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.

Tag: Anker

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
top stories 2025 04 19

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, CarPlay Bug Fix, and More

Saturday April 19, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
This week saw rumor updates on the iPhone 17 Pro and next-generation Vision Pro, while a minor iOS 18.4.1 update delivered not just security fixes but also a fix for some CarPlay issues. We also looked ahead at what else is in Apple's pipeline for the rest of 2025 and even the 20th-anniversary iPhone coming in 2027, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more! iPhone 17 ...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...

Top Rated Comments

oneMadRssn Avatar
53 months ago
I really don't see the point of these. Usually with a portable power bank, I want minimize the time spent using it and thus charge as fast as possible. Thus those with 18W PD are appealing. Plug in, charge up for 15-30 minutes, and put it away. In and out, fast.

For this, I think the PowerCore 10000 PD Redux is the best bang-per-buck right now. It's small but packs 10,000mah and 18W PD. It can take an iPhone from dead to >50% in about 30 minutes.

But at 5W, it would take many hours to get a reasonable charge - to say nothing of the inherent power loss of wireless. What's the point?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsplusmacs Avatar
53 months ago
I am very interested in what / if apple does a smart battery pack for magsafe.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Runs For Fun Avatar
53 months ago

I really don't see the point of these. Usually with a portable power bank, I want minimize the time spent using it and thus charge as fast as possible. Thus those with 18W PD are appealing. Plug in, charge up for 15-30 minutes, and put it away. In and out, fast.

For this, I think the PowerCore 10000 PD Redux is the best bang-per-buck right now. It's small but packs 10,000mah and 18W PD. It can take an iPhone from dead to >50% in about 30 minutes.

But at 5W, it would take many hours to get a reasonable charge - to say nothing of the inherent power loss of wireless. What's the point?
I think the big appeal here is that you're not tied down with a cable and a big heavy battery. You can continue using your phone as normal while charging with this device.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
oneMadRssn Avatar
53 months ago

Most people like it because it has more Watts than an average Apple Power Adapter at the same exact size. But I could still mind a bigger Power Adapter.
How do you figure? It charges at 5W, which is equal to Apple's lowest-wattage charger.


I think the big appeal here is that you're not tied down with a cable and a big heavy battery. You can continue using your phone as normal while charging with this device.
But it's not THAT small. Anker makes chargers equally small and just about as light that both pack more power and charge faster. And anyway, I think the best way to use your phone as normal is to charge it as fast as possible and then put the charger away. In other words, charging for 15-30 minutes and then using the phone as normal is better than using the phone as normal with this brick attached for 3 hours.

The key here is power loss due to wireless. Even though this things packs 5,000mah, Qi has a power loss of almost 50% ('https://debugger.medium.com/wireless-charging-is-a-disaster-waiting-to-happen-48afdde70ed9'). So only approximately 2,500-3,000mah are actually reaching your phone, and the rest is wasted to heat. You might as well get a 3,000mah power bank the size of a chapstick and use a cable - it will be lighter, smaller, and equally effective. Or, alternatively, get a 5,000mah power bank of equal size and weight, and be able to actually deliver most of that 5,000mah to your phone.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrMister111 Avatar
53 months ago

can someone tell if it also charges devices wirely via the usb c port, as in, does the usb c do input/output charging (not just input to the battery) as some power banks do?
Yes the USB-C is an input/output. You can also charge 2 devices (it’s only 5000mAh though) one wireless, one wired at same time

I emailed Anker as wondered if you could attach it magnetically for convenience, but use it wired to charge faster and got this reply...

You can physically attach the battery using the magnet but charge with the cable attached. In this situation, only the cable charging (via USC-C to lightning cable )works, the wireless charging will stop (the wireless charging and cable charging do not work at the same time for the same phone )
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
53 months ago

I really don't see the point of these. Usually with a portable power bank, I want minimize the time spent using it and thus charge as fast as possible. Thus those with 18W PD are appealing. Plug in, charge up for 15-30 minutes, and put it away. In and out, fast.

For this, I think the PowerCore 10000 PD Redux is the best bang-per-buck right now. It's small but packs 10,000mah and 18W PD. It can take an iPhone from dead to >50% in about 30 minutes.

But at 5W, it would take many hours to get a reasonable charge - to say nothing of the inherent power loss of wireless. What's the point?
When you’re on a trip taking a bunch of videos and reach 10% by 2pm, you need something to slap on the back to keep going. You don’t have time to plug-in and use two hands to carry battery, wire, and phone.


This will make even more sense when iPhone ditches the plug too. I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple made a thinner version that doesn’t suck when you put it in your pocket while it’s charging
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)