Under a Thousand: The value for money magsafe power bank for your iPhone!

AeroSync PB10 with an iPhone 14 Pro (Express Photo)

Which is why we are mighty impressed with the Ambrane AeroSync PB10. Yes, we can hear some of you saying that this power bank is priced above Rs 1,000, and actually retails online for Rs 1,999. Well, the key word there is “online,” because we have seen the power bank available at some retail outlets for as low as Rs 1,299 under special offers and we are told it sometimes is bundled for even lower prices with other devices. Frankly, we think that it is a terrific deal even at Rs 1,999, but if you get it at a price close to a thousand, it is hands down the best wireless power bank you can get for your iPhone.

We would like to stress the iPhone part of the narrative. That is because the power bank really shines when used with an iPhone 12 or above. It has a capacity of 10,000 mAh and comes with support for Magsafe, which means it can attach itself magnetically to the back of an iPhone (12 or above) and charge it. What’s more, it charges at a very respectable maximum speed of 15W wirelessly, and also charges at 22.5W over its USB Type C port.

Very compact for a 10,000 mAh power bank (Express Photo)

Compact, magnetic and fast charging

The Ambrane AeroSync PB10 is not exactly super compact, but is definitely on the smaller side for a 10000 mAh power bank – it is just 120.5 mm tall, although rather thick at 17.5 mm and pretty wide at 73 mm. In simple terms, it will cover about two-thirds of the back of most smartphones. At 180 grams, it does add to the weight of a phone, but is not too heavy for its capacity. The power bank comes with a wireless charging pad on the top and on the side above it are a USB Type A port and a USB Type C port, along with a button to switch the power bank on and off. On one of the longer sides are a row of indicator lights, showing the battery capacity and charging status. In a very neat touch, the lower part of the power bank haws a kickstand tucked into it. You can extend it to prop up your phone if needed – it is a very handy feature, but should be used only with phones that attach magnetically to the power bank, otherwise the phones might slide off! In all, the Ambrane AeroSync PB10 is compact enough to fit inside a trouser pocket. It also comes with a USB type C to Type A cable for charging devices, as well as the power bank itself.

It also works very well, especially with iPhones that support MagSafe charging. It charged our iPhone 14 Pro Max fully in close to three hours, but more importantly got us a comfortable 30-40 per cent charge in about half an hour. It also charged it in about two and half hours through a wired connection. What’s more, it works as a wireless charger if you connect it to the mains and just place your device on it. The power bank itself charges in about three hours if you use a 18W adapter to charge it over the USB Type C port.

It can also be used to charge Android devices that support Qi wireless charging (Express Photo)

Great for iPhones, handy for Android

The Ambrane AeroSync PB10 has a lot going for it if you are an iPhone user. You get the option to charge your iPhone wirelessly or through a wired connection at a very decent speed, and can even use the device as a wireless charging pad. It also supports charging AirPods. The stand is a great option to have even if you are not charging your iPhone as it allows you to prop the phone up for video calls or for just watching shows and films. As regards safety, Ambrane (which is a reasonably well-known brand in the accessory market) says that the power bank is BIS certified and comes with a number of protective measures, including against short circuit, overload and high temperature,

The picture is not quite as rosy when you move away from iPhone-land. Yes, the power bank can charge Android devices with wireless charging support too, but this tended to be a little hit and miss, with us having to move the phones and power bank around until they aligned perfectly. The absence of magnetic backs on most Android devices means the power bank cannot stick to their backs (there is no adhesive magnetic ring for Android devices in the box, as there is with some power banks), and this also restricts the utility of the kickstand as most Android phones slide off it! On the flip side, they charge briskly off the USB Type C port, and a little more slowly off the USB Type A one. We also found that charging a single 5000 mAh phone from 0-100 sometimes almost totally drained the power bank, but this did not happen every time. We were able to charge the iPhone 14 Pro Max about one and a half times with it. The charging pad area of the power bank is also a little uneven and you will need to keep an eye on gadgets when you place them on it.

We are not sure we would recommend the Ambrane AeroSync PB10 to someone who is using an Android device, or an iPhone 11 or earlier. But if you use an iPhone 12 or later – basically any iPhone with MagSafe – we think it is a terrific deal. Even for Rs 1999, it is pretty good. For the lower prices at which it comes at some retail outlets, bringing it closer to the Rs 1,000 mark (which is why it is in this column), it is an absolute steal!