The new M2 MacBook Air is now available, and it has a lot of new features and changes, such as a new look and the ability to charge with MagSafe. But, as we wrote this morning, the M1 MacBook Air is still the best option for many people, and there’s even a way to charge it like a MagSafe…
MagSafe for any device with USB-C
Back in 2016, after the 12-inch MacBook (which I loved) came out, I wrote a review of a useful accessory from Griffin called the BreakSafe. This small accessory came with a magnetic USB-C power cable, which let Apple’s only non-MagSafe MacBook at the time charge like a MagSafe MacBook.
I used this Griffin BreakSafe accessory for a long time, from 2016 to 2020, when I had a 12-inch MacBook and then later, a MacBook Pro.
In 2022, the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros and the new M2 MacBook Air all have MagSafe ports again. These are the newest and most expensive MacBooks that Apple sells right now. The cheaper M1 MacBook Air and M2 13-inch MacBook Pro still only charge with USB-C.
If you’re still using a MacBook model that only has USB-C ports for charging and connecting, you can still get accessories that let you charge your Mac like a MagSafe. In fact, these accessories work with any USB-C device, like the iPad Air, iPad mini, and iPad Pro.
Griffin no longer sells the BreakSafe, but I replaced mine with this similar accessory from iSkey, a small company that makes accessories and has great reviews. In fact, this is key accessory is a big improvement over the Griffin version because it works with many of the most recent USB-C standards.
This dongle, which costs $24.99 (or $20.99 if you have Amazon Prime), has a magnetic USB-C connector that fits into the port on your MacBook. It can be charged at 100W with USB-C Power Delivery, can send and receive data at up to 10Gb/s, and can output 4K video.
The iSkey accessory works with any USB-C accessory and comes in silver and space grey to match your Mac or iPad Pro. It has a 4.5-star rating from more than 4,200 users, and I’ve also found it to be very reliable in the time I’ve used it.
(Also, this USB-C cable with a display that shows how fast your device is charging has become one of my favorites.)
