One of the first guides I ever worked on for Engadget was about power banks. In the years since, I’ve tested more than 50 portable batteries to keep our top picks as up-to-date as possible. Now that the iPhone 17 is on the horizon — and rumored to be the thinnest ever — we wanted to devote some space to MagSafe battery packs in particular.
I gathered up a new crop of batteries to test and compared the results with our existing data to pick the best MagSafe-compatible battery out there. As we learn more about the new iPhone’s battery specs and get our hands on banks enabled with the new Qi2 25W charging standard, I’ll continue to update this guide. For now, our top pick is Anker’s Qi2-enabled MagGo 10K power bank. It has a big capacity, fast charging times and handy extra features like a stand and display. But there are also options here for minimalists and the budget-conscious, too.
The best MagSafe power banks for 2025
Specs: 10,000mAh capacity, Qi2 certified, display, stand, USB-C port
Who is this for? The person who never remembers to charge their phone overnight.
Anker’s MagGo power bank was one of the first Qi2-certified products to come to market — and it’s still one of the most well-rounded MagSafe banks you can get. It charged an iPhone 15 from 5 percent to 60 percent in a little over 45 minutes. It took under two and a half hours to get the phone from near-dead to full, and it had enough power left over for an additional 70-percent refill.
A small display tells you just how much charge remains (and how long until it’s full when you’re recharging the battery). The kickstand is sturdy so you can use the phone hands-free in portrait mode, or you can twist the phone to watch something in landscape orientation.
Like many Anker products we’ve tried, it has a sturdy build and a clean aesthetic. Plus, it comes in purple, blue and green in addition to the standard (and comparatively boring) black and white. Though it’s on the pricier end of the battery pack spectrum at $90, it’s often on sale for $70 and has sold for as little as $50 on Amazon.
- Delivers a fast charge
- Enough juice for 1.7 iPhone 15 charges
- Sturdy stand lets you watch while charging
Amy Skorheim for Engadget
Specs: 5,000mAh capacity, Qi2 certified, under 5 oz, 0.34-inches thick, USB-C port
Who is this for? The minimalist; the person who wants their power bank to blend in.
iPhones are sleek and slim — if you want the same from your portable charger, Anker’s new Nano 5K MagGo Slim is a good pick. It’s one of the thinnest chargers I’ve ever tested and has a nice, smooth matte texture. Since it’s thinner and a little wider than many battery packs, it’s ideally proportioned for a standard iPhone, stretching edge-to-edge on the back and sitting just below the camera. That makes it easy to grip your phone and use it as it recharges. There’s no stand, strap, screen or any other extras, but that’s the point with a minimalist accessory like this.
It took an iPhone 15 from 5 percent to 90 percent in about two and a half hours. Like all power banks, it slowed down significantly after the pack was half drained, so it’s worth noting that it charged the phone to 40 percent in less than an hour.
- Slim enough to blend in
- Minimalist design
- Premium build
- No stand, screen or strap
Amy Skorheim for Engadget
Specs: 10,000mAh capacity, Qi2 certified, USB-C cable/strap, stand, USB-C port
Who is this for? The person who wants the most charge for the lowest price.
This is the first product from Iniu that I’ve tested and I was impressed by both the features and the value. The P73 10K Magnetic Power Bank managed to get an iPhone 15 from five percent to full in around two hours and fifteen minutes. It had enough left over to deliver another impressive 90 percentage points to the iPhone in round two — that’s actually a slightly better performance than our top Anker pick. As it’s the first of its kind, I’m not as certain of the bank’s long-term reliability (like I am with Anker batteries), but so far, Iniu seems pretty capable.
Instead of a display on the bank, the remaining power is indicated with a cute, lit puppy paw. The lights on the toe pads and center pad disappear as the battery discharges; it’s a cute variation on regular LEDs. The stand at the bottom works in either landscape or portrait mode, but the strap gets in the way when it’s in the latter position. Speaking of the strap, it’s not just a handy way to grab the bank — it’s also a detachable USB-C cable. That may come in handy when it’s time to recharge the pack or you want to lend some charge to another device.
