Who Makes the Best MagSafe Power Bank?

"To size up these MagSafe power banks, I used an iPhone 16 Pro Max as my test device and rotated through each battery pack over the course of two weeks. For every charger, I logged the iPhone's battery percentage at regular intervals while it was attached, then used those data points to calculate an average wireless charging speed (percentage gained per hour)."

"Because capacity changes what "good performance" looks like, I evaluated 5,000 mAh and 10,000 mAh models differently. A 5,000 mAh MagSafe power bank is typically meant for quick top-ups (and won't usually take a Pro Max to 100 percent), while 10,000 mAh models are the better fit if you want a complete recharge on larger iPhones."

"Performance numbers weren't the only deciding factor. While testing, I paid attention to whether the power bank stayed stable on the phone, whether it ran warm enough to trigger iPhone cooling pauses, how easy it was to toss into a bag, and whether the design gave you helpful quality-of-life features."

Six MagSafe power banks were evaluated using an iPhone 16 Pro Max over two weeks to assess performance and usability. Testing measured wireless charging speed by tracking battery percentage gains per hour and total time to full charge. The Belkin 10,000 mAh model was excluded due to thermal throttling issues during wireless charging. Evaluation criteria included charging stability on the device, heat management, portability, and design features such as kickstands, built-in cables, USB-C ports, and battery displays. Performance metrics were contextualized by capacity, with 5,000 mAh models assessed for quick top-ups and 10,000 mAh models for complete recharges on larger phones.

Read at Esquire