Anker MagGo review: the power bank for Apple Watch worriers
8.5.2025
With a 10,000 mAh capacity, the MagGo power bank from Anker stops me worrying about my Apple Watch running out of battery. The highlight is the fold-out charging dock.
If you’re an Apple Watch wearer, you’ll know this feeling well. Worrying about running out of battery becomes an everyday thing, as the watch is smart but not long-lasting. Anker recently introduced the MagGo, which makes charging on the move easier. I got hold of one to put it to the test.
(For English subtitles in the video, click the gear icon, «Subtitles/CC» and «Auto-translate».)
The first thing that struck me after unboxing was how portable the power bank is. Measuring a good 5 by 9 cm and just over 3 cm tall, it fits perfectly in my hand. If you’re a smoker, it’s similar to the size of a cigarette packet.
But the MagGo feels much more pleasant – and is better for your health. Anker uses different plastic finishes. The top and bottom of the power bank are smooth and prone to fingerprints. To prevent the MagGo from sliding around, it has four tiny but effective rubber feet on one side. There’s also a grooved surface on the side for better grip.
According to the manufacturer, the power bank is made from 75 per cent recycled material, without being any more specific than that. Does this apply to the plastic? Are they also referring to the rechargeable batteries, where the recycling process is a lot more expensive (site in German)? It’d be helpful if Anker provided more information. Because at surface level, its sustainability strategy seems credible. For instance, it has systematically done away with plastic in its packaging.
Small display, good information
The colour display is somewhat hidden on the front. You activate it by briefly pressing the power button. With an area of 2.5 × 1.3 cm, it’s not particularly large, but still offers a lot of information with surprising clarity. If you press the button once, it shows the current charge level as a percentage and a semicircle as a graphic. The screen switches off again after 30 seconds. This prevents the MagGo from running out of charge just because you accidentally activated the display.
Puck-happy charging
You can get hold of 10,000 mAh power banks without paying as much. However, the MagGo is aimed at Apple fans. They tend to spend a bit more if a gadget is made especially for them. (I’m allowed to say this, as I’m one of the «victims» myself.) The MagGo justifies this extra charge with its integrated charging puck. This is the round thing hanging at the end of the Apple cable that can supply the smartwatch with juice on its own.
Until now, I’ve always used a cable like this when travelling. But it’s all change now with MagGo. If my watch needs power, I simply place it on the puck that’s integrated into the power bank. I can then choose to place the sports wristband under the MagGo. Or, if I’m opting for aesthetics, I fold out the charging puck at a 90-degree angle and stand the MagGo upright. The Apple Watch then sits stylishly on the charging station. I can even use the power button to turn the display 180 degrees so it’s easy to read.
Heavy, but not too heavy
The MagGo seems heavy. My scales say 242 g. But when I look at our store, I notice that almost all the bestsellers in this category are in a similar weight range. But they don’t come with a charging puck or have an output power of 30 W from the USB-C port.
If I factor in the weight of an additional cable to the weight of an alternative power bank, the MagGo easily wins the comparison.
Recharges quickly
Once the two series-connected batteries in the MagGo housing are empty, it’s time to charge them. My measuring device shows a voltage of 15 V at a current of 2 A. And so, the MagGo battery consistently recharges with a power of 30 W.
During charging, the display shows how long the process will take. A kind of speedometer also displays the current charge level – accurate to the second decimal place. It can be really reassuring to watch the value going upwards.
The 20-cm-long USB-C cable is permanently attached to the MagGo. There’s a clever reason for this: it also doubles as a carrying strap. At first, I was sceptical because I was taught not to pull on cables. However, Anker has chosen a cable that’s easily able to withstand traction forces. What’s more, the plug locks into the housing when I use the cable as a strap. This stops the cable breaking or kinking.
The 30 W ensures that an empty MagGo power bank is full again in well under two hours. My Apple Watch charges just as quickly on the puck with up to 5 W as on the official Apple charging cable. Unsurprisingly, Anker has secured official certification from Apple. To put this into figures, this means that the watch can charge from 20 to 80 per cent in 30 minutes, for instance. There’s enough energy in the MagGo to recharge my watch about 15 times in this way. In purely mathematical terms, you’d get more than 30 charges to bring a completely empty Apple Watch back up to 100 per cent. But of course, we have to factor in charge loss.
An iPhone battery has significantly more capacity. I can easily charge my iPhone 16 Pro twice. However, if I connect it to the cable, it interrupts the watch’s charge. My iPhone charges with up to 27 W. In theory. But in reality, the maximum value I get is around 20 W. When it comes to its smartphones, Apple focusses more on battery-saving rather than very fast charging (site in German).
Another practical feature of the MagGo is its USB-C connection. This is both an input and output, which lets me attach another device to be charged, such as an iPad.
Or I can connect the MagGo to a power supply and charge it while it replenishes my gadgets. This also decreases its performance. Instead of charging with 30 W, it only manages just under 10 W.
That being said, the different charging speeds won’t worry me. This test really showed me the value of the MagGo. So much so that it’s earned its place in my little tech bag within my rucksack. Obviously, it fits in there perfectly.
In a nutshell
Charging the way I like it
Everything about the MagGo is just right. Of course, there are cheaper 10,000 mAh power banks out there. And obviously, I’m just nitpicking if I don’t always want to take my watch charging cable with me. But the Anker power bank is probably made for whingers like me. It solves problems I didn’t even realise I had.
Pro
- Charges Watch and iPhone as fast as Apple allows
- Informative display
- Sturdy cable doubles as a carrying strap
- Fully recharged in under two hours with 30 W of input power
- Inductive and wired charging
- Compact, convenient and well made
Contra
- Plastic surface tends to attract fingerprint marks
Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
Smartwatch
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
Smartphone
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
17 comments
later