It takes something bit unique to stand out in the world of power banks. Most power banks are just rectangular slabs of batteries that you either plug your phone into or attach to your device for wireless charging. So how do you innovate? Well, if you are Anker then you flip the script, quite literally, with a flip-open clamshell power bank.
Part of Anker’s new MagGo range, this power bank has a capacity of 6600mAh and is capable of charging Apple MagSafe-enabled devices at speeds of up to 15W wirelessly, which is the fastest wireless charging speed yet for an Apple device. But most interesting of all, is the design, a two-part clamshell laptop with a flexible hinge for positioning your phone for optimal viewing. The design is unusual, but does the innovation pay off or is the more traditional power bank still best?
Anker MagGo 6.6K: Specifications
Anker MagGo 6.6K: Price
The Anker MagGo Power Bank (6.6K) costs $69.99 / £69.99 at launch, which is quite pricey for its capacity when compared to other wireless and wired power banks. Anker themselves make 20,000mAh wired power banks for around the same price. The extra cost is clearly for the new 15W MagSafe compatibility, so if you think this is worth paying for depends on how much you will get out of this method of charging.
Anker MagGo 6.6K: Design & Handling
Hats off to Anker for trying new things, and as far as I am aware this is the first clamshell-style power bank of its kind on the market, but I have to admit, it's a design I personally don’t really understand. The biggest draw of the design is that you can position the top part of the power bank at any angle and hinges will hold it in place, and while this works very well, the angles you can actually use aren’t all that useful.
The stand can be positioned between 30º and 65º, although I found that anything except 65º just wasn’t really an angle I could use comfortably. I am rarely in a position where I am looking down at my phone for long periods. The only situation I can think of in my life is occasionally I stand at my desk.
Due to the split-hinged design, the power bank is also quite thick, so much so that it is larger than power banks that have a much greater power capacity. The MagGo 6.6K bank is several millimeters thicker than the 10K MagGo power bank from Anker or the Nexode 10K MagSafe power bank from Ugreen. The MagGo 6.6K power bank is also considerably heavier than these other power banks. When folded and held on the back of my iPhone it was really cumbersome to grip. I just think you really have to value this design if you are happy to make these trade-offs.
On the plus side, the MagSafe is really strong, and I had no issue dropping my iPhone 15 Pro Max into place and staying put. Due to that extra weight too the MagGo power bank stayed solid on my desk and didn’t tip forwards, even with the largest and heaviest of the iPhones stuck to the front.
Anker MagGo 6.6K: Performance
The performance speed on the iPhone 15 Pro Max was good. It managed to charge the phone in around two and half hours from nearly empty to full, completing the first 50% of charging in around one hour. The heat from the wireless charger was acceptable, being just warm to the touch after a full charge.
These are good times for wireless charging, although even with the new MagSafe 15W charging standard, it still pales in comparison to USB-C charging speeds. In fact, you can achieve 20W charging speeds by plugging your phone into the power bank via a USB-C cable.
The MagGo power bank however was totally drained of juice on one recharge of the 4,422mAh iPhone 15 Pro Max, smaller iPhones with smaller batteries and without large power-hungry screens might fare better, with the iPhone 15 having a battery capacity of 3,274mAh.
To be fair to Anker, they don’t claim more than one recharge in their marketing, but for what is quite a physically large power bank, just one full charge is a little disappointing. Other wireless 5K power banks I have tested have also achieved just one full charge before being flat out but at a considerably smaller size.
Anker MagGo 6.6K: Verdict
I have to admit that I am not sold on the design of the Anker MagGo 6.6K Power Bank. It is too big, bulky, and heavy, forgivable traits if the clamshell folding design was incredibly useful, but instead, I found it no more valuable than any power banks currently on the market with a flick-out stand in the back.
The unusual design also means that this big power bank has a mediocre 6.6K capacity. Performance-wise however the power bank was quick to charge my iPhone 15 Pro, although it was drained in just one charge, which was disappointing for the size of the power bank.
There are just a lot of smaller options, with bigger capacities that provide the same level of convenience as this MagGo power bank. But if you are really sold on the clamshell design then don’t let me stop you, but in my opinion, you can do much better.