- Great capacity for the price
- Includes a stand
- Attached strap doubles as a short USB-C cable
- Strap gets in the way of the stand
What to consider before buying a MagSafe power bank
Choose the right capacity. Most portable MagSafe chargers have either a 5,000 milliamp hour (mAh) or 10,000mAh capacity. Obviously, the larger capacity batteries are physically bigger, but thanks to an iPhone’s magnetic attachment points, you can still use the phone comfortably as it charges. If you’re worried about overall bulk, you may prefer the slimness of a 5,000mAh battery.
Just note that a 5K battery pack won’t deliver its entire capacity to your phone due to energy loss from voltage conversion and heat dissipation. Over the years, I’ve measured around a 60-percent delivery rate for wireless banks. For example, that means an iPhone 16 with its 3,561mAh battery will get about 85 to 90 percentage points from a 5K battery. A 10K bank will charge that same phone fully once, with enough for a 50- to 60-percent boost next time.
Understand MagSafe versus Qi2. All iPhones model 12 and later have MagSafe technology, which rely on embedded magnets to align the phone with a wireless charger and can support charging speeds of up to 15 watts. The MagSafe name is owned by Apple — third-party chargers can’t freely use the term and instead call their accessories “magnetic,” or apply a branded name like Anker’s MagGo or UGreen’s MagFlow. Be sure to check the product details before buying: anything that works with Apple’s technology will be listed as MagSafe-compatible.
Qi2 is a standard from the Wireless Power Consortium (of which Apple is a member) and has the same stipulations as MagSafe (15W charging and magnetic alignment). Any company can submit their tech for this certification. iPhones 13 and later are Qi2 compatible.
A new standard is coming this fall; it’s called Qi2 25W and bumps wireless charging speeds up to 25W. The WPC says a certified smartphone using a certified charger can wirelessly go from dead to half full in about 30 minutes. These devices will start hitting shelves in the fall of 2025 and it’s highly likely that the new iPhone 17 will support it. Plus, it’s likely that iPhone 16 models will retroactively gain the certification since those phones already support 25W speeds when using Apple’s official MagSafe Charger puck.
Remember travel restrictions. You may have seen news reports of flights being grounded because a power bank caught fire in the cabin. Currently, the TSA allows them in your carry-on luggage as long as they’re rated at 100 watt-hours or lower (about 27,000mAh for lithium ion batteries).
But some airlines have enacted further restrictions. Southwest, for example, requires you to keep power banks out of the bag and visible while charging. Even if your airline doesn’t make such demands, keeping a power brick out in the open while it’s in use is a good idea — it’ll keep it cooler and you’ll be more likely to notice if it starts to overheat. Most, if not all, MagSafe battery packs come in at under the 100-watt-hour limit, so traveling should be easy with one.
Consider the extra features. You may not need them, but the little extra perks of a MagSafe power bank can come in handy. Some have stands so you can watch your phone while it refills. Some have LED displays that tell you how much charge is left, which can be a little more precise than the lighted pips other banks use. Some also have straps to make the bank easier to carry around or fish out of your bag.
MagSafe power banks FAQs
What does MagSafe do?
MagSafe is Apple’s own technology that supports 15W wireless charging speeds and incorporates embedded magnets to align the phone with chargers and other accessories.
Which iPhones support MagSafe?
iPhones 12 and later support MagSafe technology, though only iPhones 13 and later can reach the 15W charging speed with third party Qi2 chargers. The iPhone 12 maxes out at 7.5W with non-Apple accessories.
Can you use MagSafe batteries with a case?
In most cases (heh), yes. The wireless charge can travel across a distance of a few millimeters. If the case is more than 5mm thick or contains metal components, the wireless charge can be blocked. Many iPhone cases are marketed as MagSafe-compatible, which means the case itself has complimentary magnets inside and should not interfere with charging accessories. We tested a MagSafe power bank on an iPhone 15 with and without a MagSafe case and got the same charging speeds and amounts in both tests.
How much power do MagSafe batteries provide?
That depends on the power bank. If it is Qi2-certified, it can provide up to 15 watts of wireless power. Non-Qi2 batteries typically deliver around 7.5 watts. The amount of charge delivered depends on the capacity. Most MagSafe portable chargers are rated at 5,000mAh or 10,000mAh. The former can get a standard iPhone 15 from five percent to around 90 percent. The latter can fill the phone completely with enough left over for another half charge.
This story originally appeared on Engadget
