iMore Verdict
Ugreen’s pair of MagSafe Power Banks for iPhone is a tremendously useful charging solution with an enviable price tag, but they’re too big to use with regular-sized iPhones and the design is a little crude.
Pros
- +
Cheap
- +
Two sizes
- +
Speedy power delivery
- +
Strong capacity
- +
Incredibly sturdy magnets
Cons
- -
Covered in printed specs
- -
Too big for regular iPhones
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Ugreen already makes what we consider to be the best portable battery pack for iPhone in 2024, the Ugreen 145W power bank, so when we heard the news about its brand new MagSafe battery packs for iPhone, we were all ears. Ugreen now offers its Magnetic Power Bank in two different capacities, providing on-the-go emergency power and MagSafe compatibility for your iPhone. But are either worth your hard-earned cash? Let’s find out.
Ugreen Magnetic Power Bank: Price and availability
Ugreen offers its Magnetic Power bank in two sizes, 5,000mAh and 10,000mAh. That figure simply refers to the amount of charge the battery can hold, the performance of which we’ll get to later. As you might expect, the heftier version costs more, but neither is truly expensive. The former is $29.99 from Ugreen or Amazon, while the latter is $49.99, also available at Ugreen and Amazon. They come in two colors a stealthy black, and white, pictured here.
Ugreen Magnetic Power Bank: Specs and features
Both of Ugreen’s Magnetic Power Banks are incredibly self-explanatory in terms of their specs and features, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t impressive. Each one features a two-way USB-C port that can be used to charge up the device from any wall socket. Once loaded with charge, you can use them to power up any of Apple’s best iPhones. That can be done magnetically using the power of MagSafe and wireless charging or via a cable and the aforementioned USB-C port. The 5000mAh offers 15W of wired charging or 7.5W via magnetic, wireless charging, while the 10000mAh option offers 20W of wired charging and up to 15W of wireless charging.
In my testing, the 5000mAh version was able to charge up my iPhone 15 Pro Max from zero to 34% in just one hour, using up about 75% of its available charge. Using a fairly regular wall charger, you can probably charge up the 5000mAh version in less than 90 minutes. The charge level is indicated by a series of four LED dots next to the charging port, which shows whether you’re at 0-25%, 25-50%, 50-75%, or 75-100%. There’s a fifth blue light that indicates whether magnetic charging is being used. Otherwise, the Magnetic Power Bank has one button, which you can use to turn the pack on and off or to toggle the low current/trickle charging mode. This nifty feature lets you charge smaller devices such as headphones without overdoing the power delivery.
The 10000mAh version improves on all of those figures but is much larger as a result. You’ll get even faster wireless charging (15W not 7.5W), double the capacity, and greater power delivery over cable too (20W instead of 15W). All in all, both the 5000 and 10000mAh versions of the Magnetic Power Bank are incredibly simple and useful, and very effective when it comes to charging up your iPhone.
Ugreen Magnetic Power Bank: Build and looks
The white modeled here is more of an off-white and I have to say I love the shade. I also love the overall texture of the Magnetic Power Bank, the matte plastic is smooth, but also very grippy so you can keep using your iPhone with one attached, no issue. Likewise, the “rear” of the pack (the bit that faces your iPhone) is a very stylish rubber that shows no sign of wear and tear in my few weeks of use.
I do, however, have two gripes with the design of the Ugreen Magnetic Power Bank. Firstly, each one is adorned with a plethora of technical information about the battery including its voltages, ingredients, and more. I imagine these are a legal requirement in terms of battery packs, especially when it comes to air travel — even Apple’s old MagSafe Battery Pack featured them — however, where Apple’s were hidden on the inside of the pack, Ugreen’s are plastered over the outer shell, making the design a tad unsightly.
More apparent, however, the Ugreen Magnetic Power Bank is too big to use with a 6.1-inch iPhone. Both are perfectly sized for the iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 15 Plus. However, when aligned with the magnets, both packs stick out over the edge of the regular-sized iPhone 15. It’s not enough of an incursion so as to make it unusable, but it’s very noticeable and might put off some users, especially those with smaller phones. Of course, you can always charge your iPhone using a cable instead, but for a pack that is advertised primarily as a magnetic charger, I’d have expected it to fit all sizes of Apple’s current iPhone lineup.
I’ll end on a positive, both banks come with incredibly strong magnets. Sometimes MagSafe accessories don’t inspire much confidence when it comes to stability, but Ugreen says its magnets could hold the weight of five iPhones, let alone one, and honestly, I believe them. There’s no play or wiggle in the magnets at all, and I’ve no doubt they’ll never let you down when it comes to staying attached to your iPhone.
Ugreen Magnetic Power Bank: Competition
With Apple’s MagSafe Battery pack no longer sold by Apple, and existing stock elsewhere still sporting the aged Lightning connector, it’s no wonder there are so many chargers on the market. There are plenty of alternatives to Ugreen’s Magnetic Power Bank. We’ve already mentioned its own Ugreen 145W power bank, which isn’t magnetic but does deliver a mammoth amount of charge thanks to its capacity. Other options include our recently acclaimed Native Union (Re)Classic Power Bank and the TORRAS MagSafe Power Bank. If you don’t mind (or perhaps prefer) Apple’s Lightning connector, you can still pick up Apple’s MagSafe Battery pack beyond Apple’s walls, but it’ll cost a lot more than the equivalent $29 option reviewed here.
Ugreen Magnetic Power Bank: Should you buy it?
You should buy this if ...
- You want a practical and useful magnetic power bank
- You have a MagSafe iPhone
- You want a secure magnetic charger that won’t fall off your iPhone
You shouldn't buy this if ...
- You have a smaller iPhone and can’t live with the design flaw
- You don’t have a MagSafe iPhone
Ugreen Magnetic Power Bank: Verdict
So there you have it, despite the overlapping design flaw caused by the Ugreen Magnetic Power Bank’s size, I’m thoroughly impressed by its excellent stats, power delivery, and incredible utility. It’s not the most refined option on the market, but it’s definitely one of the most solid.
An industrial power bank
Ugreen's Magnetic Power bank delivers enough emergency juice for your iPhone, with just a couple of design flaws that aren't deal breakers, especially at its price.
