With iPhone Air, Apple reintroduced the MagSafe battery pack. It’s $99, and optimized specifically for iPhone Air. It’s rather slim, though it’s rather weak in capacity – making Qi2 alternatives all the more interesting. We’ll be delving into the top options on the market, just in case you want a MagSafe battery for your iPhone without spending $99, or aren’t buying the iPhone Air.
Since Apple opened up the MagSafe standard as Qi2 last year, third parties have been able to make MagSafe chargers with support for 15W of charging. Prior to that, third parties only offered 7.5W with the initial Qi standard.
Another interesting fact: Apple’s iPhone Air MagSafe battery only supports up to 12W of charging, despite the iPhone Air supporting up to 20W of charging with MagSafe. That actually means third-party options are stronger in the charging speed department. We’ll be delving into those.
Anker
First things first is the Anker Nano Power Bank. This one is the mid-range option on the list, but it comes first because I’ve had tons of hands on time with it and can speak with first-hand experience with how thin it is, as well as how premium it feels. The form factor is rather remarkable, and likely serves as the closest alternative to Apple’s MagSafe battery. Read my full review here.
It charges your devices at 15W thanks to Qi2, offers 5000mAh of capacity, and runs cooler than the competition. Normally $54.99, it’s available for just $45.99 with today’s sale. You can pick one up in black or white.
Baseus
While I haven’t personally spent time with this battery bank, I have spent enough time with other Baseus products to know that this will likely be a good option. It’s the cheapest option on this list, coming in at just $22.99 currently. It’s similarly thin to the Anker one, while offering 5000mAh of capacity.
Main caveat here is the fact that this doesn’t support Qi2, so you’ll be limited to 7.5W of charging speed. That could be rather annoying if you’re trying to recharge your phone in a pinch, though you can also use a USB-C cable for 20W of wired charging if it truly comes down to it. It comes in four colors: Cosmic Black, Rose Pink, Natural Titanium, and Space Gray.
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