Every iPhone has a useful hardware feature that no Samsung phone offers

When Apple launched the iPhone 17e, the company 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 the latest iPhone means that every iPhone includes a useful hardware feature that no Samsung phone offers.

Every new iPhone sold by Apple includes MagSafe

When Apple introduced the iPhone 16e in March 2025, not including MagSafe in the budget model didn’t make much sense. The iPhone 16e replaced the iPhone SE, which technically never had MagSafe charging, but it still seemed like a dud.

However, since March 2026, every new iPhone sold by Apple works with MagSafe – no case required. This was a first since Apple introduced the iPhone 12 with MagSafe in October 2020.

Adding a powerful magnetic connection to the back of the iPhone allows accessories such as wallets, stands and batteries to be attached. It also significantly improves wireless charging thanks to the alignment of the charging coil that snaps into place.

Samsung misses the call

Meanwhile, in Samsung’s land, critics are slamming the company for choosing not to put magnets inside its most premium Samsung Galaxy smartphones. The reason, they say, is that most people use a holster.

In early 2026, The Verge asked a Samsung executive about the decision to continue not offering a feature like MagSafe:

I interviewed Samsung’s 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 compromise to make, because you’re just going to buy a case anyway.

“About 80 to 90 percent of people use a case, and cases with magnets are very popular these days,” he tells me.

Samsung would prefer to use that extra height to give the phone a bigger battery or make it thinner, he says.

That’s not to say Samsung isn’t interested in magnets. “We’re still doing a lot of research to make sure we don’t make any sacrifices inside the phone; when we get there, we’ll integrate it,” he says.

Apple, of course, was able to squeeze MagSafe into the incredibly thin iPhone Air. Somehow they get by and the battery life is totally usable.

Meanwhile, Samsung leaves it to case makers to standardize magnet placement, strength, and quality, which pretty much guarantees a mixed experience for accessories.

It’s a much simpler story when the phone itself sets the bar for magnetic accessory support.

Now, a new rumor claims that Apple might ditch MagSafe on future iPhones, but we think it’s wrong or simply lost in translation.

Originally published March 9, 2026. Updated April 29, 2026 with additional context around a new MagSafe rumor.