The Tabinistas
Anker 5,000mAH
w/MagGo
Power Bank
Review
Power Bank 1.2? MagGo is the Future. Your normal Power Bank that attaches to phone's back magnet and charges via Qi? A ridiculous combination that provides incredible convenience.
Find out if it's hype is real.
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Quick Breakdown
8/10
The outer shell is smooth, all of the plugs are on one side, it's got built-in fireproof exterior. It's got average pull strength that won't remove with out a little bit of force.
10/10
This guy measures out at 3in x 4in x .045 in, for reference an iPhone Pro Max is
3in x 6in x 0.5in. That means is guy is 1/4 of a iPhone Pro Max. It weighs in at 5oz, making it the lightest Power Bank we've tested. It takes up nearly no extra weight or pocket space.
8/10
Being able to charge on the fly with no cords is beyond fabulous. We wish that Qi Charging was faster but 7.5w is better than your standard wall charge. This is definitely meant for one person as the effective capacity is 3250mAH.
9/10
Given it's size and capacity, this little life saver is great for just cruising. If you're constantly on your device you might have just over 4.5 hours of use. When we say constant use, we mean cord free use of your device, just snap on and go.
8/10
Priced higher than most batteries in it's size but this was a reasonable purchase considering it snaps right to the back of your phone and can give it a full charge.
8/10
Sporting a more minimalist style, this guy gets points for minimalistic indicators and design. While not a rugged box or uniquely built with LED menus, it's simple making it ideal for every situation.
In-Depth Review
First Impressions
After dealing with giant Power Banks traveling with the family it was a breath of fresh air being able to try out this battery. This is like having your own personal sized pizza all to yourself. Of course you can share it but with a 5000mAH capacity there's no reason to. 5000mAH is perfect for one full charge on a newer iPhone. Then, you add on the MagGo (MagSafe 3) tech to it? Chef's Kiss for sure.
This guy is tiny. We have some generic ones that are roughly the same size but to be honest I got excited that I wouldn't need to carry extra cords unnecessarily. I have had similar accessories in the past, one made by Pelican, the Waterproof Hard Case people and to be fair this was a generation 1 MagSafe so you can imagine my exitement to finally grab another MagSafe Power Bank.
Build Quality
Being this small we'd figure they would skimp on the materials but this is a pretty solid piece of equipment. The only draw back from being so tiny is there's not a lot of places for the heat to escape so, it does get pretty warmt o the touch when in use. I'd imagine it would get hotter if not for the internal temperature control monitor but still it's a little uncomfortable to the touch. It does get worse when your phone is hot as well, a common issue with the glass-back or aluminum iPhones.
We got the standard black model but it does come in other colors and from what we've seen the textures do not change from color to color unlike other models. Black used to be more rubberized than the others, now it's a smooth dense plastic covering. The outer shell feels like a drop from more than a few feet might crakc open th case but with as powerful as the magnet is it's very doubtful it'll come off. I have no way of testing the magnetic strength of the MagGo but it does feel like it needs close to 2-3 pounds of pull strength. Overall this is a solid built product that we can easily recommend.
Utility
As versatile as this device can be it's definitely limited to one full charge. Recharge wise it still takes about 2-3hours to reach 5000mAH even with a 12w USB-C connection. That said being able to just snap it on and have it really stay there and not slip off makes this one of the most useful travel Power Banks. The Qi charger will supply your phone with power at a rate of 7.5w which is slightly better than the standard wall charger so under use you battery will remain roughly the same without change, you may end up with a slight increase of about 5-10% but ultimately it keeps your device alive.
No illusions, this is meant for a phone with MagSafe or similar magnetic attachments. The power input really only seems to work for much smaller devices, maybe a Pocket Wifi but it's nothing like the power houses like the Anker 20,000mAH fast chargers we've reviewed in the past. It's field of utility is narrow but highly effective. It's meant for a phone, it's meant to for on the go with a grip that will never let you down. It's shareable, it fits in your pocket without much of a profile increase and it'll put up with being shaken around in a bag.
Price
Priced at the higher end of other batteries in it's capacity at $49.99 (not on sale) you might be able to find one on sale for as low as $31.99. Usually Anker products do run a little higher than similar off brand products but this is particular Power Bank was a good price. Considering most Power Banks run at $20-25 for 5000mAH, you are getting quadruple the capacity and a secure connection to the back of your phone, a convenience for at most $15.00 more.
Portability
Probably the most portable Power Bank we've ever tested, it's the lightest and thinnest battery we've had. We've had the little cylinder ones that resemble lipstick or whatever but they are usually heavier than the MagGo 5000mAH. The flat profile adds to it's portability taking up less room than the cylinders even though they might be similar volumes. The profile makes a difference when stuffing your pockets or slings like the Alpaka Bravo Mini v2.
One of nicest benefits of using this guy around town or on a day trip is that it can magnetically attach to your phone and charge without a cord. You might carry a charger around for peace of mind but you will seriously not need it with this model. After carrying around batteries weighing over a pound like the OHOVIV 50,000mAH, being able to recharge your device up to a full charge without extra weight or cords makes this feel like you've stepped into true luxury.
Convenience
You might think that tiny guys will always score higher on the convenience round-up but really it's a combination of Utility and Portability. While you could combine the three categories, it does go to say that how you can find yourself using the accessory and if it makes your trips easier comes as it's own separate factor. This little guy scored well and gained our attention because we could carry it and another Power Bank if we wanted to. It's impact is so light that you could just keep it attached to your phone and turn it on when you wanted.
Since it's footprint in your loadout will be so small, not noticing it and having it provide you potential of a nearly full battery's charge on a iPhone Pro Max is why this fella has won over our hearts. If it didn't get so hot then it might have made the full score but that's the nature of energy. We've had other batteries that don't get as warm but none that can attach to the bag of our phones with a magnet powerful enough to be pulled in and out of our jean pockets, bags and slings and never come apart.
Style
We bought the black and it comes in white as well colors to match every style. I liked that it had many different colors, that could match any style and look super clean. The battery itself isn't much to look at compared to some out there. You can always add a sticker to the Anker if you really want, it might be fun to have a Dragon Ball character on it or something or cover it in a collage of stickers to match your personality. Overall, this is meant for function over form.
The
Verdict
This is what you came for, Is this accessory worth it?
Well, YES. It does get hot and this is really a downer for some people. If you never ending power this isn't it. This is the pinch hitter, this is the 9th inning and you need a solid win. Even with the smaller than most capacity we feel that we can use this for any day, and situation. For traveling, maybe you want to carry multiple banks or have people with the same battery in your party you'd have more power to share, if you can share it. Like I said earlier, it's field of use is narrow but highly useful and effective where it is utilized.
Score Summary
9/10
Equipped with MagGo, Qi charging at 7.5w, it's slim profile and weighing in at only 5 ounces, this bantam weight champion deserves a spot in your gear loadout.
Our Opinion
Few devices surprise us like this one did. I found myself reaching for this battery first and rarely changing my mind on bringing it along. I saw a lot of people with cords dangling from their pockets bags and even their hands, so I thought there had to be a better solution. This is the answer. It does feel good waiting in line at a theme park and know that I don't have to putz around with fitting a cord back in my bag to buckle up. Also, when someone asks me for a charge I can just pull it off my phone and pass it along.
For traveling this product is very satisfying to carry, use and pack, or the lack there of. It reminds me of the older Morphie iPhone Cases that had a battery built into it but this is so much better because you can remove it. For me this is just a no brain-er buy even though it does cost more than most, the magnetic hold, the output and the profile make this a must have in my inventory of goodies.
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