Summary
- OnePlus has released a new slimline external battery bank accessory.
- The Slim Magnetic Power Bank is USB-C and MagSafe compatible, and offers a 5,000mAh battery capacity.
- OnePlus has done an excellent job of fitting the battery into a slim, sleek, and premium metallic casing — I just wish it came in red.
Last summer, I crossed the pond to explore one of my top bucket-list
travel
destinations: the island of Great Britain. My experience was marked by action-packed days of sightseeing, photography, pub crawling, and…low battery life warnings.
You see, I made a critical error
before setting off on vacation
: I didn’t invest in a portable battery bank. Unfortunately, power outlets aren’t exactly plentiful while in the midst of a hike to the top of Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh, and my
iPhone 15 Pro’s
battery simply couldn’t keep up with the power drain of constant photo snapping and GPS usage.
Related
OnePlus’ latest product is a slim-line portable battery bank
OnePlus’ latest product, the Slim Magnetic Power Bank, is a 5,000mAh external battery pack that provides MagSafe compatibility out of the box.
The moment I returned from my trip, I immediately began to research portable battery bank options. There are a ton of
excellent solutions on the market
— including from popular companies like Anker, Ugreen, and Baseus. When I heard that OnePlus — the popular Android smartphone maker — was releasing
a MagSafe-compatible external power pack of its own
, I was immediately intrigued.
After getting my hands on the OnePlus Slim Magnetic Power Bank 5000mAh and using it for some time, I can safely say that the company has crafted the perfect battery bank not only for Android users, but also for iPhone loyalists.
OnePlus Slim Magnetic Power Bank 5000mAh
OnePlus’ Slim Magnetic Power Bank is a MagSafe and USB-C compatible external battery with a sleek design, an aluminum build, and an LED power status display.
OnePlus’ new accessory is worthy of consideration – including if you’re an iPhone user
Many of the best external power banks are quite bulky, owing to the spacious 10,000 or 20,000mAh battery capacities fitted into them. This has the obvious upside of providing extra juice while on the go, but it comes at the expense of an uncomfortable in-hand feel and reduced portability. Personally, I’ve always been a fan of Apple’s strategy in its now-defunct
MagSafe Battery Pack accessory
for iPhone: offer a battery that can top up a phone from zero to one hundred, but make it small enough to comfortably use while traveling.
OnePlus has opted to go precisely in this direction with its new Slim Magnetic Power Bank, which offers a 5,000mAh battery capacity in a thin-and-light package. In many ways, the OnePlus feels like a spiritual successor to Apple’s discontinued battery pack, only better: it maintains the attributes of a slim design, magnetic MagSafe compatibility, and an understated aesthetic that made Apple’s accessory so compelling, but with the addition of USB-C as opposed to the outdated (and proprietary) Lightning port.
The external chassis of OnePlus’ power bank is undeniably premium, as it’s machined entirely out of aluminum. The unit measures in at a shocking 0.35-inches (8.8mm) thick, and weighs in at a mass of 4.23oz (120g), making for a package that can be effortlessly slipped into a pant pocket, handbag, purse, or backpack.
I also found the magnetic connection itself to be reasonably solid.
The unit’s single USB-C port is side-mounted, and it offers an input of 12W and an output of 10W. These speeds aren’t the fastest in the world, but they’re enough to keep a phone juicing up while out and about. The magnetic wireless charging, meanwhile, maxes out at 10W for Android phones, and 7.5W for iPhones. While the ring of magnets makes it compatible with MagSafe iPhones (and indeed, the OnePlus 13 with its first-party magnetic case accessory), the lack of
Qi2
support is disappointing. Qi2 would’ve unlocked speedier 15W charging across both compatible iPhone and Android products.
I was initially worried that the unit’s metal backplate would scratch the rear glass panel of my iPhone 15 Pro — most other
MagSafe-style accessories
use a silicon or soft-padded finish to dampen the magnetic connection. In practice, this isn’t an issue in the slightest — aluminum is softer than tempered glass, and thus won’t scratch a phone under normal usage. I also found the magnetic connection itself to be reasonably solid, and so I wasn’t worried about the battery sliding around and creating unnecessary friction.
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Beyond Qi2, the only thing that’s missing is a red colorway
OnePlus missed the opportunity to offer its new accessory in signature red
All in all, the OnePlus Slim Magnetic Power Bank 5,000mAh is an excellent solution for topping up while away from home. Ironically, with the current
lack of Qi2 magnets built directly into Android
smartphones, OnePlus’ new accessory works more seamlessly with an iPhone than, say, a
OnePlus 13
without its additional magnetic case.
Charging speeds could be faster, but it’d have been more than sufficient for when I was at eight percent battery life near the top of Arthur’s Seat. The biggest complaint I have with what OnePlus has crafted is entirely cosmetic: there’s no red option. The product is only available for purchase in a single silver grey colorway, which is a bit on the dull side in my opinion. OnePlus’ signature brand color is bright red, and the company missed the perfect opportunity to make its new battery pack visually striking.
For my money, however, the premum metal build and shockingly slim design of the OnePlus is the way to go.
For $70, the OnePlus Slim Magnetic Power Bank isn’t cheap. There are a ton of other options out there, many of which are more affordable and provide additional features like a kickstand and a dedicated LED display. For my money, however, the premum metal build and shockingly slim design of the OnePlus is the way to go — it’ll be one of the first items I pack into my travel bag when it’s time to cross the pond once more. If you’re still holding on to an Apple MagSafe Battery Pack from 2021, then OnePlus’ new power bank is compelling enough to serve as an honorary second-generation product, just without the fruit logo in tow.
This device was provided to Pocket-lint by OnePlus.
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