Anker MagGo 10,000mAh Slim Power Bank review: A portable powerhouse

Oct 27, 2024

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Anker is known for its charging-focused mobile accessories, from wireless charging stands to power adapters. Still, it's probably power banks where the company first really made a name for itself. In a sea of similarly styled offerings, Anker stands out as a notable and trustworthy marque in the space. Earlier this year, the company launched its next-generation MagGo 2.0 charging products, including the new Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K, Slim).

The throughline with Anker's charging-capable MagGo 2.0 lineup is its support for the latest Qi2 wireless charging standard. Based on Apple's MagSafe, Qi2 promises magnetic alignment and attachment and a peak wireless charging output of 15W. But does the Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K, Slim)'s revised form and reworked construction make it the most dependable Qi2-capable power bank yet? And is it worthy of a place on our shortlist of the best power banks?

The Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K, Slim) is the company's sleekest 10,000mAh entry to date, offering the same Qi2 wireless convenience as the previous model in a form that's 25% slimmer. Faster 30W wired charging doesn't hurt either.

Anker announced its first wave of MagGo 2.0 products on September 5, 2024. Two entries in the lineup were 10,000mAh capacity power banks; one centered around the Apple Watch and the 10K, Slim (featured here), designed to serve smartphones.

The Slim clocks in at $75, making this new entry $15 cheaper than Anker's previous 10K Qi2-enabled power bank. And that's before the (frequent) sales the brand seems to run.

Anker sells the MagGo Power Bank (10K, Slim) in four finishes: Aurora White (pictured in this review), Black Stone, Pink Aura and Teal Oasis.

The whole run of MagGo 2.0 accessories shares a clean minimalist aesthetic that seems to take cues from natural materials, like stone. The matte finish on the Slim's rounded top may technically be hewn from 75% post-consumer recycled plastic, but the texture and the way the light hits it resembles the qualities of fine marble.

This particular power bank's edge is also accented by a continuous metal band, which adds strength to the construction and a premium touch, courtesy of its cool feel and polished chamfered edges, which catch the light at certain angles. Anker has dressed the flat wireless charging surface with a silicone layer that adds additional grip, making it easier to retrieve from a pocket or bag, while also helping it adhere to the back of your phone, working in tandem with the integrated magnets.

Despite the company already offering a Qi2-compliant 10,000mAh capacity power bank, the Slim's magic is its comparatively wafer-thin profile. The previous MagGo offering clocked in at 0.78 inches (19.8mm) thick, while this new variant offers the same sizable battery while measuring just over 25% thinner (0.58 inches or 14.7 mm). So, the device is far more pocketable and less intrusive in the hand while using your phone. It is, in fact, Anker's thinnest 10,000mAh power bank to date.

Qi2 support guarantees a maximum output of 15W when charging wirelessly. But it also means, despite the similarities to MagSafe, this open standard offers broader support for the technology's speed and magnetic attachment. Right now, options are slim beyond iPhones; the HMD Skyline is the only other smartphone with Qi2 compatibility at the time of writing, though the Slim will work with other Android phones through MagSafe-compatible cases.

Repairability and Qi2 help the Skyline shine

In terms of juice, mileage will vary based on your device's capacity and temperature. (Anker's ActiveShield 2.0 tech actually monitors the operating temperature inside the Slim to maintain safe charging behavior.) But the company quotes just over 1.8 complete recharges of an iPhone 15 Pro (which itself sports a 3,274mAh battery).

As for speed, I was able to recharge my 15 Pro to 38% after 30 minutes, and it hit 50% in less than 40, while the HMD Skyline I called in for this review (with its larger 4,600mAh capacity battery) hit 31% after 30 minutes and 50% after 55 minutes.

The bump up to 30W wired charging in and out (the non-slim model tops out at 20W) is one major charging advantage the Slim lords over its predecessor. Provided you have a PD-compliant charger that outputs at least 30W, you can refill your device doubly fast (compared to the wireless charging output), and get more longevity from the power bank, too, as less of its 10,000mAh capacity gets lost as heat. Recharging my iPhone 15 Pro via a wired connection at its peak 27W speed meant it hit 51% charge after 30 minutes.

Refilling the Slim itself is also quicker, with the power bank refilling pretty consistently at a rate of 25% every 30 minutes. In testing, a full recharge took a sliver over two hours (half an hour faster than Anker quotes within its official figures). And if you're curious, you can also refill the Slim with a wired connection while simultaneously wirelessly charging your device.

Trimming the fat to grant the Slim its namesake and new, more svelte, silhouette does come with some additional compromises, compared to Anker's previous 10,000mAh MagGo power bank.

Perhaps the most frustrating change is the loss of an integrated kickstand. This wouldn't be so bad if you could stand your phone upright, but in the case of the iPhone 15 Pro, the charging pad's alignment with the MagSafe magnet array means the bottom of the Slim sits just below the base of the iPhone. As such, it just tips forward (screen-first) if left unsupported. The problem is even more pronounced on the HMD Skyline, whose Qi2 magnet array sits even lower on its back. As a result, you can only really set your phone down on the Slim face-up on a flat surface, assuming you still want to see the display.

I like that the Slim has a single button to enable/disable its Instant Connect feature (with a five-second press) or charging (with a two-second press). But even though a single press reveals the power bank's remaining charge, it's only conveyed using four LEDs, each denoting 25% of the battery's total capacity. Despite being functionally fine, after seeing the in-depth insights the previous model offered, with its colorful integrated Smart Display (charge percentage, remaining battery in hours/minutes, and time to recharge in hours/minutes), four LEDs, ironically, leave you comparatively in the dark.

The silicone fascia that provides grip in the hand and against the back of your device is a double-edged sword, as it also holds onto dirt and particulates all too easily. Set the Slim down on a dirty café table or throw it in your lint-lined jeans pocket, and you'll likely have to spend time wiping it clean before snapping it onto the back of your device.

In slimming down its existing 10,000mAh Qi2 power bank, it's obvious that Anker had to compromise with this new MagGo 2.0 version. But if you want the convenience and longevity of such a capacious wireless charging-capable power bank without additional bulk, the Slim is near the front of the pack right now.

Its design is stylish, with the available colorways seemingly intended to complement a range of tastes and fashions, while the balance of portability versus capacity is undeniable. It's a shame the kickstand had to go and silicone is such a dirt magnet, but those are shortcomings I can overlook.

It's clear what Anker had to cut from the MagGo Power Bank (10K, Slim) to serve up that same impressive capacity in such a compact form, but provided you're OK with the compromises, the convenience offered here is undeniable.

Keep all your tech topped up on the go with these power banks

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