An excellent charger for iPhone 12

Apple has had some unfortunate missteps on the iPhone over the years –3D Touch and the U2 debacle are just a few that come to mind, but MagSafe is becoming one of the most useful upgrades the smartphone has seen it for a while. Apple’s new charging technology has made some really good third party accessories, As Anker’s new magnetic portable charger, Which one is so simple and convenient, it really should be included with every iPhone.

MagSafe may have been touted as a way to improve wireless charging, ensuring that an iPhone and charger are always perfectly aligned for optimal power transfer, but even Apple saw its potential as a better way to attach accessories to the smartphone, including wallets and magnetic cases.

Bloomberg even reported that anonymous sources claimed that Apple was working on a magnetic upgrade of its smart battery box, but it’s still notwhere to be seen. Now Anker has beaten Apple in the fist with its new PowerCore Magnetic 5K wireless charger, and as long as you don’t mind sacrificing the pocketcapacity of your iPhone 12, this is the perfect solution to battery anxiety.

Anker’s PowerCore Magnetic 5K is not the first portable wireless charger to hit the market. I saw again several already, including an from Satechi which can wirelessly charge an iPhone and an Apple Watch at the same time. The lack of wires is convenient, but portable wireless chargers are difficult to use on the go given the precision with which the charging coils must be aligned for charging to actually occur. They are also all kind of beefy, wherebecause Anker’s new solution is much smaller.

However, just because Anker’s PowerCore Magnetic 5K is the smallest portable wireless charger we’ve tested to date doesn’t mean it’s small. In reality, it adds quite a bit of trash to the iPhone 12’s trunk when attached, so don’t expect to effortlessly slip the two into a pocket while they’re magnetically embraced.

At one end of the PowerCore Magnetic 5K you will find a power button –The charger will not automatically start transferring power when connected to iPhone. You will also see a blue breathing LED indicating when a device is charging and a series of white LEDs indicating its remaining battery level. There is also a USB-C port which is used to charge the PowerCore Magnetic 5K itself (it cannot be charged wirelessly) and used to charge other devices via a cable connection.

You can also wirelessly charge iPhones and non-MagSafe devices using the PowerCore Magnetic 5K, so Anker has included an illustration on the underside showing exactly where its induction coil is for proper alignment.

That being said, while testing has found officially certified MagSafe charging accessories to exceed around 15W wireless power transfer, Anker’s unofficial accessory (you won’t find the term MagSafe mentioned anywhere on the Anker website) delivers only 5W of power, which means it’s much slower. So if you’re not hitting it on the back of an iPhone 12 model, you’re probably better off charging other devices with a USB-C cable.

Another thing I discovered when testing MagSafe accessories is that the magnetic connection on the back of iPhones 12 (I am using an iPhone 12 Pro) is not that strong. It’s sturdy enough to stay aligned with a loader, but I’m less convinced that it’s sturdy enough to keep heavier accessories from falling when both are carried. For a stronger connection, I recommend pairing Anker’s PowerCore Magnetic 5K with a MagSafe compatible case like the one from Moment. Slim case for iPhone 12 or nomad Rugged Folio MagSafe Case, for more peace of mind.

If you’re not an iPhone 12 user, you can probably skip the PowerCore Magnetic 5K. Anker has cheaper compact portable chargers which boast of much more capacity. If you’re using one of Apple’s latest and greatest iPhones, for $ 40 the PowerCore Magnetic 5K is a simple accessory. Even though Apple is releasing its own slimmer MagSafe charging solution that offers faster charging times and a slimmer design, it will undoubtedly be much more expensive than what Anker is already available.