An Android telephone firm makes my favourite iPhone accent

Top-of-the-line perks of getting an iPhone is the sheer quantity of obtainable equipment. A lot as Android followers might not prefer to admit it, discovering the proper case, display screen protector, charging dock, and many others., for an iPhone is considerably simpler than doing the identical for a Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel. That time turned much more obvious when Apple added MagSafe to the iPhone in 2020 — opening up an entire new world of magnetic equipment that Android telephones have needed to sit out on.

I’ve a fair proportion of MagSafe equipment I exploit day by day with my iPhone 16. There’s an AUKEY charging dock on my nightstand that I put my iPhone on each night time earlier than mattress. I additionally use Peak Design’s MagSafe pockets as my go-to pockets of alternative. It’s slim, homes all of the playing cards I want, and conveniently sticks on the again of my iPhone after I’m out and about.

Extra lately, I’ve added one other MagSafe accent to my arsenal. Imagine it or not, it’s from one of many prime Android manufacturers. OnePlus launched the Slim Magnetic Energy Financial institution late final month, and it’s shortly changing into considered one of my favourite iPhone equipment of the 12 months.

On paper, OnePlus’s energy financial institution might not look like something particular. It has a 5,000mAh capability, LEDs to point its remaining cost degree, and temperature management instruments to make sure your telephone’s security — all fairly typical stuff. Quite a few accent manufacturers provide magnetic energy banks like this, a lot of which have increased battery capacities and further goodies like a built-in kickstand.

So, what’s it in regards to the OnePlus Slim Magnetic Energy Financial institution that makes it so particular? It’s all in regards to the design.

Because the title suggests, OnePlus’s energy financial institution is slim. Nevertheless it’s not simply sort of slim — it’s actually, actually slim. The facility financial institution measures simply 8.8mm thick and weighs a mere 120 grams. For comparability, a 5,000mAh Belkin energy financial institution I’ve is sort of double the thickness at 16.5mm.

That’s a giant distinction on paper, nevertheless it’s a good greater one in observe. A lot as I’ve loved utilizing the Belkin energy financial institution over the previous few months, it looks like a brick subsequent to OnePlus’s accent. Each battery packs add a bulge to the again of my iPhone when hooked up, however Belkin’s energy financial institution makes it considerably heavier than after I’m utilizing OnePlus’s. I can clearly nonetheless inform the OnePlus energy financial institution is hooked up, however to a a lot lesser diploma than the Belkin one (and most different MagSafe energy banks I’ve used).

Not solely does that make a distinction when holding my iPhone, however that thinness can be felt in my pocket. It’s doable to suit my iPhone with the Belkin energy financial institution into my pocket, however due to its added thickness, it seems to be and feels fairly awkward. OnePlus’s battery pack, in the meantime, is barely noticeable.

In fact, there are compromises OnePlus made to get the Slim Magnetic Energy Financial institution as skinny as it’s. There’s no kickstand on the again, no built-in charging cable, and no bigger capacities past 5,000mAh. Loads of different battery packs provide all of these issues, and if that’s what you’re after, you’ll be higher suited by the infinite competitors.

However that’s not what I need out of an influence financial institution. My important precedence is to have one thing I can slap on my telephone after I want extra juice whereas out and about. I don’t want the largest capability doable; I simply need one thing that’ll add a couple of extra hours of use with out turning my telephone into The Hulk. That’s exactly what I get with the OnePlus Slim Magnetic Energy Financial institution, and mixed with its implausible aluminum casing, it looks like precisely the accent I’ve been trying to find.

As a lot as I really like OnePlus’s battery pack as an adjunct for my iPhone, I can’t assist however consider how way more it might have been in a world with widespread Qi2 adoption. With a magnetic case for the OnePlus 13, the facility financial institution works simply in addition to it does with my iPhone. However therein lies the issue. Because the OnePlus 13 doesn’t have Qi2 constructed into it — as is true for nearly all Android telephones obtainable right this moment — you’ve to have a magnetic case for it to work.

In case you’re a case individual, this doesn’t matter. However for those who’re like me and use your telephones sans-case, it’s an actual disgrace. I want I might use the Slim Magnetic Energy Financial institution with my OnePlus 13, Galaxy S25 Extremely, or every other Android telephone I’m testing. However and not using a magnetic case for them, I can’t.

This isn’t a difficulty particular to OnePlus’s battery pack, nevertheless it being made by a distinguished Android telephone model shines a much bigger highlight on it. iPhones have benefited from MagSafe equipment for practically 5 years now, but there’s no signal of Android telephones getting magnetic Qi2 help any time quickly. Even so, firms like OnePlus are creating magnetic equipment which might be good for Qi2-equipped telephones and utilizing the band-aid of magnetic circumstances to help them.

When you have an iPhone (or an Android telephone with a magnetic case), the OnePlus Slim Magnetic Energy Financial institution is a killer accent. It’s just about good for what I need from a battery pack like this, and it’s shortly change into my go-to energy financial institution for my iPhone 16. I simply want it’s one I might simply use with my Android telephones, too.