In this video, I look at two great Apple MagSafe products from Benks, their Clear Case for iPhone 13 Series and a small MagSafe Car Air Vent Charger that ticks all the boxes.
You can buy the car charger for $39.99 from the Benks online store → https://shrsl.com/3g4um and $19.99 for the Crystal Phone Case for iPhone 13 Series → https://shrsl.com/3g4ur
MagClap™ Traveller Pro Car Charger
My first product review from Benks is their small and discreet MagSafe compatible car air vent charger. They also sell a $10 cheaper phone holder of this mount, but if you want up to 15W of charging potential when attached to the charger, you will have to opt for the pricier model.
I found the form factor of this car charger is spot on, as is their choice of air vent mounting solution. One of my favourite methods of mounting has been adopted on this mount. By simply turning the finger-friendly tightening dial that’s situated behind the magnetic plate, you begin to draw a small ‘tooth’ closer, to the holding plate that sits flush against your air vent blades. As a result of this, you get a very stable and solid mounting solution that really can’t get loose and fall off.
The tightening dial is sturdy and solid with each turn, and I didn’t feel any level of slip when tightening the tooth towards my vent blades, and it held on to the whole face of the air vent very tight and secure.
Grabbing the bundled USB-C to USB-C cable of around 1m in length, one end is plugged into the mounting plate, at the bottom, whilst the other end is plugged into a compatible USB-C 12v adapter or an available USB-C port in your centre console – if you have one.
Without any fancy lights or blue glows on this mount, it is hard to tell if the mount is being powered. But, simply placing your MagSafe compatible iPhone onto the mount sends up to 15W of charge to the device, and it all lights up. Charge away! There are no MagSafe firing animations with this mount, simply due to how the magnetic ring is configured.
The mount holds very well though, thanks to its 30% stronger magnetic force, and its soft silica gel contact surface helps reduce unnecessary rubbing on the back of the attached phone or case, which might help to dislodge the magnetised iPhone and send it flying into the footwell – something I highly doubt will happen on this mount, even with the depth of potholes that have grown recently on our roads here in the UK.
MagSafe Charging
In practice, I found its charging rate was a bit average. I couldn’t get anywhere closer to its advertised 15W charging speeds that were claimed on the box, even with a 30W PD 12V charger, but then again I am still yet to find a car phone mount that does so easily, other than Apple’s own MagSafe charger. The max I could get was around 7W of charging power at battery levels between 50-60% (a level I assume would draw the maximum it could until 80%), which is better than most wired 5W USB ports in my car. Your own experience will vary though, based on what 12V USB charger you pair this car mount up with.
My maximum 7W charging result came from a 3-year old Anker PowerDrive Speed+2 30W USB-C PD charger. Granted, since my review of it, the Anker has now been upgraded to 45W, so you might get better results with this upgraded charger, or any alternative charger with a higher PD output than this.
Overall, this car charger from Benks ticks many boxes, and since this review, I have now adopted it as my wireless car charger of choice in my own Golf, handing down my ESR car mount to my partner to enjoy. I preferred its smaller footprint size, its discreet simple looks, with no fancy glowing lights to be seen. Its 7W of charging may not hit the high advertised speeds, but that’s enough for me, personally. Well done Benks!
MagClap™ Crystal Phone Case for iPhone 13 Series
The second product for review is their Crystal Clear iPhone Case for the iPhone 13 Series. I tested this MagSafe compatible clear case on an iPhone 13 Mini, and it felt great, and the MagSafe attachment was solid and assured on a number of MagSafe devices I tested it out on, including the Benks car charger seen in this video. The edges felt less ridged and the case overall felt slimmer than the last case that was on it, yet it still carried an assuring level of build quality, should it ever take a fall.
There is enough lip to the camera bump and the front screen, giving it a level of protection when sliding your iPhone along a flat abrasive surface. The silence and cable cut out holes were ample, and I liked its precise grill cut-outs and how Benks chose to use separate chrome metal side buttons instead of moulded silicone ones. Again, this MagSafe clear case from Benks ticked all the boxes for a decent clear MagSafe case for the iPhone 13 series and I am sure its build quality will serve the life my the iPhone Mini inside it for years to come.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – Brief overview
0:20 – MagClap Traveller Pro Car Charger
3:17 – MagClap Crystal iPhone Case
6:21 – Car Charger Install
10:23 – My Impressions
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