MagSafe Phone Cases, Explained

A Caselier Tough Case printed with Winslow Homer's painting Moonlight, resting on linen with a white magnetic charger attached to the back of it.
Case mockups are generated from our actual print files. The background and arrangement in this image were composed with AI.

Magnetic accessories only work when the magnets line up. That sounds too obvious to say out loud, and it's also where almost every MagSafe question actually starts.

Two things decide whether magnetic charging works on your phone: whether the phone has magnets inside it, and whether your case lets them through. Mix those two up and nothing behaves the way you expect.

So this guide answers them in that order, for every phone we make cases for.

In Short

MagSafe is Apple's magnetic system, introduced with the iPhone 12 in 2020. Qi2 is the open standard that brought the same magnet ring to other phones. iPhones and recent Google Pixels have magnets built in, so a plain case can block them. Samsung Galaxy and Xiaomi phones don't have them, so a magnetic case is the only way to add the feature. Either way, the case is what decides. Caselier's Tough Case with MagSafe carries its own magnet ring, on select models across all four brands.

What MagSafe actually is

MagSafe is a ring of magnets. That's the whole idea.

Apple put a circular magnet array into the back of the iPhone 12 in 2020, along with a charging coil. Accessories carry a matching ring. When the two meet they snap into position, and the charging coils sit exactly where they need to be.

Alignment is the point. Older wireless charging asked you to place the phone in roughly the right spot on a pad, then hope. Magnets remove the guesswork. Apple says the system "intelligently adapts to conditions", and on supported models it charges at up to 25W of peak power (Apple, How to use your MagSafe Charger with iPhone).

The magnets also do a second job that has nothing to do with charging. They hold things on. Car mounts, wallets, stands, grips and battery packs all attach to the same ring.

Qi2: the same idea, without Apple

MagSafe is Apple's name for Apple's system. For years, that left Android phones out.

That changed with Qi2. The Wireless Power Consortium, the industry body behind wireless charging standards, released it in late 2023. Its Magnetic Power Profile added a magnet ring built to the same physical layout as Apple's, so devices and chargers align the same way (Wireless Power Consortium).

In practice this means a Qi2 accessory and a MagSafe accessory usually fit each other. Same ring, same size, same position.

You'll see both names used loosely. Shops often write "MagSafe compatible" on Android accessories because more people recognise the word. We do the same on our case names, for the same reason. Underneath, on a non-Apple phone, it's Qi2.

Does your phone have magnets built in?

This is the question that decides everything else, and the answer splits phones into two camps.

Phone Magnets in the phone? What your case needs to do
iPhone Yes, since the iPhone 12 Not get in the way
Google Pixel Yes, since the Pixel 10 (Pixelsnap) Not get in the way
Samsung Galaxy No, including the S26 line Supply the magnets itself
Xiaomi No Supply the magnets itself

Built-in magnets are still the exception on Android. Google is the outlier, not the rule.

If you want to check your own phone in ten seconds, take the case off and hold a magnetic charger or wallet against the back. If it grips firmly on its own, the magnets are in the phone. If it slides off they aren't, and your case has to bring them.

If your phone has magnets, the case can cancel them

This is the part that catches people out, because it works backwards from what you'd expect.

Built-in magnets sound like they make a magnetic case pointless. Your phone already has the hardware, so why pay for it twice? But the case goes between your phone's magnets and the accessory, and whatever sits in that gap decides whether the connection survives.

Google states it plainly for Pixel owners. Non-magnetic cases "result in weak or no attachment and unreliable charging", and Google recommends either no case at all or a Qi2-compatible one (Google, Learn about Pixelsnap accessories).

The same logic applies to iPhones. A thick case with no magnet ring pushes the accessory further from the phone's magnets and weakens the grip.

So in this camp, a magnetic case isn't adding a feature. It's protecting one you already paid for.

Pixel owners can read the full version in does Google Pixel have MagSafe, which covers when Pixelsnap arrived, the one model in the line that skips it, and which Pixels take a magnetic case. Otherwise, browse iPhone cases or Google Pixel cases.

A Caselier Tough Case printed with Winslow Homer's painting Moonlight, shown on an iPhone.
Moonlight, Winslow Homer

Part of The Gallery: classical paintings printed as the artists made them. This is the one range we don't recolour, out of respect for the original work.

