ScienceBasedKids.com may earn a commission from affiliate links in this review. Our ratings are never influenced by affiliate relationships. Read our full methodology.
When we published our Magna-Tiles 100-piece review, the most common reader question wasn’t about Magna-Tiles at all. It was about Connetix. “Have you tested Connetix?” appeared in our comments, our inbox, and our social media mentions with a frequency that demanded attention. So we bought the 100-piece Pastel Creative Pack, tested it alongside our existing Magna-Tiles set for six weeks, and now we have an answer.
The short version: Connetix is legitimate. Not a knockoff, not a pretender — a genuine premium magnetic tile brand that competes with Magna-Tiles on quality and arguably surpasses it in aesthetics. The longer version involves magnets, beveled edges, and an Australian design team that understood something about the market that took Magna-Tiles decades to figure out.
Product Overview
Connetix Tiles are flat, geometric plastic tiles with magnets embedded along each edge — the same fundamental concept as Magna-Tiles. The 100-piece Pastel Creative Pack includes:
- 40 small squares (3” x 3”)
- 20 large squares (6” x 6”)
- 12 right-angle triangles
- 18 equilateral triangles
- 10 isosceles triangles
The tiles are translucent in a pastel palette — soft pink, lavender, mint, peach, and sky blue. Each tile has beveled edges that create a slightly raised border around the surface, which is both an aesthetic choice and a functional one (the beveling provides a subtle grip surface and makes the tiles feel more substantial).
Connetix is an Australian company founded in 2019. Despite being a newcomer, they’ve built a passionate following particularly among design-conscious parents who find Magna-Tiles’ primary colors less appealing in their curated living spaces. Whether you think this matters is a personal question. Whether it affects play value is the question we’re here to answer.
Our Evaluation
Build Quality: 9/10
Connetix tiles are exceptionally well-made. The plastic is thick, uniform, and translucent with a clarity that’s marginally better than Magna-Tiles. The beveled edges are smooth and consistent across all 100 tiles — no rough seams, no visible injection molding artifacts. The magnets are fully enclosed with no accessible points.
The magnet strength is comparable to Magna-Tiles and noticeably stronger than PicassoTiles. We conducted a simple pull-test comparison: the force required to separate two connected Connetix tiles was within 5% of Magna-Tiles, and both required approximately twice the force of PicassoTiles. In practical building terms, Connetix structures hold together well during ambitious builds and survive reasonable jostling.
One area where Connetix may have a slight edge: tile-to-tile alignment. The beveled edges create a more defined connection point, and we noticed slightly less “slide” when connecting tiles compared to Magna-Tiles’ flat-edge design. This is a subtle difference but becomes noticeable during complex, multi-story builds.
Play Value: 9/10
The play experience with Connetix is essentially identical to Magna-Tiles — which is to say, exceptional. The same open-ended building, the same age-spanning engagement, the same satisfying magnetic click. Children in our testing households did not prefer one brand over the other when both were available, which speaks to the fundamental strength of the magnetic tile format rather than any brand-specific advantage.
The pastel color palette did produce one interesting observational difference: children in our testing built more “domestic” structures — houses, rooms, furniture — with Connetix pastels, while the same children built more “fantastical” structures — towers, castles, vehicles — with Magna-Tiles’ bolder colors. This is anecdotal and may reflect nothing more than the visual associations the colors evoke, but it suggests the palette isn’t purely cosmetic.
Age Appropriateness: 9/10
Identical to Magna-Tiles. The 3+ rating is appropriate for safety, with supervised 2-year-olds able to enjoy basic stacking. The effective upper range extends to 8-9 years for most children. The beveled edges may be very slightly easier for younger children to grip, but this difference is marginal.
Durability: 9/10
Six weeks of testing is a limited durability window, but within that period, the Connetix tiles showed zero degradation. No cracks, no delamination, no magnet displacement, no paint wear. Online parent communities report strong long-term durability, though Connetix’s 2019 founding means the longest possible use histories are only five years compared to Magna-Tiles’ 25+ year track record. We’ll update this section as our long-term testing continues.
Value for Money: 7/10
At $130 for 100 pieces ($1.30/tile), Connetix is priced at a slight premium to Magna-Tiles ($120/100 pieces, $1.20/tile). The 8% price difference is negligible in absolute terms, but it does mean Connetix occupies the “most expensive” position in the magnetic tile market. The quality justifies the premium tier, but value-conscious families should know that Magna-Tiles offers comparable quality for slightly less, and PicassoTiles offers good quality for dramatically less.
The Evidence
The developmental evidence for Connetix Tiles is identical to the evidence for any quality magnetic tile set. We covered this extensively in our Magna-Tiles review and will summarize here.
