features as MagSafe on Macs.
The main benefit of MagSafe is, of course, that it’s faster than standard Qi wireless charging. Twice as fast in the case of the iPhone 17e, which can wirelessly charge at up to 15W instead of the 7.5W afforded to the iPhone 16e and iPhone SE. MagSafe can go as high as 25W, but that’s reserved for flagship iPhones like the iPhone 17.
On top of that, the magnets in the phone and charger ensure the magnetic coils are always correctly aligned. Not only does that mean no guesswork to ensure your phone starts charging correctly, but it improves…
