Sealed waterproof cases and MagSafe are natural enemies. The seal needs material; the magnets need proximity. Most sealed cases resolve that conflict by giving up on magnets entirely. One in the iPhone 12 Pro Max range does not. Here is the comparison and whether the difference is worth it for you.
Why sealed cases usually break MagSafe
Apple designed the MagSafe magnet array to work through roughly 2–3 mm of non-magnetic material. Magnetic force falls off steeply with distance — doubling the gap does far more than halve the holding force.
A sealed case is a two-piece clamshell with a gasket, so its back wall is substantially thicker than a slim TPU shell. Push the magnets past that 2–3 mm window and a MagSafe wallet slides off, a charging puck fails to align, and a car mount will not hold the phone over a bump.
The workaround is to build a matching magnet array into the case itself, positioned to line up with the phone's array. That restores holding force regardless of wall thickness.
The MagSafe waterproof case
Sealed construction with a magnet array and a built-in screen membrane.
What you get: full sealing plus working magnetic mounting. If you use a magnetic car mount daily and also need the phone sealed for work or water sports, this is the only combination that does both without compromise.
What to be realistic about: magnetic mounting and magnetic charging are different asks. Wireless charging through a sealed case is unreliable regardless of magnets, because the coil separation is what limits power transfer, not the alignment. Expect to open the case and use a cable to charge.
The standard waterproof case
The same sealed construction without the magnet array.
What you get: the same water and dust protection, typically a little lighter and a little thinner without the magnet ring, and one fewer thing to go wrong.
What you give up: MagSafe wallets, MagSafe car mounts, and magnetic pucks — all of which were arguably the point of buying an iPhone 12 Pro Max in the first place.
Where the iPhone 12 Pro Max's own IP68 rating fits in
Worth setting the baseline. Apple rated the 12 Pro Max IP68 to 6 metres for 30 minutes — the deepest rating Apple had shipped at the time. That covers a very large share of everyday accidents.
Three caveats that make a sealed case relevant anyway:
- The test is still fresh water. It says nothing about salt water or chlorine, both of which attack seals chemically.
- The rating was measured on a new device. This phone launched in 2020; adhesive ages and drops stress it.
- Apple has never covered liquid damage under warranty, IP rating or not.
So on a new iPhone 12 Pro Max, a sealed case was a luxury. On a five-year-old one, it is closer to necessary if the phone goes near water.
Which should you buy?
MagSafe version if you use a magnetic car mount every day, carry a MagSafe wallet, or simply do not want to lose a feature you paid for. The premium buys you back a capability the sealed format normally destroys.
Standard version if you charge and mount by cable and cradle. You save weight and thickness, and nothing about the water protection differs.
One further consideration: if you want sealing only occasionally, buy the standard sealed case for water days and keep a slim case for everyday use, where MagSafe works at full strength through 2–3 mm of material anyway.
Living with a sealed case
Whichever you choose, the same rules apply:
- Check the gasket before every close. One grain of sand or a stray hair on the seal defeats the whole case.
- Rinse with fresh water after salt or chlorine, then dry the gasket. Salt crystals are abrasive and will damage the seal over time.
- Expect quieter audio. Sound has to pass through a sealed wall. Speaker calls will be noticeably softer.
- Use the volume button as a camera shutter underwater. Capacitive touchscreens do not respond to underwater touch.
- Do a dry test first. Close the empty case and submerge it in a sink for a few minutes before you trust it with the phone.
Frequently asked questions
Will a MagSafe case charge on a MagSafe puck? Magnetic alignment will work; the charging may still be slow or intermittent because of the coil distance through a sealed shell. Cable charging with the case open is the reliable route.
Do the magnets affect the phone? No. The magnets in phone accessories do not damage phone components. Keep them away from hotel key cards and older magnetic-stripe cards.
Can I add a magnetic ring to the standard sealed case? Not reliably. Adhesive bonds poorly to the textured exterior of a sealed case, and anything you stick on risks interfering with the seal.
Are these cases rated to the same depth as the phone? Check the depth figure on the listing and treat it as a hard ceiling. Water pressure rises quickly with depth and a rated case is not an unlimited one.
Will either fit an iPhone 12 or 12 Pro? No. Those are 6.1-inch phones. The Pro Max is 6.7 inches and does not share cases with them.
Bottom line
Both seal the phone identically. The MagSafe version buys back magnetic mounting, which most sealed cases destroy — worth it if you use a magnetic car mount or wallet daily. Neither will charge reliably on a wireless puck; that is a limitation of sealed construction, not of the magnets.
Questions about sealing, MagSafe or fit? Contact us via the Gorilla Cases Contact page or call 978-797-0223.