The Galaxy S22 likely won’t get the iPhone 12’s key feature, but this phone might
A MagSafe-ish feature
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WhileSamsung phonesandiPhonescompete on many fronts, we’re not expecting theSamsung Galaxy S22to get anything akin to theiPhone 12’s top feature. The tool in question,MagSafe, was a way of magnetically clipping on accessories like wireless chargers, cases and more, and while it didn’t set the world on fire as much as someApplefans insist, anAndroid phonemight soon embrace something similar.
Realme recently teased an upcoming handset, theRealme Flash, via its Twitter, and shortly after thatGSMArenaposted lots of information about the phone that someone leaked to the site. Take it with a pinch of salt, as we don’t have much information about the source, but there are images and detailed information about the device.
According to GSMArena - and something heavily implied in the introduction to this article - the Realme Flash will debut Realme’s MagDart tech. MagDart, apparently, is a magnetic charger which clips onto the back of the Flash, using wireless charging to easily power up the device.
GSMArena’s leak only details magnetic charging, but if the Realme Flash has magnets in the back of it, presumably clip-on cases, wallets and more are also feasible.
The leak adds that the Realme Flash will have a curved-edge screen with a ‘punch-hole’ cut-out for the front-facing camera, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, 12GB RAM, 256GB storage and will come runningAndroid 11. There’s no news when this phone is coming, but with Realme literally teasing it, we likely won’t be waiting too long.
Analysis: Is Realme building a premium smartphone?
This newcomer is totally going to sweep you off your feet!Tell us what comes to your mind when you hear ‘Flash’?Stay tuned to find out.#realmeFlash #DareToLeap pic.twitter.com/azc6ysABjFJuly 26, 2021
Apple put a bow on MagSafe, to make it seem like a truly premium feature, with accessories touting top-tier price tags. So is Realme also making a premium smartphone?
It’d be strange for Realme to put out a premium phone, since the relative newcomer is thriving so well in the mid-range market.
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In fact, it’s odd that Realme would opt to copy a feature from Apple at all -Samsungis usually first to pinch the big A’s features, with Xiaomi no slouch either - but Realme has thrived so far on making impressive budget powerhouses, and has shied away from the premium-phone race.
Could that change with the MagSafe - sorry, MagDart - laden Realme Flash? Well, probably not, no. That’s because, despite what Apple wants you to think, magnets just aren’t a premium feature. In fact, they’re not even new to phones.
A few other phones have used magnetic clip-on chargers before - certaingaming smartphoneslike theBlack Shark 3have offered the feature so you can power up the phone while you play - though Realme could be the first brand outside of that gaming niche.
Hopefully, Realme could do something great with MagDart though - it could take a feature we’ve only seen in top-end handsets (even if it’s not a premium feature in itself) and put it in a phone that costs less. Then, it’d be doing something Samsung could only dream of - democratizing consumer tech.
We’ve not heard rumors of any other smartphone taking up magnets in a serious way, not the flagship Samsung Galaxy S22 line or equivalents from OnePlus, Oppo or Xiaomi.
So just because Realme has slapped a magnet onto the back of a decent-sounding smartphone that doesn’t mean it’s going to suddenly start competing with theSamsung Galaxy S21,Xiaomi Mi 11orVivo X60 Pro. No, it’s probably just trying to undercut theiPhone 12by offering a cheaper alternative.
Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.
He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.
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