Spatial Reasoning. Geometric construction play supports spatial reasoning development. Verdine et al. (2014) demonstrated that spatial assembly performance in preschoolers predicts later mathematical skills.1 Jirout and Newcombe (2015) found spatial play with construction toys positively associated with spatial skills across a large, representative sample.2 The magnetic tile format is particularly interesting because it introduces 2D-to-3D transformation — laying flat tiles that fold up into three-dimensional structures.
Open-Ended Play and Creativity. The lack of prescribed outcomes positions magnetic tiles within the open-ended play research. Russ and Wallace (2013) reviewed consistent associations between open-ended play and divergent thinking.3 Connetix, like Magna-Tiles, provides no instructions and no “correct” builds.
The honest summary: There is no evidence that Connetix Tiles produce different developmental outcomes than any other quality magnetic tile set. The spatial reasoning research supports the category broadly. The choice between Connetix and Magna-Tiles is a product quality and aesthetic decision, not a developmental one.
Safety Notes
Connetix Tiles meet ASTM F963, EN-71, and CPSIA safety standards. The magnets are fully encased in plastic and inaccessible during normal use. The company holds additional certifications for BPA-free, phthalate-free, and lead-free materials.
No CPSC recalls have been issued for Connetix Tiles. The brand has a clean safety record across its product line.
Parents should inspect tiles periodically for cracking or separation, as with any magnetic tile product. If a tile’s plastic shell cracks and exposes the magnet, discard it immediately.
The Verdict
Connetix Tiles 100-piece set is a premium magnetic tile product that earns its place alongside Magna-Tiles at the top of the category. The build quality is excellent, the magnet strength is strong, and the beveled edge design is a thoughtful differentiator. The pastel aesthetic will appeal to design-conscious families, though it has no meaningful impact on play value.
If you’re buying your first magnetic tile set and price is not the primary concern, both Connetix and Magna-Tiles are excellent choices. If you already own Magna-Tiles, adding Connetix tiles to the collection works fine — the tiles are compatible in terms of magnet polarity and approximate sizing, though the aesthetic contrast between pastel Connetix and primary-color Magna-Tiles is stark.
Product Rating: 9/10 — Premium construction, strong magnets, beautiful aesthetic. The slight price premium over Magna-Tiles and shorter track record prevent a perfect score.
Evidence Rating: Moderate — Same spatial reasoning evidence as all quality magnetic tiles. Strong category evidence, limited brand-specific evidence.
Who Should Buy This
- Families choosing their first premium magnetic tile set who prefer pastel aesthetics
- Design-conscious parents who want toys that blend with home decor
- Families expanding an existing collection who want a different color palette
- Gift-givers looking for a premium, distinctive building toy
Who Should Skip This
- Families who already own 100+ Magna-Tiles — more of the same at a slight premium
- Budget-conscious families — PicassoTiles at $50 offers excellent value
- Anyone who prefers bold, primary-color aesthetics for visual stimulation reasons
- Parents of children over 10 seeking more engineering complexity
This review reflects our independent evaluation. ScienceBasedKids.com purchased this product at retail price. We may earn a commission if you purchase through our links, which helps fund our research. This never influences our ratings.
Footnotes
-
Verdine, B. N., Golinkoff, R. M., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Newcombe, N. S., Filipowicz, A. T., & Chang, A. (2014). “Deconstructing building blocks: Preschoolers’ spatial assembly performance relates to early mathematical skills.” Child Development, 85(3), 1062-1076. ↩
-
Jirout, J. J., & Newcombe, N. S. (2015). “Building blocks for developing spatial skills: Evidence from a large, representative U.S. sample.” Psychological Science, 26(3), 302-310. ↩
-
Russ, S. W., & Wallace, C. E. (2013). “Pretend play and creative processes.” American Journal of Play, 6(1), 136-148. ↩
Enjoyed this review? We publish two new evidence-based evaluations every week.
Free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
| Brand | Price | Quality | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| | |||
| | |||
| | |||
| | |||
| | |||
| |
Scores from dual-blind evaluation by two testers. Differences under 0.5 are statistically negligible.
Recommended Accessories
Affiliate links
Connetix Tiles 40-Piece Pastel Expansion Pack
“More squares and triangles in the same pastel palette. The most efficient way to grow your set.”
Connetix Tiles Ball Run Pack (92-piece)
“Adds ball run channels and funnels to the magnetic tile system. Transforms building into engineering.”
Magna-Tiles Clear Colors 100-Piece Set
“The original premium magnetic tile. Slightly cheaper, primary colors, comparable quality.”
PicassoTiles 100-Piece Magnet Building Set
“Budget alternative at 40% of the price. Good quality, improving with each production run.”
A4 LED Light Pad for Tracing
“Place translucent tiles on a light pad for a stunning stained-glass effect. Works beautifully with pastels.”
