Magnetic power banks

Qi2 is the Wireless Power Consortium’s standard built on Apple’s MagSafe magnet layout, with a Magnetic Power Profile of 15 W. Qi2.2, marketed as “Qi2 25W”, raises that to 25 W from mid-2025. “MagSafe compatible” without a Qi2 logo usually means plain Qi at 7.5 W plus magnets. The WPC logo marks a certified product; “Qi2-compatible” is a marketing phrase.

Most magnetic banks also have a USB-C port at 20–30 W. The cable is faster and wastes less: Qi2 at 15 W behaves like a 12–15 W wired charge with more heat; Qi2.2 at 25 W holds in the low 20s and tapers, close to a 30 W cable on the newest iPhones in user tests.

5,000 mAh (about 18.5 Wh) is one wireless charge of a modern phone; 10,000 mAh (37 Wh) is 1.5–2. Both are far under the 100 Wh airline line.

A slim 5,000 mAh bank is 100–130 g and under 13 mm; a 10,000 mAh magnetic bank is 220 g and up and doubles the phone’s thickness. The thin ones cost the most per Wh on the site: buyers pay for the form and the magnet, not the energy.

N52 magnet arrays are the common spec; holding through a case, in a pocket and in a crowd is what reviews test. A fold-out kickstand turns the bank into a stand for video. Strap versions exist for concerts.

iPhone 12 and later take 15 W from a Qi2 bank; which phones accept the full 25 W of Qi2.2 depends on the model and its software, and the phone maker’s page is the source. “Qi2 Ready” Android phones have no magnets of their own and need a magnetic case; plain Qi phones get 5–10 W and no magnetic hold.

Pass-through (charging the bank and the phone at once) is model-specific and not to be assumed. Some banks add a puck for an Apple Watch.

The newest 25 W banks add a small fan to hold speed; without one, both bank and phone throttle to 5–7.5 W once warm.

UL 2056 covers lithium-ion power banks; PSE is required in Japan. Several of the Anker models recalled by the US CPSC in 2025 were MagGo and MagSafe-type banks (A1642 and A1652 among them), so a serial check on the maker’s recall page matters here as elsewhere.