Last spring, Apple reimagined its classic MagSafe magnetic charging tech in the form of a slim puck for charging the iPhone 12. Now Realme is bringing wireless magnetic recharging to the Android ecosystem for the first time with its new MagDart chargers.
Realme has created not one, but two separate magnetic chargers to suit people’s needs. Similar to Apple’s MagSafe charging disc, Realme’s 15W MagDart charger can attach magnetically to the back of a phone while sending juice to the device wirelessly at up to 15 watts. Realme decided to one-up Apple by making its standard MagDart charger just 3.9mm thick, which Realme says is 26% thinner than Apple’s MagSafe charger.
However, for those willing to move up to a much larger charger in exchange for faster charging speeds, there’s also Realme’s 50W MagDart charger, which, as you’ve probably guessed, can transfer up to 50 watts of power to a compatible device. That’s significantly faster than wired charging speeds in most modern smartphones, and according to Realme, those speeds are capable of charging up a phone with a 4,500 mAh battery from dead to 100% in less than an hour.
Pushing all those electrons that quickly tends to generate a lot of heat, so in order to keep thermals under control, the 50W MagDart charger features built-in cooling fans, which is responsible for most of the larger MagDart charger’s extra bulk.
If that wasn’t enough, Realme also created a new range of MagDart accessories, including a 2-in-1 wireless Power Bank Base that doubles as both a charging stand and a portable battery pack, a carbon fibre MagDart case, a MagDart wallet, and a MagDart Beauty Light with a built-in battery for adding some extra illumination to your photos.
There isn’t a firm release date for Realme’s new MagDart chargers or the phone they are designed to work with (the Realme Flash), so I haven’t had the chance to try Realme’s chargers out in person just. I appreciate the ease and convenience of having an easy-to-use magnetic charger, but my one concern about both MagDart and MagSafe is how compatible they are with phones from other manufacturers.
It was only recently that we finally got to a place where Qi wireless charging has become the default wireless charging protocol for practically all modern smartphones. And while you can technically use an Apple MagSafe charger to recharge Android phones, the lack of magnets in the back of Android phones means the charging disc simply isn’t as easy to use on non-Apple phones.
So depending on the specific configuration of magnets each company uses, we could end up with a situation where despite technically being compatible, using a company’s magnetic chargers with third-party devices could result in a subpar experience.
But with more companies like Realme hopping on the magnetic charging bandwagon, there’s hope major smartphone makers can figure out a generic design that works with a wide range of devices, while still leaving some wiggle room for each company to add special features or capabilities as they see fit.
Realme says there’s no firm timetable for when its MagDart chargers will officially be available, but hopefully we should know more later this spring.