The magnet ring sits inside the case and isn't visible from the back, so a design prints identically either way.

See The Gallery →

If your phone doesn't, the case is the only way in

Samsung and Xiaomi owners are in the opposite position. Nothing sticks to the back of the phone, because there's nothing in there to stick to.

Samsung's choice was deliberate, and the company has been open about it. Won-Joon Choi, its MX Chief Operating Officer, said the space magnets would take up was better spent "making the devices thinner or accommodating larger batteries" (SamMobile, 2026). Samsung sells magnetic cases for the Galaxy line instead, and builds accessories that expect one (GSMArena, 2026).

You can disagree with that trade-off. Plenty of people do. But it makes the decision simple: on a Galaxy or a Xiaomi, a magnetic case isn't optional if you want magnetic accessories. It's the feature.

Galaxy owners can read the full version in does Samsung Galaxy have MagSafe, which covers Samsung's reasoning and exactly which models take a magnetic case. Otherwise, browse Samsung Galaxy cases or Xiaomi cases.

Does a case block wireless charging?

A normal plastic case doesn't stop wireless charging. Power passes through it fine. This is true of every case we make.

What a case affects is alignment, which is exactly what magnets are there to fix. The Wireless Power Consortium puts it plainly: they ensure devices "are perfectly aligned with charging devices, thus providing improved energy efficiency and faster charging" (Wireless Power Consortium).

So the honest answer has two halves. On a flat charging pad, any of our cases will charge your phone. On a magnetic charger the connection has to grip the back of the phone, and a case without magnets can leave it hanging off, sliding down, or not attaching at all.

Two things genuinely do interfere with wireless charging, and neither is a printed case. Metal plates, including the ones bundled with some car mounts, and anything thick enough to hold the coils too far apart.

How strong are the magnets?

Strong enough to hold your phone against gravity, and not much more than that.

A good magnetic connection will keep a phone on a vertical charging stand, hold it on a car vent mount over rough roads, and keep a card wallet attached in your pocket. It won't survive being knocked hard, and it isn't meant to. The magnets let go before your phone does something worse.

You'll see specific numbers advertised, usually in kilograms of holding force. Treat them carefully. Almost every published figure comes from a company selling magnetic cases, and there's no shared test behind them. We'd rather describe what it does than quote a number we can't stand behind.

One real variable worth knowing: a heavier phone needs more grip than a light one. A large Pro or Ultra model on a car mount is the hardest test most people will put it through.

A Caselier Tough Case printed with the Wavey design in green and yellow.
Wavey, Green & Yellow

One of several colourways in the Patterns range. It can be recoloured on its own product page, so a design you almost like can become one you do.

Available as a Tough Case with MagSafe on select models.

See the Patterns range →

MagSafe cases vs stick-on magnet rings

You can buy an adhesive magnet ring for a few euros and stick it to any case. It's a fair question why you'd pay for a case with magnets built in.

Here's the honest comparison. A stick-on ring genuinely works, and on a phone and case you already own it's the cheapest route to magnetic accessories.

What you give up is placement and permanence. The ring has to be centred by hand, and being off by a few millimetres is enough to weaken charging. It sits proud of the case, so the phone no longer lies flat. The adhesive ages, especially with heat, and it covers part of the design you chose the case for.

A built-in ring is aligned during manufacturing, sits inside the case where you can't see it, and doesn't wear out separately from the case.

If you're already buying a new case, built-in is the better version of the same thing. If you love the case you own, a ring is a reasonable fix.

Do you need one at all?

Quite possibly not, and it would be strange for us to pretend otherwise.

MagSafe earns its place through accessories. If you charge with a cable at night, don't use a car mount, and carry a normal wallet, the magnets will sit in your case doing nothing. The protection is identical either way, because it's the same case underneath.

It's worth it if you recognise yourself in any of these:

  • You mount your phone in the car for navigation
  • You use a magnetic charging stand at a desk or bedside
  • You carry cards in a magnetic wallet instead of a separate one
  • You use a magnetic battery pack when travelling
  • Your phone has built-in magnets and you don't want a case switching them off

That last one is the one people miss. On an iPhone or a recent Pixel, choosing a non-magnetic case is an active decision to turn something off.

Which Caselier cases have MagSafe

One case type carries it: the Tough Case with MagSafe. If you haven't settled on a case type yet, our guide to how the four case types compare covers the whole range.

