Microsoft created a magnetic USB-C port, and you need to see it for yourself
It doesn’t always feel like Microsoft and Apple are heated rivals in the laptop space these days, but now and then, we get a glimpse of what used to be.
In this case, Microsoft just debuted its own take on Apple’s MagSafe mechanism for charging laptops. It’s a magnetic USB-C port on the newly announced Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra, and it works exactly as it sounds: once you get the connector close enough, it snaps right on with the power of magnets.
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Microsoft is calling it “Magnetic Connect” and is touting it as the first built-in magnetic USB-C port on a laptop. There are similar options from third-party vendors, but they aren’t built in. Meanwhile, Apple’s MagSafe mechanism uses magnets, but it’s not USB-C, so it seems like Microsoft’s claim holds some water here.
Probably the most important detail here is that you can still plug any old USB-C connector into the port, which gives it a leg up over MagSafe. Apple’s version of this uses a proprietary connector that isn’t really useful for anything other than its intended use.
The biggest problem is that the Surface Laptop Ultra starts at a staggering $2,599. Maybe you can live without a magnetic USB-C connector, in that case.
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