Best MagSafe portable battery packs and power banks for iPhone 12, 13 and 14
Portable power banks that charge your phone are popular, but wireless battery packs using Apple’s MagSafe technology offer a simpler and smarter cable-free solution for iPhone 12, 13 and 14 users.
Phone batteries are prone to run dry just when you’re heading away from a power source, so having a portable charging source is one of today’s necessities. Annoyingly, most power banks require you to carry around a cable, too.
Wireless power banks do away with cables but come with their own major limitation–the inefficiency of wireless charging means you need a high-capacity power bank to fully charge a drained iPhone.
I use one as a quick bedside iPhone charger so I can charge and use the phone at the same time without having to worry about cable length. And of course I carry one around with me in my bag for on-the-move recharging.
MagSafe is a technology that’s compatible with all iPhone 12, 13 and 14 models, from the mini to the Pro Max. It allows accessories to connect magnetically to the back of the iPhone.
The MagSafe connection is precise enough to make wireless charging more efficient as around 20% of Qi power loss is from poor placement of a phone and the wireless charging pad. WStandard Qi wireless charging can lose as much as 50% of the portable battery’s power, MagSafe wireless charging loses ‘just’ 30%.
While it’s not as efficient as using a cable to charge a phone, MagSafe is a tech that brings true wireless charging a step closer to doing away with cables altogether.
We have tested the best MagSafe chargers to find which is the right one for you and your iPhone. Here we have tested the best MagSafe battery packs.
Certified MagSafe or MagSafe compatible
Not all are officially certified MagSafe by Apple but we’ve included only those MagSafe-compatible battery packs that work as efficiently as the “Made for MagSafe” models. Official certification is more important for wired MagSafe chargers as the 15W charging power of MagSafe-certified chargers beats the 7.5W maximum for mere MagSafe-compatible accessories.
In comparison, the portable battery packs tested here can’t reach 15W, except those that can be charged simultaneously by wire and wireless, as the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack can.
We have listed the speeds at which each portable power bank can be charged itself (Input charger) and charge the iPhone (Output charger).
We’ve also included a few alternative non-magnetic options, including standard power banks and battery cases. MagSafe is cool but it isn’t always the best option.
After the list of our favorites, you’ll find more details on how MagSafe works and why you should be looking at a power bank’s capacity in Watt Hours rather than the mostly quoted Milliamp Hours.
Apple MagSafe Battery Pack – Smartest MagSafe battery
- MagSafe
- Compact
- Smarter battery features than rivals
- Cable plus wireless charging (15W)
Capacity: 11.13Wh (1460mAh/2920mAh)
Input charger: Lightning (27W)
Output charger: Wireless (5W) Lightning (15W combined)
MagSafe: Certified
Tested: Yes
Charged drained iPhone to: 60%
Weight: 114g
Dimensions: 9.6-x-6.4-1.1cm
Colors: White
Compatibility: iPhone 12/13 mini, iPhone 12/13/14, iPhone 12/13/14 Pro, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 12/13/14 Pro Max
Compatible with all models of iPhone 12, 13 and 14, the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack is an intelligent and convenient lightweight power pack that magnetically clamps to the iPhone.
While underpowered compared to the competition, it will charge a fading iPhone up to around 60%, which should be enough to get you through the day to when you have access to a power outlet.
Wireless charging isn’t the speediest at 5W, but unlike most other MagSafe chargers, the Apple Battery Pack can charge an iPhone at 15W using a wireless and a Lightning cable simultaneously.
Its Apple advantage is its Smart features that show onscreen battery power icons and safety features that stop charging when too hot or before the phone’s internal battery could be compromised – meaning it’s good practice to stop charging a phone battery at 90% for long-term battery health.
Available in white only, the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack is smarter but more expensive compared to third-party alternatives.
Belkin BoostCharge Power Bank 5K Stand – Best MagSafe battery pack with stand
Capacity: 18Wh (5000mAh)
Input charger: USB-C (18W)
Output charger: Wireless (7.5W) USB-C (10W)
MagSafe: Compatible
Tested: Yes
Charged drained iPhone to: 90%
Weight: 152g
Dimensions: 9.4-x-6.4-1.4cm
Colors: Black, White, Lavender Purple (US), Blush Pink (US)
Compatibility: iPhone 12/13 mini, iPhone 12/13/14, iPhone 12/13/14 Pro, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 12/13/14 Pro Max
The battle to be the best MagSafe-compatible power bank that also boasts a kickstand is a close run thing between the Belkin BoostCharge and the Anker MagGo 622. Both have 5000mAh batteries but the Belkin won in our head-to-head tests, recharging a faded iPhone 13 Pro by 90%, compared to Anker’s 80%.
