PSA: Griffin BreakSafe brings MagSafe to the new MacBook Pros, but with limitations

A lot of noise has been made about Apple’s move away from MagSafe with the all-new MacBook Pros. Instead of MagSafe, the new machines feature four USB-C ports, all of which are capable of charging the machine. As Zac noted this afternoon, the ability to charge from either side of the machine with USB-C has its perks, but some users are still rightfully missing the safety and security of the MagSafe adapter.

That’s where Griffin’s BreakSafe comes in. It brings MagSafe-like tech to USB-C connections, but there are a few things you should note before running out and purchasing one…

I initially went hands on with BreakSafe earlier this year, using it with my 12-inch MacBook. I wrote fondly of it at the time, noting how it compared strongly to MagSafe and had the potential to save just as many laptops as Apple’s tech did.

I noted of a few qualms I had with BreakSafe, including the need to always have a little adapter plugged into your USB-C port. Since then, I’ve used BreakSafe as my sole charger for the 12-inch MacBook, but if you’re planning on using with the new MacBook Pros, especially the 15-inch, there are a couple of things you’ll want to consider.

With the 15-inch MacBook Pro, Apple includes a USB-C charger and block with 87W of power. This means that the included charger will be able to adequately charge the MacBook Pro’s 76-watt-hour battery, which Apple says offers up to 10 hours of juice.

The BreakSafe, however, is only capable of reaching 60W of power. This means that charging the 15-inch MacBook Pro will take longer than expected or could even not be able to charge the device when under heavy use.

Griffin notes of this discrepancy on its website, too. The company lists the 12-inch MacBook and the 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro as the only Macs with which BreakSafe is compatible.

It’s worth noting that Apple includes a 61W charger with the 13-inch MacBook Pro, but that minor difference will hardly be notable in day-to-day usage.

It’s unclear at this point if Griffin has another BreakSafe adapter in the pipeline with power ample enough for the 15-inch MacBook Pro, but at this point, those users will be stuck with the included USB-C charger from Apple.

You can read my full review of BreakSafe here, but one additional thing that I’ve noticed overtime is that the magnet between the cable and USB-C connection has become somewhat weaker with heavy use. It’s not a big deal, but it can get annoying at times and is definitely weaker than MagSafe ever was for me.

If you’re a 12-inch MacBook or 13-inch MacBook Pro user and just can’t fathom life without MagSafe, the BreakSafe can be had for $36.99 on Amazon or for $39.99 on Griffin’s website.