Power banks have an awkward moment built in: the phone in one hand, the battery in the other and a cable swinging between the two while you try to answer a message. Magnetic batteries remove the cable from that picture by clinging to the back of the phone, and a compact one from Anker is discounted for Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days event, where Prime members can get the Anker 621 MagGo magnetic power bank for $28 instead of $42 (34% off). All five colors are included.
Snaps On, Charges Without a Cable
The 621 MagGo is built for iPhones with a magnetic back, and the listing names every series from the iPhone 12 to the iPhone 16. Bring the battery near the phone and it aligns itself with a click, then starts charging wirelessly. Anker stresses that the magnets are strong enough for the phone to be used with one hand while the battery is attached, for a call or a photo. Proper alignment also solves a classic complaint about wireless charging pads, where a phone nudged half an inch off center stops charging without telling anyone.
Size is what distinguishes this model from older magnetic packs. It measures 4.13 by 2.62 inches, a little larger than a credit card, and is 0.45 inches thick for a weight of 4.41 ounces. Anker credits a design it calls MiniCell, which reaches the same performance with fewer components. In practice, the phone with the battery attached still slides into a jacket pocket, which was not true of the bricks people carried a few years ago.
Capacity is 5,000mAh, and it is worth being realistic about what that means. Wireless charging loses part of the energy as heat, so I’d count on a little under one full charge for a recent iPhone. That is the right amount for a long day out, a concert that runs late or a flight with a dead seat outlet, and too little for a weekend away from any plug. Anker also notes that the pack can warm to between 98 and 118°F in a room at 77°F, which it describes as normal and within safety standards.
In the box, Anker supplies a 23.6-inch USB-C to USB-C cable along with the battery, and covers the product with a 24-month warranty. The listing does not state the charging power, and magnetic packs of this size are generally slower than a cable, so this is a way to keep a phone alive through the day more than a way to refill it in a hurry. For that purpose, the convenience is hard to beat: there is nothing to plug in, and nothing to untangle at the bottom of a bag.