When Apple released the iPhone 17e, it doubled the storage and added what it calls “the magic of MagSafe” to the $599 iPhone 16e replacement. Apple’s decision to bring MagSafe to a previous iPhone holdout meant that every iPhone includes a useful hardware feature that zero Samsung phones offer.
Every new iPhone sold by Apple includes MagSafe
When Apple introduced the iPhone 16e in March 2025, it didn’t make much sense not to include MagSafe in the budget model. The iPhone 16e replaced the iPhone SE, which technically never had MagSafe charging, but it still felt like an omission.
However, starting in March 2026, every new iPhone sold by Apple works with MagSafe – no case required. This was the first time since Apple introduced the iPhone 12 with MagSafe in October 2020.
Adding a stronger magnetic connection to the back of the iPhone helps add accessories Purse, standingAnd battery pack. this also Wireless charging is greatly improved With charging coil alignment that snaps into place.
Samsung is missing the appeal
Meanwhile, back on Samsung soil, reviewers slammed the company for choosing not to put magnets inside even its most premium phones samsung galaxy smartphone. The reason, he says, is that most people use a case.
In early 2026, The Verge Asked a Samsung executive about the decision not to continue offering a feature like MagSafe:
I asked Samsung’s Won-Joon Choi, the executive in charge of both R&D and operations for Samsung’s mobile business. He says that adding extra thickness to the magnets is a bad compromise, because you’re just going to buy a case anyway.
“About 80 or 90 percent of people are using a case, and magnet cases are very popular these days,” he told me.
He says Samsung will use that extra height to give the phone a bigger battery or make it thinner.
This doesn’t mean that Samsung isn’t paying attention to magnets. He says, “We’re still doing a lot of research to make sure there are no flaws inside the phone; we’ll integrate it once we actually get it.”
Of course, Apple was able to put MagSafe inside an impossibly thin iPhone Air. Somehow they manage, and the battery life is perfectly usable.
Meanwhile, Samsung is leaving the job of standardizing magnet placement, strength, and quality to case makers, guaranteeing a mixed experience for accessories.
It’s a pretty simple story when the phone itself sets the bar for magnetic accessory support.
Now a new rumor claims that Apple may remove MagSafe on future iPhones, but we think it’s misguided or lost in translation.
Originally published March 9, 2026. Updated on April 29, 2026 with additional reference to a new MagSafe rumor.
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