Apple’s MagSafe Duo hasn’t been received too well with a $129 price tag and lacking features like a power brick and upright iPhone 12 charging. It turns out there’s a neat MagSafe Duo alternative that can be 3D printed and used with the MagSafe Charger and your existing Apple Watch charger.
While Apple’s MagSafe Duo does offer some convenience when it comes to a portable dual charger for iPhone and Apple Watch, the build, price, and features it lacks make it a tough sell. That’s the feeling my colleague Jeff Benjamin came away with after reviewing it. “As nice-looking and as portable as the Duo may be, I can’t help but feel that it’s overpriced given what it does and what it lacks.”
We’re still waiting on third-parties to release their multi-device MagSafe charging options but notably, they’ll mostly be $100+ like the MagSafe Duo.
Make a MagSafe Duo Charger
A great alternative has popped up that should cost a lot less. Reddit user blitzkriegtaco shared a look at a nice MagSafe dual charger and as it happens, it was 3D printed. You’re getting an upright iPhone 12 charging experience and it looks really clean in white.
You can find the file to 3D print your own here (you can donate to the creator DonSonsi if you’d like to say thanks : ). This dual MagSafe charger features an logo that’s quite subtle when printed in white and more noticeable on black.
Don’t forget to pick up a MagSafe Charger if you don’t have one already. $39 + printing this dual charger should certainly be attainable for less than $129 in most cases. You’ll also need to supply your own Apple Watch charger. But even if you need one, you should still be ahead.
There are a few downsides going this route like figuring out how to print it and having to use two power bricks. But the pros may outweigh the cons for many.
If you don’t have your own 3D printer, you can check out services like Xometry.
Here’s what this charger looks like with and without the Apple chargers installed:
