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The best MagSafe power banks for your iPhone

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Whether you were won over by the cameras on the new iPhone 17 or you’re sticking it out with your iPhone 12, having a little extra power around is never a bad thing. The best MagSafe power bank is one that attaches firmly, charges quickly and blends in with your handset — or better yet, adds a handy stand to the mix. Right now, the fastest wireless portable chargers are Qi2 25W-certified, but so far there are only a few of those on the market (and we have our favorite). But speed isn’t everything, looks, features and price factor in as well. We’ve tested more than a dozen portable chargers to help you find the best MagSafe battery you can buy.

Choose the right capacity. Most portable MagSafe chargers have either a 5,000 milliamp hour (mAh) or 10,000mAh capacity. Obviously, the larger capacity batteries are physically bigger, but thanks to an iPhone’s magnetic attachment points, you can still use the phone comfortably as it charges. If you’re worried about overall bulk, you may prefer the slimness of a 5,000mAh battery.

Just note that a 5K battery pack won’t deliver its entire capacity to your phone due to energy loss from voltage conversion and heat dissipation. Over the years, I’ve measured around a 60-percent delivery rate for wireless banks. For example, that means an iPhone 16 with its 3,561mAh battery will get about 85 to 90 percentage points from a 5K battery. A 10K bank will charge that same phone fully once, with enough for a 50- to 60-percent boost next time.

Understand MagSafe versus Qi2. All iPhones model 12 and later have MagSafe technology, which rely on embedded magnets to align the phone with a wireless charger and can support charging speeds of up to 15 watts. The MagSafe name is owned by Apple — third-party chargers can’t freely use the term and instead call their accessories “magnetic,” or apply a branded name like Anker’s MagGo or UGreen’s MagFlow. Be sure to check the product details before buying: anything that works with Apple’s technology will be listed as MagSafe-compatible.

Qi2 is a standard from the Wireless Power Consortium (of which Apple is a member) and has the same stipulations as MagSafe (15W charging and magnetic alignment). Any company can submit their tech for this certification. iPhones 13 and later are Qi2 compatible.

The newest standard, Qi2 25W (also called Qi2.2), bumps wireless charging speeds up to 25W. The WPC says a certified smartphone using a certified charger can wirelessly go from dead to half full in about 30 minutes (keep in mind that both the charger and phone need to be certified to get those speeds) and that aligns with our testing. 

Accessories, like power banks that support the new standard are starting to hit shelves now. As for phones, Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL, Apple’s iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max all support the standard as well. iPhone 16 models (except the 16e) support the standard after an update to iOS 26.

Remember travel restrictions. You may have seen news reports of flights being grounded because a power bank caught fire in the cabin. Currently, the TSA allows them in your carry-on luggage as long as they’re rated at 100 watt-hours or lower (about 27,000mAh for lithium ion batteries).

But some airlines have enacted further restrictions. Southwest, for example, requires you to keep power banks out of the bag and visible while charging. Even if your airline doesn’t make such demands, keeping a power brick out in the open while it’s in use is a good idea — it’ll keep it cooler and you’ll be more likely to notice if it starts to overheat. Most, if not all, MagSafe battery packs come in at under the 100-watt-hour limit, so traveling should be easy with one.

Consider the extra features. You may not need them, but the little extra perks of a MagSafe power bank can come in handy. Some have stands so you can watch your phone while it refills. Some have LED displays that tell you how much charge is left, which can be a little more precise than the lighted pips other banks use. Some also have straps to make the bank easier to carry around or fish out of your bag.

When Apple introduced the iPhone Air, it announced the new $99 iPhone Air MagSafe Battery in the same breath. It’s now the sole Apple-branded MagSafe power bank — but it only works with the iPhone Air. It’s a pretty divisive battery. In his review of the new phone, Engadget’s Sam Rutherford appreciated that the accessory keeps with the sleekness of the iPhone Air design and liked that it can also charge the new AirPods 3 wirelessly. But Valentina Palladino called out its dismal price-to-capacity ratio.

Anker’s Nano MagGo Slim is probably a better bet for all but the most devoted iPhone user. It has the same minimalist look and pocketable thinness as Apple’s proprietary battery, but it’ll attach to other phones in addition to the Air. Plus it’s $35 cheaper.

Among the first results when I search for MagSafe power banks on Amazon is the Torras MiniMag power bank, so I thought I’d check it out. The max wireless charging output is 7.5 watts, but it was actually pretty speedy in refilling an iPhone 15, giving it a little less than 80 percentage points in about two hours. The battery itself recharges a bit slowly, and it’s a bit expensive at its full MSRP of $60, but it comes in pretty colors and if you can catch it on sale, it’s a decent choice.

The Mophie Powerstation Slim 5K, too, has a super slim design that nearly disappears into the back of the phone as it charges. It makes excellent use of its 5K capacity, delivering a 90 percent refill to an iPhone 15. But it’s a little more expensive than the our top slim pick, Anker’s Nano MagGo Slim, and the squared off design makes it feel bulkier than it actually is. Neither of those make it a bad choice; the MagSafe battery playing field is just terribly competitive right now.

Belkin’s BoostCharge Pro is Qi2-certified and was only a touch slower than other models in terms of charging speeds, boosting an iPhone 15 from 5 percent to full in about two and a half hours. The feel is premium and the stand is sturdy, but it got quite hot during charging, took overly long to refill itself and is pricer and a bit bulkier than similar models.

The Picogo 5K from Baseus is teensy but still packs a stand and a 5,000mAh capacity. It’s Qi2-certified and delivered a 43 percent bump to our tester iPhone 15 in 42 minutes, ultimately charging it to 91 percent. The slim slab of the Anker Nano battery is sleeker. But that one doesn’t have a stand — so if you want to prop up your phone while it charges, go for this one.

MagSafe is Apple’s own technology that supports up to 25W wireless charging speeds and incorporates embedded magnets to align the phone with chargers and other accessories.

iPhones 12 and later support 15W MagSafe technology, though only iPhones 13 and later can reach the 15W charging speed with third-party Qi2 accessories. The iPhone 12 maxes out at 7.5W with non-Apple accessories.

The new iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max support up to 25W charging speeds with Qi2 25W-certified chargers. iPhone 16, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max should also support those speeds after an update to iOS 26. The iPhone Air supports MagSafe charging at a max speed of 20W.

In most cases (heh), yes. The wireless charge can travel across a distance of a few millimeters. If the case is more than 5mm thick or contains metal components, the wireless charge can be blocked. Many iPhone cases are marketed as MagSafe-compatible, which means the case itself has complimentary magnets inside and should not interfere with charging accessories. We tested a MagSafe power bank on an iPhone 15 with and without a MagSafe case and got the same charging speeds and amounts in both tests.

That depends on the power bank. If it is Qi2-certified, it can provide up to 15 watts of wireless power. Qi2 25W-enabled chargers can deliver up to 25 watts to a compatible handset. Non-Qi2 batteries typically deliver around 7.5 watts.

The amount of charge delivered depends on the capacity. Most MagSafe portable chargers are rated at 5,000mAh or 10,000mAh. The former can get a standard iPhone 15 from five percent to around 90 percent. The latter can fill the phone completely with enough left over for another half charge.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-magsafe-power-banks-120015338.html?src=rss

The Motorola Edge 70 is another ridiculously thin smartphone

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Motorola just announced the Edge 70 smartphone, which is an ultra-thin handset that could rival the recently-launched Apple iPhone Air. It's a bit thicker than the Air, at 5.9mm compared to 5.6mm, but the camera bump is less noticeable.

As for that camera bump, the Edge 70 features a trio of 50MP camera sensors. The main camera can capture 4K video and there's also a front camera, an ultrawide with a macro lens and a dedicated light sensor. Like most modern smartphones, there are AI tools available for photo editing.

The frame is made from "aircraft-grade aluminum," which is a good thing because my uncoordinated fingers will absolutely be dropping this thing within three days of owning one. Other durability features include Corning Gorilla Glass 7i and IP69 water protection.

A smartphone.
Motorola

The phone will also have access to the company's proprietary moto ai2 chatbot. This can do all of the usual stuff like create images and answer queries. However, Motorola also boasts that the AI can understand what's on the screen and can point users to the correct course of action. We'll have to wait and see how that works in real life.

This skinny handset somehow includes a massive 4800mAh battery that allows up to 50 hours of continuous use. That's over two full days of doomscrolling without ever heading to the power outlet. As a comparison, the iPhone Air lasts anywhere from 22 to 27 hours

The Edge 70 ships with a magnetic case that can handle wireless charging and includes a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 Mobile chipset. Motorola promises active software support and security upgrades all the way until 2031.

Given the form factor and specs, the price is actually fairly reasonable. The Edge 70 starts at £700, which breaks down to around $910 USD. It's available for purchase right now, but there's a spot of bad news. It's launching in the UK and there's no current information as to when it'll cross the pond.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-motorola-edge-70-is-another-ridiculously-thin-smartphone-080009244.html?src=rss

Scientists observed a black hole flare that ‘shined with the light of 10 trillion suns’

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It can be challenging for us humans to wrap our brains around really massive numbers. Even the scale of a million or billion is pretty hard for most people to really comprehend. So prepare yourself to think big, because scientists have recorded the largest and most distant black hole flare to date, and the numbers around it are pretty staggering. 

The event occurred at an active galactic nucleus, also known as an accreting or feeding black hole, that they predict is 500 million times more massive than our sun and is located 10 billion light years away. The researchers suspect that this flare was caused by a tidal disruption event, where the gravity of the AGN may have pulled a nearby star closer and consumed it. The team estimates that the star eaten by the black hole had a mass 30 times that of our system's own sun. And according to the layperson blog post from Caltech about the event, "at its brightest, the flare shined with the light of 10 trillion suns."

"This is unlike any AGN we've ever seen," said Matthew Graham, who was a co-principal investigator on the study as well as a research professor of astronomy at Caltech and project scientist for the Zwicky Transient Facility, which first observed the black hole in question in 2018 along with the Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey. The research about the AGN and its bonkers flare appeared in the journal Nature Astronomy.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/scientists-observed-a-black-hole-flare-that-shined-with-the-light-of-10-trillion-suns-235414438.html?src=rss

Steam Deck adds a standby mode for screen-off downloads

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Valve is bringing a helpful update to the Steam Deck, adding an option for downloading content while the screen is off. The company is calling it a display-off low-power mode. It will be enabled by default when the Steam Deck is plugged in. The handheld's power settings can also allow it to be active while on battery power, although it will automatically revert to full sleep mode if the battery drops below 20 percent. If a user hits the power button while the Steam Deck is downloading content, a dialogue prompt will appear asking if the download should continue with the display off. A Steam Deck that reaches an idle timeout will also automatically go into the display-off low-power mode. 

In practice, this is similar to the rest mode modern consoles have that allows for downloads while the machine isn't being actively used. This feature can be really useful if you're playing an online competitive game and don't want a big download infringing on your bandwidth. (I speak from experience here.) Nice for the Steam Deck to offer a similar convenience to its players.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/steam-deck-adds-a-standby-mode-for-screen-off-downloads-230334579.html?src=rss

Amazon and Perplexity are fighting over the future of AI shopping

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Amazon has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Perplexity that demands that the AI startup prevents its Comet browser from making purchases on Amazon, Bloomberg reports. In a blog post responding to Amazon's letter, Perplexity claims Amazon is "bullying" the company and that its demands pose "a threat to all internet users."

In Amazon's eyes, Comet's agent violates its terms of service, degrades the Amazon shopping experience and introduces privacy vulnerabilities, Bloomberg writes. Amazon's "Conditions of Use" for Amazon.com specifically prohibit "any downloading, copying, or other use of account information for the benefit of any third party" and "any use of data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools." Depending on your definition, the agentic capabilities Perplexity offers through Comet could violate both clauses. The browser securely stores log-in credentials for websites locally, and uses them to make purchases for customers on Amazon with a simple command. 

Perplexity and Amazon agreed to pause agentic shopping on Amazon in November 2024, according to the report, but when Comet was released, Perplexity allowed it again. By representing the Comet agent as a Chrome browser user rather than a bot, the company allegedly tried to get around the agreement, until Amazon found out and sent its cease-and-desist letter. 

Amazon posted the statement below on its blog, openly acknowledging the issues it has with Perplexity:

We think it’s fairly straightforward that third-party applications that offer to make purchases on behalf of customers from other businesses should operate openly and respect service provider decisions whether or not to participate. This helps ensure a positive customer experience and it is how others operate, including food delivery apps and the restaurants they take orders for, delivery service apps and the stores they shop from, and online travel agencies and the airlines they book tickets with for customers. Agentic third-party applications such as Perplexity’s Comet have the same obligations, and we’ve repeatedly requested that Perplexity remove Amazon from the Comet experience, particularly in light of the significantly degraded shopping and customer service experience it provides.

Complicating Amazon’s claims, Perplexity might be a future shopping rival. Amazon demoed its own AI shopping agent called “Buy for Me” in April 2025. But Perplexity also disagrees with the fundamentals of Amazon's argument. "User agents are exactly that: agents of the user," Perplexity says. "They're distinct from crawlers, scrapers, or bots." Perplexity believes the Comet agent shouldn't run afoul of Amazon's terms and conditions then because it acts on the users' behalf, with the users' permission. 

This isn't the first time Perplexity has been accused of misrepresenting its AI tools to access content. In August, Cloudflare claimed that the company's bots were accessing blocked websites by pretending to be a normal Chrome browser user on macOS. Reddit also sued Perplexity and three other companies earlier this month for accessing Reddit posts without paying for a license.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazon-and-perplexity-are-fighting-over-the-future-of-ai-shopping-215445479.html?src=rss

Stellantis recalls more than 375,000 Jeep hybrid SUVs for fire risk

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In a case of deja vu, Stellantis is once again recalling two models of its Jeep brand plug-in hybrid SUVs. The company has recalled at least 320,000 of its Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe and Jeep Wrangler 4xe cars in the US over concerns of fire risks while driving and while parked. Stellantis is also recalling 20,753 of the Jeep vehicles in Canada, 2,653 in Mexico, and 32,238 outside of North America. A statement from Stellantis said an internal investigation discovered 19 fires.

Jeep also recalled these same two 4xe models in October 2024. The issue then and now was with the EV batteries produced by Samsung SDI. Stellantis has been unable to address the fire risks with software updates and is expected to notify drivers when a remedy for the issue is ready. Until then, the owners of Grand Cherokee 4xe models from 2022 to 2026 and Wrangler 4xe models from 2020 to 2025 are being encouraged to park outside away from buildings and not to plug in their vehicles. So basically these cars are relegated to being very large sculptures until Stellanis can fix the battery problems.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/stellantis-recalls-more-than-375000-jeep-hybrid-suvs-for-fire-risk-215341226.html?src=rss

Reddit will be included in Australia’s looming under-16 social media ban

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Reddit won't escape Australia's child social media ban. The Guardian reports that Communications Minister Anika Wells announced Reddit's addition on Wednesday. The nation's law, which blocks children under 16 from major social media sites, is scheduled to go into effect on December 10.

Alongside Reddit, Wells said Australian streaming site Kick would also be included. They join the previously announced Facebook, X, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. Australia considers the list to be a starting point for the ban and won't rule out adding more.

YouTube was initially excluded because it was considered an educational tool. But after protests from other companies on the list, Australia ultimately added it.

The ban passed in late 2024. The legislation puts the onus on the platforms, rather than parents, to police underage use. Companies that don't take reasonable steps to prevent under-16 users from accessing their platforms can face penalties of up to AU$49.5 million (around $32 million).

"There's a time and place for social media in Australia, but there's not a place for predatory algorithms, harmful content and toxic popularity [meters] manipulating Australian children," Wells said. "Online platforms can target children with chilling control. We are mandating they use that sophisticated technology to protect them."

