Ugreen Magnetic Battery Mini Review: The Best Power Bank Alternative To Anker
Assuming you have one of the latest generations of iPhone devices and you know the term "Magsafe," you've likely just stumbled upon the best massive power bank on the market today. The full name of this device is "Ugreen Foldable Kickstand Magnetic Battery | 10000mAh" but we're going to call it the Ugreen magnetic battery for the duration of this mini review. This device works with any Magsafe-toting iPhone, but it also works with effectively any other Qi-standard wireless charging device just as well. It also has USB ports so you can charge multiple devices at once. One way or another, this device can (most likely) charge whatever mobile smart device you have onhand.
The battery also has a kickstand so your device can sit upright or landscape-style while you charge — just so long as your phone can connect to the battery courtesy of its built-in magnet ring. Ugreen provided a Foldable KickStand Magnetic Battery for the purposes of this mini review.
Power Capacity and Charge
The Ugreen magnetic battery we have here has a battery capacity of 10,000mAh. That's more than twice the capacity of the battery in the iPhone 15 Pro Max. You could feasibly recharge your iPhone 15 Pro Max from empty to full twice before you'd need to recharge this Ugreen magnetic battery again.
To operate the battery, you'll need to charge using a USB-C cord with a max 20W power input — it takes about an hour and a half to charge this battery from empty to full (assuming you're doing so with a 20W charger). Power output (from the battery to your phone) is 15W wirelessly, 20W via the USB-C port, and 22.5W via the USB-A port.
This battery can charge three devices at once if you're ever in a situation as strange as that. So long as one of the devices charges wirelessly, one uses a USB-C cord (on one end, at least), and you're charging the third device with a cord with USB-A on the battery side, you'll be ready to roll. As far as we've been able to tell, charging multiple devices at once does not slow the charge speed of any one of the three output points.
Fashionable Carry
The battery isn't light. It probably weighs more than whatever smartphone you're using right now. But it is sleek, and designed to look simple and not draw any attention away from the device to which it is magnetically connected. The body of the charger is a dark gray that compliments the color of Apple's latest round of iPhone devices — Ugreen calls it "Space Grey."
This device has LED lighting showing the status of the battery — zero lights means no power is left to share. The size and shape of this battery are such that you'll be able to continue using your iPhone's back-facing camera while you charge, too. Any wireless charging you're doing should be done without a smartphone case or with a case that has a magnetic ring of its own — it'll have the word Magsafe on its box if it's officially licensed with Apple.
The style of the Ugreen battery has a very close design cousin on the market now, too. The industrial design — for the most part — is extremely similar to a device offered by Anker. The "Anker 633 Magnetic Battery" (as found on Amazon) has the same power capacity (10,000 mAh) but has just one power port (USB-C) along with its Qi-standard wireless charging pad — and a slightly different kickstand. That device is generally available for around $70 but can be found on sale for approximately $54.99 at the time this article is set to be published.
Kickstand and verdict
The kickstand works well — it kicks out relatively easily and is exactly the right level of rigid while it's holding the weight of your phone. While it's possible that the kickstand could snap if too much pressure were put on it, it does not show any signs of being too fragile to withstand everyday average falls to the ground from your pocket.
If you have one of the most recent several generations of iPhone with Magsafe onboard, you can also turn your device sideways and have it sit in landscape mode while the battery sits portrait style with its kickstand out and the phone continues to charge. You can also have the iPhone connected to the charger with the kickstand out and both devices sit landscape style — it's surprisingly versatile.
The Ugreen Foldable Kickstand Magnetic Battery (10000mAh) is a $70 piece of hardware you can find on Ugreen's store on Amazon. If you're looking for a couple of extra full charges for your high-end smartphone, both wirelessly and relatively effortlessly, this is a fine buy. It'll get the job done with great efficiency and decent style.