Realme’s ‘MagDart’ is an Android take on MagSafe, but faster

Ever since Apple’s MagSafe made its grand return by way of the iPhone 12 series, it was only a matter of time before other phone makers came up with similar — and maybe better — solutions. Realme, the sister brand of Oppo and OnePlus, has announced its very own “MagDart” magnetic wireless charging system as part of its latest concept phone, the Flash.

Not only is MagDart the first of its kind in the Android world, it’s also more powerful than Apple’s MagSafe, with its maximum output rated at 50W instead of just 15W. This 50W magnetic charger leverages Realme’s speedy 65W SuperDart charging tech — a rebranded version of Oppo’s SuperVOOC and OnePlus’ Warp Charge 65 — and has its own air-cooling system for maximum performance. Realme claims that the charging speed here is almost on par with its 50W SuperDart wired charger. Specifically, for the 4,500mAh battery inside the Realme Flash, it’ll go from zero to 100 percent in under an hour.

The downside of this 50W MagDart charger is its bulkiness, but Realme will also offer a slim 15W MagDart charging pad — one that’s a tad thinner than Apple’s MagSafe charger. This design is mainly thanks to having the circuit board tucked away in the plug, which also keeps the charging coil cooler for higher efficiency. For the same phone, this will take about 90 minutes to go from zero to 100 percent.

Naturally, the MagDart ecosystem offers a few other snap-on accessories as well. There’s a MagDart power bank which one-ups the MagSafe Battery Pack by doubling as a wireless charging stand, so you can charge or grab both the phone and the power bank simultaneously.

There’s also a MagDart Beauty Light, which is a flip-up ring light — consisting of 60 mini LEDs, with adjustable brightness and color temperature — to keep your selfie game strong. Interestingly, this kit is powered by the phone’s reverse wireless charging feature.

Another handy accessory here is the self-explanatory MagDart Wallet, which holds up to three credit cards in its vegan leather pockets. Though unlike the MagSafe version, this one adds an aluminum kickstand to your phone as well.

Last but not least, existing Realme GT users can get a special case to make their phone MagDart-compatible, though this will add a slight bulge near the bottom on the back side.

There’s no word on when we will see the first MagDart-compatible devices on the market just yet, but when that happens, chances are future products from Oppo and OnePlus will get to share the love with Realme (unless Apple gets in the way, of course). But if you use a pacemaker, then you’ll probably want to avoid those also.