The Belkin’s kickstand is easier to use and feels more robust, and the battery pack itself is marginally smaller. We still love the Anker 622 but the Belkin wins the battle of the MagSafe kickstand power banks.
It also beats Apple’s 5W wireless charging with 7.5W when clamped to the back of an iPhone, and while it doesn’t hit 15W on simultaneous wired and wireless charging like the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack, it can be charged with a cable at a chippy 10W.
The Pink and Purple colors are available in the U.S. only. Everyone else gets either Black or White models to choose from.
Gens ace Advanced 10000mAh 15.2V 100C 4S2P HardCase Lipo Battery Pack 61# with EC5 Plug
Gens ace Advanced 10000mAh 15.2V 100C 4S2P Hardcase HV Lipo Battery designed for 1/5 Scale, Kraton 8S, Outcast 8S and Modified limitless.
Gens ace Advanced 4.35V HV Series, New generation of RC Smart batteries. The Advanced series design concept is based on being a more convenient, user friendly and safety oriented series of batteries.
We produce the high quality LiHv cells, hard-case, internal circuitry, power indicator lights and other Smart features. The first concept of 4.35V high-voltage allows higher energy density and longer battery life. Each cell with 3.8V nominal voltage.
Application:
1/5 Scale, Kraton 8S, Outcast 8S and Modified limitless. Mojave; Losi DBXLE；Team Corally Kronos；Raminator
1.Your orders will be dispatched via FedEx or USPS from the USA directly. 2.Fast shipping and excellent local after-sale service guaranteed in the USA. 3.Service-priority in the online shop, like the long warranty period and the lower price. 4.Energy Density:Specially adapted to each UAV type and RC car/boat/heli type. Very High according to capacity/weight. In fact, we are specialists in High Power Lipo Batteries. It is our unique technology, the highest power of our battery is 100C. Another technology is our batteries are able to be stably discharged simultaneously. 5.Low IR: Provides stable voltage until the end of your mission. 6.Safety: Gens Ace and its partners fulfill the ISO9001, ISO14001, standards. 7.See the battery instruction to the link: Lipo Battery Guide.
WARNING : This product can expose you to chemicals including nickel, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
What Does mAh Mean for Chargers? Top
A milliampere hour (mAh) is used to describe the energy a battery will hold. It also indicates how long a device will last before it needs to be recharged again. You should use a power bank that has more or equal milliampere hours to the device you’re charging.
Here’s how many milliampere hours (mAH) you will find in the most popular devices.
- iPhone: 3,110 mAh to 4,323 mAh
- Samsung Android: 2,000 mAh to 4,000 mAh
- Airpods: 49.7 mAh
- Bluetooth Headphones: 80 mAh to 150 mAh
- Bluetooth Speakers: 300 mAh to 4,000 mAh
- Laptops: 2,500 mAh to 4,000 mAh
Find the power bank that will charge your device!
The more mAh in the power bank, the more powerful the charge. This means the power banks with the higher mAh will charge the device faster than the ones that have a smaller mAh.
Can I Use My Phone While Charging? Top
There shouldn’t be any harm in using your cell phone while it is charging. You may notice your phone getting a bit warm, but this is expected. It’s worth noting, however, that using your phone while it is charging may not result in a 100% charged battery since you are actively using the power source before the charge is complete. If you want your cell phone to be fully charged, it’s best to leave it alone while it powers up!
Why Do Some Power Banks Take Longer to Charge? Top
Some power banks take longer to charge because larger batteries have a bigger capacity to store energy. For example, a high capacity power bank with 20,000 mAh can take up to 40 hours to charge fully. Smaller power banks with 4,000 mAh may only take a couple hours to charge.
Think of it like a shot glass versus a tall drinking glass. It’s going to take a lot longer for a drinking glass to fill with water than it will for the shot glass!
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If you want a fast-charging battery pack you can feel good about getting, Nimble’s Champ is the clear choice.
AUKEY 20000mAh USB-C Power Bank
AUEKY’s USB-C Power Bank is the most fully-featured small battery pack we recommend, and is basically the Swiss Army Knife of on-the-go charging.
