Last fall, Apple discontinued their own MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone. Fortunately, the range of magnetic power banks is large and you can buy better alternatives. A good example of this is the Anker MagGo power bank with 10,000 mAh, display and support for the new Qi2 wireless charging protocol.
For this review, we extensively tested the external battery with model number A1654 in combination with an iPhone 15 Pro Max. The MagGo Powerbank is not small and compact, but its performance is sky-high.
Power bank for on the go
Especially for a long trip, I was looking for a charger that you can magnetically click onto the iPhone. Unfortunately, there are no official MagSafe power banks for sale. Now there are manufacturers who claim that they sell a MagSafe battery, but in practice they cannot charge your iPhone faster than 7.5W.
Even Apple’s official MagSafe Battery Pack could only charge the iPhone wirelessly at 7.5W. The faster 15 W was only achieved if you had also connected the Battery Pack via cable to at least a 20 W fast charger. Fortunately, Qi2 is now the solution, as the successor to the first generation of Qi offers the option of fast wireless charging at 15 W, even with external batteries. Anker was the first manufacturer to bring such a solution to the market.
Anker MagGo power bank 10K
Anker’s power bank is an external battery that you can magnetically ‘click’ to the iPhone 12 (Pro) or newer. With a weight of 250 grams and dimensions of 107.3 × 68.8 × 19.8 mm (HxWxD), the power bank is large and does not fit well on an iPhone mini. This is not a problem with the standard iPhone, Plus, Pro and Pro Max.
With a capacity of 10000 mAh you can sufficiently charge the iPhone when it is empty, making it the perfect support for a long working day, on holiday or when you are an intensive user. Anker indicates that you can charge an iPhone 15 Pro 1.8 times with this power bank. A Plus or Max model about 1.3 times.
In theory, you can always charge the battery of your iPhone, because you can attach the power bank magnetically to the back. Thanks to the Qi2 support, your iPhone is also charged wirelessly quickly with a maximum power of 15 W. If you want faster, you will have to connect it to a cable and power source.
Qi2 support
The biggest advantage of this power bank is the support for Qi2, just like MagSafe, Qi2 has the option for wireless fast charging with 15 W and magnetic clicking. This ensures that the device is properly positioned and stays in place. It is good to know that the magnetic ring of MagSafe and Qi2 are the same.
As I mentioned earlier in the review, there is no MagSafe battery that reaches the maximum power of 15 W. This is because Apple provides approval and components to manufacturers who want to market a MagSafe battery. There are currently no MagSafe parts for external batteries for sale. That is why there is no MagSafe battery pack yet that supports 15W charging.
Qi2, on the other hand, is available to manufacturers and can therefore also develop external batteries with this fast charging technology. Anker is one of the first to offer such a battery pack.
Power bank with display
The MagGo Powerbank from Anker has a display that indicates the status of the external battery. You can read the battery status exactly on this. In addition, you will also see feedback when the power bank is charging an iPhone, a blue upward arrow will appear, or a lightning bolt will indicate that the power bank is being charged.
When you charge the MagGo you will see that a time is also displayed below the battery status. This indicates how long it takes before the power bank is charged. When using the battery, the time indicates how long it takes before the power bank is empty and how long you can still use it.
ActiveShield 2.0
Anker’s power bank contains a smart 32-bit processor with ActiveShield 2.0. This regulates the power supply and checks the battery temperature more than 3 million times a day. The processor controls this extremely accurately so that overheating cannot occur.
Charging power bank
The 10K MagGo Power Bank from Anker has a USB-C port and can be used to charge it. Depending on the charger, this can be fast or slow. If you use it with a charger of 27 W or more, like that of MacBook, you can charge it with fast charging. One is recommended 20W USB-C power adapter or more, in combination with the USB-C to USB-C cable that comes standard.
When you charge the empty power bank with a 20 W charger, it will reach 100% within 2.5 to 3 hours. Good to know, if you charge the battery and you have attached it magnetically to your iPhone, it will also charge immediately.
Charge other devices
Do you want to charge a set of AirPods or another smartphone with MagGo Powerbank? Then this is possible. You can simply use the external battery as a wireless charger.
Place the AirPods on the magnetic ring and they will be charged immediately. Handy if these are almost empty while on the road and you don’t have a charger nearby. This is also the case for iPhones, smartphones and other devices that support wireless charging via Qi(2).
Anker MagGo power bank 10K in practice
Using the MagGo battery pack is very easy thanks to the magnetic connection. This makes it easy for you to decide when to connect the external battery to your iPhone. For an extra strong connection, it is recommended to connect the power bank directly to your iPhone or use one iPhone case with magnetic ring.
Thanks to the Qi2 support, the device is also quickly charged wirelessly with a maximum power of 15 W. From zero to 50% this will still take 44 minutes, but is twice as fast as other wireless chargers.
When you connect the power bank to your iPhone, it takes some getting used to, as there is a large bump on the back. Thanks to the design, it fits comfortably in the hand and the iPhone is easy to use. Putting the iPhone away with the pack in your pocket is a more difficult job. The iPhone also becomes slightly warmer because inductive charging is used. This makes the pack more suitable for charging your iPhone when it is on the table.
Another big advantage of this battery is the integrated display. This neatly indicates the battery status of the power bank, so you immediately know whether you still have enough charge. You can also read additional information about the charging status.
The Anker power bank is large, sturdy and heavy. But since it supports wireless fast charging, you might find it attached to your iPhone for short periods of time. Anker has also incorporated a support into the battery so that you can also use it as a stand.
For example, with a capacity of 10,000 mAh you can charge an iPhone 15 or Pro 1.8 times and an iPhone 15 Plus or Pro Max 1.3 times. The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes with a 4,422 mAh battery. You would think that you can charge it 2.3 times, but that is not the case. You cannot use the full 10,000 mAh, because energy is also lost during charging.
Conclusion: Anker MagGo power bank 10K and Qi2
REVIEW SCORE
The Anker MagGo Power Bank with Qi2 is a useful tool if you frequently use your iPhone and need extra power on the go. For example, with a capacity of 10,000 mAh you can charge an iPhone 15 (Pro) 1.8 times and an iPhone 15 Plus or Pro Max 1.3 times, an excellent score. Thanks to the addition of 15W, you can also charge the device wirelessly 2x faster.
The MagGo power bank has large dimensions and weighs 250 grams. You will notice this when you have magnetically attached the battery to your iPhone. Thanks to the design, the external battery fits comfortably in your hand and you can continue to use the smartphone. Because the power bank is magnetically attached, you can also remove the battery to quickly use your phone without it.
The MagGo battery is equipped with a display on which you can read the battery status and receive feedback while charging, such as the iPhone or power bank itself. With an output of 27 W, you can also connect the power bank directly to an iPhone with the included USB-C cable to charge it quickly.
- Support for Qi2 fast charging (15W)
- Magnetically snaps onto an iPhone or Qi2 smartphone
- Capacity of 10000 mAh
- Good design, including stand
- Smart processor for temperature control
- Display with battery status and feedback
- Large size and weight
- Does not fit well on an iPhone mini
Buy Anker MagGo power bank 10K
The Anker MagGo Power Bank 10K with Qi2 support is available in a white and black version with a suggested retail price of €89.99. At the time of writing, the external battery is not yet available at all web shops. You can purchase this via Amazon or the Anker website.
