Everybody wants a battery pack that's easy to carry. If you've been looking for a slim MagSafe power bank that doesn't turn your phone into a brick, Xiaomi has just the option for you. Xiaomi’s UltraThin Magnetic Power Bank 5000 15W is the world’s thinnest at 6mm thick and weighs 98 grams (3.46 oz). That makes it thinner than the iPhone 17 and so light that you'll barely notice it on the back of your phone.
Xiaomi is able to make such a thin power bank thanks to the use of silicon carbon. Most lithium-ion batteries use graphite in the anode – the part of the battery that stores lithium ions during charging. Silicon-carbon batteries replace some of that graphite with silicon, which can hold significantly more lithium ions in the same space. The result is a battery that can store the same amount of power in a thinner cell.
The UltraThin power bank has a 5,000mAh battery and snaps onto the back of your phone magnetically thanks to the MagSafe support. It charges wirelessly at up to 15W for Xiaomi phones, and up to 7.5W for iPhones. There's also a USB-C port on the bottom that can charge a device at up to 22.5W if you want faster speeds with a cable.
You can charge two devices simultaneously: one wirelessly and one via USB-C. That means you could top off your earbuds while your phone charges. The battery pack’s housing is made of an aluminum alloy, and it comes in orange, silver, and black.
Read more: This Ultra-Thin Charger Won’t Set Your Pants on Fire
What’s the catch with this battery pack?
The trade-off with the Xiaomi power bank is portability for capacity. The 5,000mAh capacity is enough to give most phones a decent top-up, but it won't fully recharge a phone with a larger battery. If you're someone who needs a full recharge on the go, you should opt for a 10,000mAh or higher capacity power bank, which will be bulkier. If you think of this power bank as some extra battery life to get you through a workday at the cost of minimal bulk, it’s a great one to carry.
The power bank has launched in Australia for AUD 69.50 (roughly $44), as well as Singapore and Japan, but there's no US pricing or availability yet. Since it’s considerably under 100Wh, it's airline-safe, and it works with a wide range of phones, including iPhones going back to the iPhone 12, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and newer (with a magnetic case), Google Pixel 9 (with a magnetic case) and Google Pixel 10. If it does make it to the US at around that price point, it's going to be an easy choice for anyone who wants a power bank they can actually forget is there.
Read more: Best Slim and Fast-Charging Portable Batteries
[Image credit: Xiaomi]