It's the same dual-layer build as the standard Tough Case, a hard outer shell with a shock-absorbing inner lining, plus a magnet ring inside. Protection is identical between the two. The magnets are the only difference, which makes this an easier decision than most.

It's available on select iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel and Xiaomi models. Coverage varies by model rather than by brand, so check your exact phone rather than assuming from the family name. We don't make a MagSafe version of the Snap Case or the Wallet Case yet.

Most designs can be recoloured on their product page, and that includes the MagSafe versions. The exception is The Gallery, our range of classical paintings, which print exactly as the artists made them. The ring sits inside the case, so it never affects how a design prints.

A Caselier Tough Case printed with a personal photograph of roses climbing around a sunlit doorway on a cobbled street.
Your own photo

Not from the catalogue. Upload your own image and check a live preview before you pay.

Anything you have the rights to use prints the same way, on the MagSafe case as well.

Upload your own image →

Know your model? Start with your phone and the designs follow.

Find your phone

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between MagSafe and Qi2?

MagSafe is Apple's magnetic charging system, introduced with the iPhone 12 in 2020. Qi2 is the open industry standard released by the Wireless Power Consortium in late 2023, using a magnet ring built to the same physical layout. In everyday use, Qi2 and MagSafe accessories fit each other.

Does my Samsung Galaxy have MagSafe?

No Galaxy phone has magnets built in, including the S26 line. Samsung's MX COO Won-Joon Choi said the internal space was better used for thinner bodies or larger batteries. Galaxy phones still charge wirelessly, but a magnetic case is what lets accessories attach.

Do I need a MagSafe case if my phone already has magnets?

If you use magnetic accessories, yes. The case sits between your phone's magnets and the accessory, so it decides whether the connection works. Google states that non-magnetic cases give "weak or no attachment and unreliable charging" on Pixel phones and recommends a Qi2-compatible case instead.

Will a case slow down wireless charging?

A normal printed case doesn't block wireless charging, and power passes through it fine. What suffers is alignment. On a magnetic charger, a case without magnets can leave the phone poorly positioned or unable to attach at all. Metal plates from car mount kits do interfere.

Are stick-on magnetic rings as good as a MagSafe case?

They work, and they're cheap on a case you already own. The trade-offs: you align the ring by hand, and it sits proud so the phone won't lie flat. The adhesive also ages with heat, and the ring covers part of the design. A built-in ring is aligned in manufacturing and hidden inside the case.

Which Caselier cases work with MagSafe?

The Tough Case with MagSafe, available on select iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel and Xiaomi models. It's the same dual-layer construction as the standard Tough Case with a magnet ring added, so protection is identical. Coverage varies by model, so check your exact phone.

Working out what you need

It comes down to two questions, in order:

  • Does your phone have magnets? Take the case off and hold a magnetic accessory against the back. iPhone and recent Pixel: yes. Galaxy and Xiaomi: no.
  • Do you use magnetic accessories? Car mount, charging stand, magnetic wallet, battery pack. If none of those are part of your day, save the money and take the standard Tough Case.

If you answered yes to the second question, the case type is settled and the only thing left is the design. Browse iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel or Xiaomi, and pick your exact model on the product page.

Keep exploring

Sources

  • Apple, How to use your MagSafe Charger with iPhone, Apple Support, retrieved 2026-08-03, https://support.apple.com/en-us/105047
  • Wireless Power Consortium, Qi Wireless Charging, retrieved 2026-08-03, https://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/standards/qi-wireless-charging/
  • Wireless Power Consortium, History of the Qi Specifications, retrieved 2026-08-03, https://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/knowledge-base/qi-specification/history-of-the-qi-specifications/
  • Google, Learn about Pixelsnap accessories, Pixel Phone Help, retrieved 2026-08-03, https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/16479972
  • SamMobile, Why doesn't the Galaxy S26 series have built-in magnets for wireless charging?, 2026, retrieved 2026-08-03, https://www.sammobile.com/news/why-galaxy-s26-lack-built-in-magnets-wireless-charging/
  • GSMArena, Samsung will offer several magnetic cases for the Galaxy S26 phones and an oddly-shaped battery, 2026, retrieved 2026-08-03, https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_will_offer_several_magnetic_cases_for_the_galaxy_s26_phones_and_an_oddlyshaped_battery-news-70644.php