Update, November 5 2025, 1:09PM ET: A previous version of this story indicated that Australia was considering banning under 16s from using Discord, GitHub and Roblox. This is not the case, as Australian officials do not plan to treat those as age-restricted social media platforms. We regret the error.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/reddit-will-be-included-in-australias-looming-under-16-social-media-ban-213052856.html?src=rss

This Balatro charity wall calendar is exactly the energy I need going into 2026

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Every year for as long as I can remember, my mother has gifted me a wall calendar featuring photos of my hometown. It’s a lovely thing, and I use it often to keep a note of all the concerts I have coming up. For 2026, though, I’m going to need something different: a Balatro wall calendar that features actor Ben Starr as the game’s mascot, Jimbo, in a variety of scenarios.

You’ll see Jimbo as Santa Claus and a vampire. There’s a photo of him in baseball garb and another of him eating ice cream. There’s even a shot of Jimbo with carefully placed bananas (a nod to the game’s handy banana cards) akin to that one shot of Mena Suvari in American Beauty. Starr is a logical pick for this as he previously dressed up as Jimbo to promote the game and accept a BAFTA on behalf of developer LocalThunk.

It’s silly, ever-so-slightly disturbing and — most importantly — all for a great cause, as Nintendo Life noted. LocalThunk and Balatro publisher PlayStack are donating all profits from sales of the calendar to Extra Life and SpecialEffect.

Extra Life is a program that benefits local children’s hospitals with the help of people who play games on charity livestreams. As for SpecialEffect, that charity helps physically disabled folks play games to the best of their abilities. You can buy the calendar now on FanGamer for $19 or €20. I’ll get over my hatred of clowns this one time.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/this-balatro-charity-wall-calendar-is-exactly-the-energy-i-need-going-into-2026-203235127.html?src=rss

Samsung is working on HDR10+ Advanced to take on Dolby Vision 2

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Dolby unveiled Dolby Vision 2 in September, and Samsung has already fired back with its own upgrades to its image quality format. The company is a key player in the consortium behind the HDR10 and HDR10+ standards, and this week it announced that the group is developing a version called HDR10+ Advanced. Amazon Prime Video has already signed on to support this format when it becomes available.

Forbes reported on the six upgrades that are in the works with HDR10+ Advanced. The revised standard is expected to have an increased brightness range, genre-based options for tone mapping and picture processing, intelligent motion-smoothing options, a mode for cloud gaming, more zones for local tone mapping, and more advanced and accurate color performance. According to the publication, HDR10+ Advanced will likely debut on Samsung's 2026 TV lineup. If that is the case, we can expect to hear more about HDR10+ Advanced in January at CES 2026 when the company usually unveils the year’s TV models.

Samsung is also collaborating with Google on an audio project that would be a counterpart to Dolby Atmos called Eclipsa Audio, but the details on that have been a little sparse since a brief announcement at CES 2025.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/samsung-is-working-on-hdr10-advanced-to-take-on-dolby-vision-2-202410665.html?src=rss

Apple’s Live Translation feature is finally coming to AirPods in the EU

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After a delay, Apple has announced that it's bringing its AI-powered Live Translation feature to the European Union in December. The expansion is notable, not only because Live Translation was a key selling point of the recently released AirPods Pro 3, but also because the company warned in September that complying with the EU's Digital Markets Act could delay the feature.

When Live Translation becomes available in the EU on AirPods Pro 3, Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with ANC next month, the feature will automatically translate a speaker's voice between English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional Mandarin), Japanese and Korean. Live Translation can also seamlessly translate between pairs of AirPods, intelligently lowering a speaker's voice so the translation is easier to hear. 

In September, Apple blamed a potential delay on "additional engineering" that was required to make sure translated conversations stay private, with the company specifically trying to "make sure [conversations] won’t be exposed to other companies or developers." The wait for the feature should be worth it, though. In Engadget's review of the AirPods Pro 3, we found Live Translation to be a handy addition to what was already a solid pair of wireless earbuds.

If you're looking to try the feature before its official release, Apple Intelligence-capable iPhones running the iOS 26.2 developer beta can already use Live Translation on supported AirPods in the EU. A public beta of the software update will also be available soon.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/apples-live-translation-feature-is-finally-coming-to-airpods-in-the-eu-201352038.html?src=rss