Today we’re taking a quick hands-on look at the Spigen ArcField Magnetic Charger — the brand’s take on the puck-style magnetic wireless charger. Now regularly sitting in a much more affordable category than when it first launched, we recently had a chance to give one a go for a few weeks to see how it stacks up these days, just in time for the new iPhone 13. Compatible with all of Apple’s magnetic handsets, today’s Spigen ArcField Magnetic Wireless Charger review is the next entry in our Tested with gadgetnewsonline series.
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Spigen ArcField Magnetic Charger review
The ArcField Magnetic Wireless Charger is Spigen’s take on a flat magnetic wireless charging pad to support Apple’s MagSafe system. With new iPhone 13 models now out in the wild, we thought it would be a good time to take a quick look at the $25 Spigen ArcField Magnetic Wireless Charger.
It is made of what Spigen calls a “premium aluminum” that feels more like a high-end plastic to the touch. The smooth, sleek rounded housing pulls directly from Apple’s official design, albeit with a slightly larger overall footprint (2.44 x 2.44 x 0.24 inches). A flat black paint job carries a sort of silvery-gray Spigen logo that, while I would have preferred something even more subtle in this department, doesn’t ruin the overall look for me.
A 3.3-foot, all-black USB-C cable is hardwired to the unit for power, much like Apple’s setup but with a more pliable and less robust cable overall. It’s a little easier to tease this cable into the position or shape you’re after, but it’s clearly a much thinner and more flimsy design than Apple’s.
Here’s a closer look at the spec sheet:
- Stable magnetic connection to stay locked down
- Magnetic coil for easy alignment and no fidgeting
- Output 7.5W
- Input DC 5.0V=1.5A, 9.0V=1.67A
- Built-in cable 3.3 ft (1m)
- Product weight 1.6 ounces
gadgetnewsonline’ Take
After having a chance to go hands-on with the Spigen ArcField Magnetic Wireless Charger for a few weeks now — giving it a run on both iPhone 12 Pro and the new iPhone 13 for the past couple days — it has thus far been a positive overall experience.
Wireless charging and magnetic functionality has been solid here. The Spigen ArcField Magnetic Wireless Charger is more than capable of getting power to pass through all of the MagSafe and wireless charging-compatible cases I have available to me, with very similar performance to my official Apple charger in terms of power passthrough and a strong magnetic connection, albeit in a less powerful 7.5W package.
Unless you manage to pick up Apple’s official 15W MagSafe charger with a deep discount, the regularly $55 first-party model is quite a bit more expensive than the Spigen variant. Spigen has dropped the output down to 7.5W and shipped a slightly larger overall puck-shaped charger here, but at $25 and no dark colorways available on the official side of things, it is certainly worth consideration. It doesn’t feel quite as robust as Apple’s, nor is it as powerful overall, but it provides a nearly identical experience for all but the most particular of users. If you need the fastest possible charge this probably isn’t it, but the difference for me personally has been negligible at best.
Yes, it would be nice if it was hitting the full 15W output, but for the price difference and the sleek black option for folks sick of the stark white accessories, the Spigen ArcField Magnetic Wireless Charger, which is currently selling for $22.50 (at the time of writing) on Amazon, might be just what your setup needs.
Spigen ArcField Magnetic Wireless Charger $25
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