UGREEN Magnetic Wireless Powerbank 2023 REVIEW

Wired and MagSafe Compatible Power in a snap from UGREEN.

My 14 and 12-year-old sons and I have been involved with the BSA Scouts for several years.  We have completed week-long summer/winter camps, numerous Friday-Sunday weekend trips, and several day events, including 5-10 mile day hikes.  This past June, my 14-year-old son and I visited Philmont Scout Reservation in New Mexico for a 60+ mile, 10-day backpacking trip.  Despite the goal to limit weight, we used our luxury item/weight to bring our iPhones plus two battery banks for pictures and alarms.  I have utilized numerous power banks/batteries over the past several years and have found the 10,000 mAh threshold to be the optimal weight (<8oz) to charge ratio for most everyday-carry and weekend needs.  Imagine my excitement when I discovered that UGREEN had a 7.7-ounce lightweight, 10,000 mAh battery with wireless, USB-C, and USB-A output.  Yes, I was sold. 

Packaging:

The UGREEN 10000 mAh 20W Magnetic Wireless Power Bank arrived in an attractive 3 15/16 inches wide by 7 inches tall by 1 1/2 inches thick retail package.  The clean white background served as a smooth, bright surface for the hunter-green UGREEN title box at the top left and the lower hunter-green border.  You will find three grey-colored product feature icons along the top left of the panel (1. High Energy Density Cell. 2. Trickle Charging Supported 3. Wireless Charging + Wired Fast charging) and a generic product name along the bottom.  The main showcase was the large image of the UGREEN battery charging a translucent iPhone.  The image provided information about the MagSafe attachment, the kickstand, and a general feel for the product dimensions.  I could appreciate the proportions and that the battery was ~3/4 the size of an iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The top and right side panels listed the product manufacturing labels, while the hunter-green bottom panel listed the contact information for the company.  The rear panel listed the company name, three ink outline image features (Wired Fast Charging, Magnetic Wireless Charing, Built-In Kickstand), and provided a helpful Specifications table.  The table listed the PB206 model, generic product name, Polymer Li-Ion battery, 5V/3A 9V/2.22A 12V/1.67A USB-C input, 5V/3A 9V/2.22A 12V/1.67A USB-C Output,  5V/3A 9V/2A 12V/1.5A 4.5V/5.0A 5V/4.5A USB-A Output, 15W Wireless output, total 5V/3A output, and some additional energy capacity information (6250mAh rated capacity).  I was not too fond of the proposed 62% efficiency and wondered if this accounted for the loss through wireless charging.  Lastly, the panel listed a product warning and SKU barcode. 

Unboxing:

I opened the top panel, slid the inner white cardboard tray out of the packaging, and then removed the 7.5-ounce (actually weighed), 4 1/2 inches tall by 2 11/16 inches wide by 11/16 inches thick battery from the upper segment of the tray.  Beneath the battery, you will find a 3 7/8 inches wide by 6 3/4 inches tall grey-colored drawstring bag, with small UGREEN nylon tag, light-grey stitching, and double nylon pull strings.  Beneath the accessory bag, I found a small recycle card, a small User Instruction Manual with FCC/IC/EU and Warranty statements, and a multi-lingual, 36-panel accordion-style User Manual.  Lastly, the lower segment tray housed a 20 3/4 inches long USB-C to USB-C cable.  Each end of the cable had a standard USB-C prong, a 7/16 inches wide by 1/4 inches thick by 9/16 inches tall body, and a 3/8 inches tall neck segment that tapered down to 1/4 inches diameter near the cable.  I gripped each prong, bent it forward/backward 50 times, inserted/removed the prongs 50 times from a standard USB-C brick/iPhone, and tugged at the neck/cable junction.  The cable appeared well-built and should easily survive repetitive use.  

