I never leave the house without a phone anymore these days. Who does, anyway? This is why whenever I know I’ll be out for prolonged periods, I bring chargers with me. It helps that all of my devices have USB-C ports, so a couple of cables and power bricks usually suffice.
But you won’t always be able to plug your devices into a socket, and that’s power banks come in. This has been a staple in my everyday carry list for years now, so when Ugreen recently offered us to try out its new MagFlow Air magnetic power bank, I happily obliged.
I’ve been using the Ugreen MagFlow Air for a month now, and I can honestly say I have zero complaints. It’s lightweight and compact, so I’ve ended up bringing it with me every single time I go out, even on days that I don’t necessarily need it.
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Before this, I had a heavy and chunky 20,000mAh power bank. On days when I was absolutely sure I’d have no use for it, I just left it at home—an example of this would be our once-a-week office day, where I always have access to power outlets. A day like this would also just consist of a drive to and from the office and nothing else, so I wouldn’t really need to worry about my phone’s charge at any point during the day. Having said all this, I’ve still been bringing the Ugreen MagFlow Air to the office. It doesn’t take up too much space in my bag, and it isn’t really much of a hassle to lug around. I’d rather have a power bank at my disposal and not need it than the other way around.
Speaking of which, I’m also the type of person who switches bags regularly. The amount of stuff I need to and can carry will depend on which bag I’m using. Since I’ve started using the MagFlow Air, I’ve been bringing it with me even when I’m using the smallest Alpaka sling I have.
Size aside, I’ve been very satisfied with how the MagFlow Air’s performance. I’m someone who always makes sure that said devices are fully charged whenever I go out, though, so this power bank has been used mainly for my smartphone and my Nintendo Switch 2. I’ve found that 10,000mAh is plenty. But if your work also involves the use of multiple electronic devices but aren’t as diligent in charging them, then a compact power bank might not be what you’re looking for.
The MagFlow Air’s magnet itself has also never failed me. I use a MagSafe case, just for context, but I’ve also lent this to people who have had to remove their iPhone cases just to charge. In those, er, cases, we still didn’t run into any issues.
Now, if you can’t charge wirelessly, there’s a built-in pullout USB-C cable that also doubles as a sling of sorts. I wouldn’t recommend dangling the MagFlow Air using that cable, of course, but if you’re going to use it for charging, then by all means do so. See, the power bank can output 15W via magnetic charging, but it goes up to 30W when wired. So sticking with the latter will have you charging your devices faster.
I’ve also never had the MagFlow Air overheat on me. I’m quite skeptical of magnetic power banks for this very reason and because of past experiences, but it’s a different story with this one. In fact, I’ve only ever used the built-in cable a few times, and that was also just for my Switch 2, not even my phone. The reason being? It’s actually easy to still use my phone with the MagFlow stuck to its backside versus using a cable. Wireless is the way, people.
All of these come at a premium, though. The Ugreen MagFlow Air magnetic power bank costs P2,799, which is much more than the run-of-the-mill (but still reliable) units you can get online. However, I do still think it’s a good buy, especially since competitors like Anker offer similar products at much higher price points. If you’re in the market for a decent power bank, I highly recommend this one.
