mophie powerstation and powerstation plus XL wireless review: Power up in style

When it comes to power banks and cases, mophie is a well-known and popular brand. I've used mophie products for years, and they're usually one of the few brands that are my go-to when it comes to portable power for my iPhone. I was given the opportunity to check out some of the company's latest products, which I'm going to cover in this review today. We're taking a look at the recently released mophie Powerstation with PD (Power Delivery) and Powerstation Plus XL Wireless.

Durable and lightweight power

mophie Powerstation with PD and Powerstation Plus XL Wireless: Features

Since we're covering two similar products here, let's start with mophie's Powerstation with PD.

The Powerstation with PD is the smaller of the two, both in terms of physical size and power capacity. It is only 6000mAh, but should provide your iPhone with about another 32 hours of usage, about eight hours for an iPad mini, and six hours for an iPad Pro. The exterior of the Powerstation with PD has a unique, premium fabric finish that adds style and also protects the battery pack from the usual scuffs and scratches of daily use. The edges also have a textured pattern that compliments the fabric material and gives the battery extra grip.

You'll find three ports on the Powerstation with PD along the right edge (if holding horizontally): one Lightning port, one USB-C port, and one USB-A port. The Lightning port is designed for input-only, so this is how the battery charges. It's designed specifically to work with Apple products, so you won't need a separate cable to charge this battery pack up — just use your typical iPhone or iPad charging cable. The USB-C port is for both input and output, and it has 18W of power for the fastest charging time, with the USB-A having about 5W of output. Unfortunately, the Powerstation with PD doesn't have any integrated cables, so you will need to provide your own when using this battery pack.

When you use a USB-C-to-Lightning cable to charge an iPhone with the Powerstation with PD, you can go from 0% to 50% in about 30 minutes. The USB-A port is, of course, a bit slower since it is not using Power Delivery.

The Powerstation Plus XL Wireless is a bit chunkier, and it also has 8000mAh power capacity. The design on the Powerstation Plus XL Wireless is also different, in that it has a high-gloss top surface with metallic perimeter edges, and a soft-touch magnetic back cover (think it's similar to Apple's Smart Cover for iPad) to hide the integrated Lightning cable.

That's right — the Powerstation Plus XL Wireless one comes with an integrated 5-inch Lightning cable, so you don't even need to provide your own cable for charging up your iPhone. The integrated Lightning cable has an 18W output, so you get the fastest charging times (charge up about 50% in 30 minutes). There is another USB-A port on the side if you want to charge up another device, but it is about 5W power output, similar to the regular (non fast-charging) iPhone AC adapter. The Powerstation Plus XL Wireless charges up via your own Lightning cable, so like it's smaller cousin, you don't need a separate cable — just use the cable your iPhone uses.

The glossy top surface is where the inductive wireless charging happens, hence the name. Just put your iPhone or AirPods wireless charging case down on that surface and then turn the battery pack on to start wirelessly charging them. While wireless charging is convenient, it is also less efficient because it charges up slower. You'll get about 20% of battery in about 30 minutes.

Unfortunately, the Powerstation Plus XL Wireless doesn't have any USB-C ports, so this is not something you'll be able to charge up a USB-C MacBook or iPad Pro with. But if the devices you're charging still have Lightning ports, wirelessly charge, or use a USB-A port, then the Powerstation Plus XL Wireless works nicely.

With the Powerstation Plus XL Wireless, you're looking at about another 42 hours for iPhone, 11 hours for an iPad mini, and seven hours for an iPad Pro (non-USB-C).

For both models, along the bottom edge (again, if held horizontally), you'll find a round button and four LED lights. These LEDs indicate the battery level. When you plug in to charge the battery, the LEDs will blink to indicate that it is charging, but turn off after 30 seconds. This is so you aren't distracted by the lights. Just press the button to check the status — if it's fully charged, all LEDs are solid.

Both models also have Priority+ charging. This means that if you are charging up your Powerstation battery but also have something plugged in to the battery pack, it will prioritize charging up that device (your iPhone, iPad, etc.) before the battery itself charges up. But on the Powerstation with PD model, the USB-A port shuts off automatically when recharging from the Lightning port.

There is actually a third model, the Powerstation Plus with PD, which is like an in-between of the regular Powerstation with PD and Powerstation Plus XL Wireless. It has 6000mAh and an integrated fast-charging (18W) Lightning cable, but no inductive wireless charging. It looks more similar to the Plus XL Wireless in appearance.

These are durable, convenient, and quite pretty

mophie Powerstation with PD and Powerstation Plus XL Wireless: What I Like

Honestly, I love the aesthetic of the regular Powerstation with PD. The premium fabric finish is definitely unique, and it actually feels good in the hand. Plus, unlike other battery packs, this material feels more durable, as you won't see scratches and scuffs on the surface. The textured edges give it a nice grip as well, which I love — I'm kind of a klutz sometimes. The size is also sleek and compact.

With the Powerstation Plus XL Wireless, I really love the integrated cable. That's one less thing that I need to worry about when taking this battery pack out with me, which is always a bonus. And even though the wireless charging is slower, it's nice to have the option available, especially when it comes to charging up something like AirPods Pro.

Both the Powerstation with PD and Powerstation Plus XL Wireless charge with 18W power output on the USB-C (Powerstation PD) and integrated Lightning cable (Powerstation Plus XL Wireless), which is pretty fast for a portable battery. I got about 40-50% charge in 30-40 minutes during my testing, which is not bad at all. And since both have Priority+ charging, they can be used as a travel charger when you're not at home.

All of the new Powerstation models from mophie, including the Powerstation Plus with PD (not reviewed here), come in a handful of colors too. These color options add a nice splash of color to an otherwise boring market of standard black power banks.

They're a little pricey for the capacity

mophie Powerstation with PD and Powerstation Plus XL Wireless: What I Don't Like

The biggest flaw of both of these power banks is the price for the capacity that you're getting. For $60 and $100, you're getting 6000mAh and 8000mAh, respectively. For prices like that, I would expect at least 10000mAh or even 20000mAh, considering that I have other battery packs with that much power for the price of these. But then again, I suppose that mophie has always been like this in terms of pricing and power capacity, so I shouldn't be too surprised.

And while I like the convenience of wireless charging, it's a shame that it is definitely not as fast, though this can be said for wireless charging in general. But it's also a bit surprising that the more expensive Powerstation Plus XL Wireless doesn't have a USB-C port, so it's useless if you want a portable battery pack for a USB-C MacBook or iPad Pro.

It's also a little disappointing how much slower the USB-A port is on both, as the output is a measly 5W, which is no better than the standard non-fast charging iPhone charger that comes standard with your iPhone.

You're paying for the brand name and convenience factor

mophie Powerstation with PD and Powerstation Plus XL Wireless: The Bottom Line

While these are a bit more expensive than your typical portable power bank, they're convenient to have around. These both double as travel chargers thanks to Priority+ charging, and they both have 18W fast charging with the USB-C port/integrated Lightning cable. Plus, it's always nice to have a power bank with wireless charging, even if it is a bit slower than charging with a cable. Both battery packs also come in a nice variety of colors, including pink (if you really want to stand out), and the fabric on the regular Powerstation with PD is quite nice.

Just be warned that these are a bit pricier than other battery packs for the capacity, and the Powerstation Plus XL Wireless does not have a USB-C port.

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