Here’s how it worked: The power cable was magnetic. Instead of sticking into the laptop, it connected to the side of it. If someone tripped over the cable, the cable would harmlessly disconnect from the laptop.
That feature was really removed? I've accidentally yanked the power cord multiple times on my laptop. MagSafe saved the hardware from major damage.
In my experience MagSafe 2 ruined the MagSafe connector design. It’s nearly impossible to use MagSafe 2 in anything but a stable flat position. Forget using it while laying down.
Also, I work in a metal fabrication workshop, which means the brass contacts and their housing on the laptop side of the MagSafe 2 connector on my MacBook Pro are now blanketed and burned from poor contact due to metal dust interfering with the connector.
There are aftermarket MagSafe type connectors for the new MacBooks. This is a superior design in my opinion because it makes both sides of the connector replaceable.
But it's definitely not as good as Magsafe - if the angle of the cable is not out from the computer (say it's being pulled back under the computer) the connector may not pop loose and you might end up with it detaching from the wall charger instead (it's nice that the cable plugs in at both ends). And if you drag the cable there's a good chance the computer will drag a bit, too, rather than staying still like it would when the Magsafe connector detached immediately. So, you could still end up with the computer on the ground because it dragged a bit before the USB-C connector detached.