Anker MagGo reviewed: power you can lean on

Phone batteries are getting better, but that doesn’t mean you can live without a power bank. With the Anker MagGo Power Bank, you might not care, as it bring convenience to a clever design.

Power banks are everywhere and there’s little reason as to why: our phones just don’t hold up in the battery department like we all expect.

Make a phone bigger and you can give it a bigger battery. But while every manufacturer has embraced large phones, they’ve also given mobiles the ability to do more, and that in turn has an effect on battery life. Better screens, better cameras, more processing power and more capability means battery life is probably going to suffer, though we can all be thankful that phone CPUs are dealing with battery life better, too.

Regardless of the phone you have, you can bet that you might need a power bank to keep it going, and fortunately, there are plenty of those. These days, they even rely on the USB-C standard used by everyone to quickly top up a phone.

However, if you have something in the mid-range to high-end, you might also have a phone that can charge up wirelessly. It can be a little slower, but it can also be a lot more convenient, too.

And that is where Anker’s latest power bank comes in, providing wired and wireless charging alike with an emphasis on convenience in some rather clever ways.

What is the Anker MagGo?

Anker is clearly no stranger to power banks, and its “MagGo” line-up focuses on models that work with magnets. As it is, there are two specific standards for that in the world: Apple’s iPhone MagSafe, and the Qi2 standard that evolves MagSafe to work with Android, as well.

In short, the Anker MagGo is a MagSafe/Qi2 charging bank, allowing you to magnetically attach any supported phone and recharge the handset wirelessly.

The range comes in a few options, including a small 6.6K model and the 10K power bank we’re checking out in this review, but there is also a foldable 3-in-1 with an Apple Watch charging fob at the back, as well.

Anker’s MagGo range has one other trick, which is distinct to Anker’s models: they stand up.

What does it do?

Yes, the power banks actually stand up, thanks in part to a stand built into the design.

In the MagGo 10K, there’s a little kickstand at the back you can easily pop out, while the 6K and foldable 3-in-1 uses a hinged design to prop the charging pad up. Either way, this power bank stands up, and that gives it a unique point of difference from pretty much any power bank we’ve seen prior.

Outside of the neat little stand, the charging bank includes two 5000mAh cells connected resulting in the “10K” that 10000mAh is represented by, and can provide wireless charging at 15W for MagSafe, while wired charging can be delivered, too, using the USB-C port on the side at a maximum of 27W.

Sure, it’s not as meaty or powerful as the massive Anker Prime we’ve seen in the past, easily one of our favourite power banks, but its compact size and convenience helps make it an easy carry.

A screen on the side of the power bank is also handy, letting you know how much charge you have remaining, both in percentage and time.

Does it do the job?

With the option of both wired and wireless charging, and the support of the Qi2 standard we desperately want to see on more phones — the Pixel 9 Pro XL missed out on it, as did the Moto Razr 50 Ultra and Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra, but for some reason the HMD Skyline has it — Anker’s MagGo charging pack is useful not just because it’s a good size for travelling, but because it’s an example of forward thinking.

Armed with Qi2 and MagSafe support, the MagGo Power Bank is ready for wireless charging on future phones, and that’s great. It can also wirelessly charge older models, but you’ll miss out on the magnetic hold rendering that kickstand useless.

With MagSafe and Qi2, however, the MagGo is a clever addition to the travel pack of any mobile owner.

When your phone is running down its charge, you simply need to slap it on or plug it in, and it will charge right back up. Recharging is just as easy: plug the MagGo power bank into a USB-C port from a wall, and it should charge up again.

You can even charge two devices at once, handy if you have a pair of AirPods you want to charge up alongside your iPhone.

Alternatively, anyone with the older form of Qi wireless charging sans-magnets can simply leave their phone on top of the power bank, and it’ll charge up wirelessly, too.

What does it need?

What it might need is a way to charge the power bank using MagSafe/Qi2, though this is a common issue on wireless charging banks.

You can’t just plonk wireless charging banks onto a MagSafe charger to recharge them, but rather need to plug them in. The wireless charging panel only goes in one direction, compared to the USB-C port on the side, which works for charging other devices and recharging the power bank.

It’s such a minor niggle, and the sort of thing that won’t really make a dent on whether you consider the Anker MagGo or not. Every other portable wireless charger has the same issue, so it’s such a pointless thing, it barely warrants a nudge.

Is it worth your money?

The only other issue is cost. At $150 in Australia, the 10K MagGo Power Bank isn’t an inexpensive charger for phones, but it also does come with a wireless connection and a stand.

That might be worth the premium. However, the premium is also around $100 higher without MagSafe and without the stand.

These days, a 10K power pack typically costs around the $50-60 mark. Options with a wireless charger typically cost a little more, but as an example, Belkin’s 10K BoostUp MagSafe wireless charger can be found for around $80 at the moment, while the 10K Anker MagGo is nearly twice that much.

To Anker’s credit, the difference is support for Qi2, a small screen, and a stand. We’re just not sure that an increase of nearly double is necessarily worth those features. As it is, you can find a smaller 5K power bank from Belkin with a stand for much less.

Yay or nay?

The price may well be a little higher, but the Anker MagGo 10K Power Bank does have one thing on its peers: a little more convenience in our increasingly wireless world. There’s a screen, a stand, and a solid charge.

Support for MagSafe and Qi2 alike makes this charger a winner for the phones hopefully arriving in 2024 and beyond, while the stand makes it power you can lean on. Recommended.