At 6.26-inches long it’s the largest battery pack we’re recommending, but it’s still small enough to fit comfortably in the front of a backpack, or inside a purse. It has a 20,000mAh capacity, which AUKEY says can fully recharge an iPhone XS over five times. It has a USB-A port and a USB-C PD (power delivery) port, which can output up to 18W (Watts) of power.
The USB-C PD port allows you to fast charge an iPhone or Android Phone, or extend the battery life of a larger gadget like the Nintendo Switch. You can use both ports to charge two devices simultaneously.
Besides being a traditional battery pack AUKEY’s USB-C Power Bank is also a portable wireless charger. You can set your device on top of the battery to use it as a charging pad, or prop the battery up using its built-in kickstand to use it as a wireless charging stand. It can output up to 10W of power as a wireless charging pad, which means it can charge an iPhone or Android phone at full speed. You can use this battery pack’s wireless charging feature while your phone is in a case, but it will slow the charging speed down.
I’ve tested this power bank for myself, and all of these features work very well. It’s rare to find a single charging gadget that supports wireless charging, fast charging, and multi-device charging, but AUKEY’s USB-C Power Bank manages to nail all three with no obvious downsides. It may be a little bigger than the other battery packs on this list, but its features more than make up for it.
I NIU Portable Charger
If you’re looking for a budget pick that doesn’t compromise on power or features, go with the I NIU Portable Charger.
It’s extremely thin and light, weighing just seven ounces, meaning you can carry it with you while you travel or when you’re commuting for work. It’s also got a 10000mAh power capacity, putting it on par with some of the pricier power banks on this list. This is enough capacity to fully charge up an iPad Air at least once, according to the brand.
You’ve also got both a USB-C input and output, allowing you to easily charge up any devices that may require that. There are also two other USB ports built-in, allowing you to charge up to three devices at once. You’ll even get a travel pouch as well as a USB-C cable to help you charge on the go.
PowerAdd 5,000mAh Mini Power Bank
This PowerAdd portable charger is a perfect example of a modern-day standard mini power bank done right. The charger has a 5,000mAh power capacity that can charge some phones to full power at least once; however, if we’re talking about modern smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra that has a 5,000mAh battery, you can get close to charging the phone. This close to full power charging will be common with most phones these days as many of them are using much larger batteries than a few years ago. As a result, you can’t expect to use this power bank for a few days, and it’s almost always going to require recharging after being used for a single day.
This power bank is simple on the charging side because it only has a single USB-A port with a 5V/2.4A (12W) charge rate, so this power bank does not use fast charging such as Quick Charge, and that can be another downside of mini power banks. Recharging from this power bank is done via a Micro-USB input port with a 5V/2.0A (10W) speed.
Of course, one of the main reasons to get a mini power bank is its size, and the size of this PowerAdd portable charger is tiny with a length of 4 inches and a thickness of 1.1 inches. It has a cylindrical shape that makes it easy to hold or to place into your
Mini power banks, in general, don’t use fast charging as they’re too small and meant to be a more budget type of power bank. This Xcentz power bank can fast charge most phones on the market because of its use of Power Delivery and Quick Charge, two of the most used fast charging technologies. You can even recharge this power bank at 18W via a PD wall charger.
The other great part is that this power bank comes with a USB-C to USB-C and a USB-C to USB-A cable included in the box. Most mini power banks use a Micro-USB input port for charging and include a Micro-USB cable; however, that tech is obsolete and slow charging, so we’re glad that this Xcentz power bank takes the more modern approach.
CHOETECH 10,000mAh Power Bank with Built-in USB-C and Lightning Cable
As we mentioned before, mid-range power banks are more reliable, and this CHOETECH portable charger has clear proof of that because it uses two built-in cables. The power bank has a USB-C and a Lightning built-in cable; these are the two most used cables for charging, with the USB-C cable being used for charging Android smartphones, and many other devices such as tablets, earbud cases that use USB-C ports to recharge from or basically any other portable device that can charge via the USB-C. The Lightning cable is for charging iPhones that are still using Apple’s Lightning port.
On top of always having ready-to-use cables with this power bank, both the cables use an 18W Power Delivery charging speed. So you can fast charge most Android smartphones, and you can fast charge iPhones that are also Power Delivery compatible; being able to fast charge with a power bank is great because you can stop relying on the power bank faster. Design-wise, once you’re done charging with the cables, they fit directly into the power bank and are fully concealed. The slim form factor of the power bank enables you to place it into your easily.
