This week Apple is launching the new iPhone 17e, which doubles the storage space and replaces the $599 iPhone 16e. Apple’s decision to add MagSafe to the latest iPhone model means that every iPhone now has a useful hardware feature that Samsung phones do not offer.

When Apple introduced the iPhone 16e a year ago, it didn’t make much sense not to include MagSafe in the budget model. The iPhone 16e technically replaced the iPhone SE, which did not have MagSafe charging.

Now, since the introduction of MagSafe with the iPhone 12 in October 2020, every new iPhone sold by Apple is MagSafe compatible — no case required.

Adding a strong magnetic connection to the back of the iPhone allows accessories such as wallets, stands, and battery packs to be attached. It also greatly improves wireless charging with coil alignment.

Meanwhile, in the Samsung world, the review company is being criticized for its decision not to use magnets even in its most premium Samsung Galaxy smartphones. The reason being that most people use cases.

Last month, The Verge asked Samsung about its decision to continue not offering a MagSafe-like feature in 2026:

I asked Won-Joon Choi, head of R&D and operations for Samsung's mobile business. He says the extra thickness of the magnets is a bad trade-off because you’re still going to get a case anyway.

“About 80 or 90 percent of people use cases, and cases with magnets are quite popular these days,” he says.

Samsung prefers to use this extra height for the phone to have a larger battery or to be thinner, he says.

This doesn’t mean Samsung isn’t researching magnets. “We are still doing a lot of research to ensure that we don’t make any sacrifices inside the phone; we will integrate it when we succeed,” he says.

Of course, Apple has managed to fit MagSafe into the impossibly thin iPhone Air. They somehow achieve this, and the battery life is fully usable.

Meanwhile, Samsung leaves the placement, strength, and quality of the magnets to case manufacturers, which guarantees a mixed experience for accessories. When the phone itself sets the standard for magnetic accessory support, the story becomes much simpler.

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