Hands-On With Anker’s MagSafe-Compatible Battery Pack
Anker, a company known for its range of accessories designed for Apple products, recently came out with one of the first MagSafe-compatible battery packs, so we thought we’d check it out to see how it compares to a standard battery pack.
Design wise, Anker’s power bank looks like a typical battery pack, but it has magnets built in that are designed to adhere right to the back of an iPhone 12 model. It’s made from a plastic material with some rubber accenting, and it’s fairly small and lightweight given that it needs to attach to an iPhone magnetically.
The PowerCore Magnetic 5K Wireless Power Bank is MagSafe-compatible, not MagSafe, so it is limited to 5W charging rather than 15W charging like a MagSafe charger. At 5W, it’s going to charge at slower speeds, but since it is able to adhere to the back of an iPhone magnetically, it’s more convenient than a standalone power bank because it stays in place.
Magnetic strength is decent, but it stays adhered best when used with a MagSafe-compatible iPhone case. Without a case, the magnet is decent, but the hold is better with a magnetic case.
With a 5,000mAh capacity, the PowerCore Magnetic Power Bank can charge an iPhone 12 mini to full, but for other iPhones, you’re only going to get a partial charge. Anker says it can charge the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro to 95 percent and the iPhone 12 Pro Max to 75 percent, so it doesn’t have as much capacity as other power banks on the market, but it’s still a useful charge amount when you’re in a pinch because of its portability and ease of use.
The PowerCore Power Bank can be charged over USB-C, and you can check the charge level with the indicator lights that are next to the USB-C port on the device. You can use Anker’s power bank with other Qi-enabled accessories, but the magnetic attachment feature is limited to the iPhone 12 models.
The PowerCore Magnetic 5K Power Bank can be purchased from Amazon for $40, but Anker is having supply issues at the current time and it is out of stock.