Instruction Manual:

Before using the battery, I plugged a Klein Tools Multimeter into a type-C 3A port and the USB-C to USB-C cable between the multimeter and battery.  The lower LED charging indicators flashed to inform the user of the charging status, while the multimeter displayed 4.96V/2.99A.  While the battery charged (2 hours), I perused the multilingual (EN, DE, FR, ES, IT, JP, CN, AR, NL, SE, PL, TR) instruction manual.  The first section detailed compatibility with MagSafe phones/cases and to avoid placing metallic objects on the charger.  As an aside, I found that the magnet prevented my car/key communication when placed nearby, and my car warned that the key was not detected. The second section detailed the battery’s charging needs (18W or higher for an optimal charge).  The third section reviewed the wireless MagSafe charging features, proper positioning, and power button combinations (single press activate wireless, triple press reactive wireless charging). The fourth section detailed the wired charging feature for the USB-A and USB-C output ports (double press the power button to turn off wired output). The fifth section described the press/hold trickle charge feature and the sequential light indicator signal to charge your Apple Watch/AirPods/AirPods Pro.  

The most valuable panels were listed in sections six through eight.  The sixth section provided an LED battery indicator legend. The seventh panel showcased the proper MagSafe positioning, and the eighth panel listed a product specification table similar to the one on the back of the packaging.  Lastly, the ninth panel detailed a few safety notices.  I liked the ink outline drawings and the design/layout of the instruction manual.  The designs only demonstrated the need for MagSafe-compatible phone/case orientation in the vertical position.  If you want to use the setup in horizontal mode, you will need to rotate the entire setup rather than turning the phone against the plane of the battery.  To simplify my meaning, the battery must be parallel to the iPhone and cannot be used perpendicular to the phone.

Battery:

The cover surface of the gun-metal gray battery had a black magnetic MagSafe attachment/logo, which blended nicely against the dark grey exterior.  The glossy black side panels acted like a chair rail/surbase between the dark grey front/back panels and added a slightly raised bumper.  I liked that the offset side bumpers created a subtle raised lip, improving my grip on the battery. I preferred this over a sticky/grippy material that could attract lint or other debris.  The top edge of the bumper listed many of the product manufacturing labels. At the same time, the right-side panel provided a too-small-to-read specifications paragraph at the top and a 3/8 inches long by 1/8 inches tall oval-shaped power button at the bottom.  

The left side panel provided a USB-C input/output port and UGREEN name, while the bottom panel provided a bank of 5 LED lights and a USB-A output port.  The leftmost LED light indicator was designed to relay information about the magnetic charging status (solid enabled, flashing foreign metallic object).  The gun-metal-grey colored back panel had a 3 1/16 inches wide by 7/16 inches tall oval kickstand cutout.  The inner hinge of the stand was hidden within the 1/16 inches thick depression of the kickstand.  When deployed, the stand easily accommodated my iPhone 15 Pro Max in both vertical and horizontal viewing. I liked the flat design, the lightweight nature of the battery, the included carry bag, and the various power output sources.

Power Output:

Once the UGREEN battery was fully charged, I used the wireless option to charge my iPhone 15 Pro Max.  Starting at 45% power at 9:46 PM, my phone increased to 63% by 10:28 PM.  For a second test, my iPhone started at 47% at 9:51 PM and increased to 52% by 10:01 PM.  By 10:20 PM, my iPhone increased to 62%, and by 10:32 PM, it increased to 69%.  BY 10:45 PM, my iPhone had risen to 75% power.  By 1:30 AM, when I checked again, the iPhone was at 100% power, and the battery showed three lights remaining.

To test the USB-C output, I plugged a Klein Tools Multimeter into the USB-C port, and then the included USB-C to USB-C cable between the multimeter and my iPhone 15 Pro Max.  Starting at 7:16 AM at 32% power (9.13V/2.18A), my iPhone increased to 61% by 7:39 AM (9.14V/2.19A).  By 7:49 AM, my iPhone rose to 73% power.  By 8:00 AM, my iPhone displayed 80% power (5.08v/1.77A), while the battery still had 3 LED active.  By 8:15 AM, my iPhone increased to 87% power (5.07V/1.63A).  By 8:42 AM, my iPhone had risen to 95%. By 9:07 AM, my iPhone increased to 98%, and by 9:20 AM my iPhone increased to 100%.  While the battery provided 68% power to my iPhone, the LED indicator still showed 3 lights, which suggested ~50-75% battery power remaining. 

