ECOFLOW RAPID MAGNETIC POWER BANK: RAPID BY NAME, RAPID BY NATURE

Magnetic wireless charging—whether MagSafe or compatible Qi2—has revolutionized iPhone charging and created an exciting market in portable power banks.

- BY SIMON JARY

Simply magnetically clamp a compact battery pack to the back of your iPhone and slip it back in your pocket as it recharges, or start using it straight away.

15W Apple-certified MagSafe or Qi2 made wireless charging relatively speedy, and cheaper power banks could chug along at a decent 7.5W pace if they are only MagSafe compatible. All iPhones post the 2020 iPhone 12 (with the strange exceptions of the SE and 16e) include the necessary magnets to work with the magnetic accessories.

Recently, magnetic power banks—such as the Anker Zolo 10K Magnetic Power Bank (fave.co/3XnzfsK) and Baseus Nomos Magnetic Power Bank Qi2 (fave.co/3SfLvsh) have upped the game by including an integrated USB-C cable that means you can still attach the power bank to the phone but connect with the cable for a charging speed of up to 30W.

Wired charging is always faster than wireless as less energy is wasted with a direct connection, so having a power bank that has both wireless and wired charging offers the best of both worlds. Both the Anker Zolo and Baseus Nomos can cable-charge an iPhone at 30W, with the Nomos fastest at recharging: 15W (Qi2) versus Anker’s 7.5W (MagSafe compatible).

The Anker did, however, perform better in our recharging tests, scoring 190%: It fully recharged an iPhone 16 Pro once and then again to 90%, so it performed nearly two full refills of the iPhone battery. The Baseus managed a still respectable 166% in our tests.

The decision between the two high-capacity 10000mAh (10K) power banks boils down to a higher recharge return with the Anker versus a speedier but slightly lower return with the Baseus.

The latest magnetic power bank in the Macworld Labs, however, might steal the show from both. Enter the EcoFlow Rapid 10000mAh Magnetic Power Bank.

FAST AND FULL OF POWER