This CHOETECH power bank has a USB-C PD port that can only recharge the power bank.
The power capacity of Excitrus portable charger is 9,600mAh, and as we mentioned, most power banks with this capacity don’t feature such high PD charging. With a 45W Power Delivery port, you’re able to charge most USB-C chargeable laptops, and in our case, we were able to charge a Lenovo Flex 5 laptop with the power bank, as well as charge a Microsoft Surface Go tablet at its max charging speed. You may also use this power bank to charge a USB-C MacBook.
Along with the USB-C PD port, the power bank has two USB-A ports, with one featuring Quick Charge 3.0 and the other port has a standard 12W charging speed. The power bank can be recharged via the USB-C PD port, and included in the box is a USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cable that lets you start using the power bank right out of the box.
Design-wise, this portable charger is straightforward to take anywhere thanks to its low capacity, as it has a 4-inch length and only a 0.9-inch thickness. Instead of having LED power lights, the charger has an LCD screen that shows the remaining power capacity.
You may think that the wireless charging speed from a power bank is rather weak. Still, surprisingly, the wireless changing rate ranges from 10W for Samsung smartphones to 7.5W for iPhones and 5W for any other wireless charging compatible phones. Additionally, the Aukey power bank has an 18W Power Delivery port and a USB-A Quick Charge 3.0 port. The power bank also has two input ports that you can recharge from, with a Micro-USB port or a USB-C PD port.
What are the Best High Capacity Power Banks?
High-capacity power banks are the most useful types of portable chargers because they feature the best charging experience that portable chargers have to offer. High-capacity power banks are exactly what it sounds like. These chargers have 20,000mAh power capacities or higher; these higher capacities enable you to charge devices to full power multiple times before needing to recharge the power bank.
In addition to having a power capacity that you can use for days, high-capacity power banks also use some very powerful charging that lets you charge most USB-C laptops. Some use AC outlets; However, that gets into portable power station territory.
The trade-off with having more charging power and a larger-sized power bank is worth it in most cases because even a high-capacity power bank is not too large or heavy.
RAVPower 20,000mAh 18W Power Delivery Tri Output and Tri Input Power Bank
This RAVPower portable charger is a great example of why high-capacity power banks are one of the best to own. The charger has a 20,000mAh power capacity that can charge most phones to full power about two times or more. A high capacity such as this can also be useful for charging tablets to full power at least once.
The power bank also does a great job with its charging power because it has three output ports and input ports. There are two USB-A ports and one USB-C Power Delivery port; one of the USB-A ports features Quick Charge, while the other one has a standard 12W charging rate USB-C Power Delivery port has an 18W charging speed.
You also have three ways to recharge this power bank, with one being the USB-C PD port that is the fastest way to recharge the power bank. You also get the choice of using the Lightning or Micro-USB input port for recharging, but those are slower than the USB-C PD port. With all this charging power, you also get an LCD that shows that the remaining power capacity and if you’re using fast charging from the Quick Charge 3.0 port.
Instead, this JIGA power bank has three USB-A ports and three input ports. Each of the USB-A output ports has a 5V/2.0A (10W) charging speed. Recharging the power bank is impressive because you can use one of the three input ports for recharging; one of the input ports is a USB-C port, and the other two are a Micro-USB and Lightning input port.
Overall, this JIGA power bank is reliable for Android and iPhone smartphone users because of its various input ports to recharge the power bank.
On top of the PD port, if you’re charging from the Power Delivery port and the USB-A Quick Charge port at the same time, then the USB-C PD port lowers its power output to 65W. A 65W PD charge rate is still tons of power, and in our tests, we were still able to charge a Lenovo Flex 5 laptop at its max charging speed even when we were charging two devices simultaneously.
One of the main setbacks for a high-capacity power bank is recharging them, as you always want to make sure that you’re recharging it at its max speed. If you’re not, then it can take a long time to recharge the power bank; thankfully, this one recharges at 60W, but you have to provide your own PD wall charger to recharge it at 60W. This power bank does come with a USB-C to USB-C cable, though.
One of the PD ports has a 60W output, and the other one has an 18W output. The 60W port is more useful for charging laptops, and the 18W port is best for charging fast charging smartphones. This power bank also comes with a 45W PD wall charger and a USB-C to USB-C cable that you can use to recharge the power bank at its max speed.