For a second test, I used the remaining battery power to charge my iPhone 15 Pro Max on a second day.  The battery charged my iPhone 15 Pro Max from 37% (4:31 PM) to 60% (4:48 PM) at 9.12V/2.18A.  By 4:57 PM, my iPhone had increased to 70%. By 5:09 PM, the iPhone grew to 79%.  By 5:32 PM, my iPhone had risen to 91% (5.07V/1.62A).  By 6:09 PM, my iPhone was charged to 98%. The battery displayed a single LED after the second round of charging.  The first round of charging provided 68% power to the 4,441 mAh battery (~3020 mAh), while the second round provided 63% power to the 4,441 mAh battery (~2798 mAh).  The combined power used ~5817.83 mAh, with some residual.  Without a “%” indicator, we must rely on the imprecise LED information to understand the remaining battery.  The battery appeared to provide at least the proposed ~60-70% efficiency.

I used the slow/trickle charge feature for a third test; I pressed and held the power button for three seconds to activate the feature. The LED illuminated in ascending order and provided information about the trickle charge status.  I plugged a DROK USB-A multimeter into the USB-A port and a USB-A to Apple Watch cable between the multimeter and my Apple Watch Ultra 2 (5.12V/0.16A).  Starting at 70% power at 8:07 AM, my watch increased to 86% by 8:35 AM.  The watch was fully charged by 9:15 AM.  I was pleased with the output and with the trickle effect. After charging the watch, the battery still displayed all LED. I wish the battery had the % indicator/screen like the UGREEN 145W battery.

For my fourth test, I wanted to charge something a bit larger. My 8-year-old daughter wanted to play Fae Farm on her Nintendo Switch while we were at a Cross Country event for my 12-year-old son.  She had forgotten to charge her Nintendo Switch the night before and realized she was below 20%. So, we used the battery to charge her device on the 30-minute drive to the match.  I again used a Klein Tools Multimeter between the Switch and battery. I plugged the USB-C terminal into the battery, and then the included USB-C to USB-C cable between the multimeter and the battery.  Starting at 20% charge at 10:43 AM (12.10V/1.16A), the Nintendo Switch rose to 31% by 10:50 AM.  I was pleased with the ~1% increase per minute charge rate. The Switch was at 43% by 11:05 AM (12.11V/0.99A) and reached 50% by 11:14 AM, by the time we arrived.

For the next test, I plugged the Klein Tools Multimeter into the battery and a USB-C to USB-C cable into my iPad Pro 12.9” 5th generation.  I started with a full battery and charged my iPad Pro from 76% at 3:23 PM (12.04V/1.58A) to 98% by 4:11 PM.  The battery had 3 LED remaining.  For my final test, I tested dual charging via wireless and USB-C (battery started with 3LED).  I used wireless charging to charge my son’s iPhone 15 (starting at 81%), while charging my iPhone 15 Pro Max (starting at 53%) via USB-C.  Starting at 4:18 PM, the iPhone 15 increased to 84% and the iPhone 15 Pro Max (wired) increased to 64% (4.92V/2.13A) by 4:33 PM.  By 4:42 PM the iPhone 15 rose to 88%, while the wired-charged iPhone 15 Pro Max increased to 72% (5.13V/1.47A). By 5:00 PM the iPhone 15 reached 95% (wireless), while my iPhone 15 Pro Max increased to 81% (5.13V/1.47A).  The battery demonstrated 2 LED remaining when the iPhone 15 moved to 100% power wirelessly.  I continued to charge my iPhone 15 Pro Max and noted it had risen to 89% by 5:17 PM (5.08V/1.45A), while the battery had dropped to a single LED.  The 15 Pro Max charged to 93% by 5:29 PM (5.11V/0.89A), and was fully charged by 6:00 PM when I checked again.  By that time, the battery was fully depleted.

Summary:

A 10,000 mAh battery is the minimum size that I typically carry for an EDC option.  The ~60% efficiency seemed a bit low, buy was not an unreasonable goal. The ~6000-7000 mAh worth of power allowed me to charge my iPhone 15 Pro Max approximately 1.7-1.8 times.  Since I try never to run below half power, I could efficiently utilize the battery to maintain 50-80% charge over a weekend campout, and with minimal reduction/limitation in using my iPhone.  I loved the kickstand feature and that the battery did impede camera use. I would need more or larger batteries for longer backpacking trips. The included carry bag was a nice add-on feature, as was the durable USB-C to USB-C cable. The battery met my expectations and proved to be Slim, Compact, and Convenient.

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