In what could be the popular smartphone accessory maker beating Apple out of the gate, Anker has revealed a new line of “MagSafe-compatible” battery packs designed for the iPhone 12.
Anker says it will start selling its PowerCore Magnetic 5k Wireless Power Bank (what a name) on March 3rd. The battery pack features a 5,000 mAh cell and can charge the iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max to 100 percent, 95 percent, 97 percent and 75 percent, respectively.
While the battery pack magnetically attaches to the rear of the iPhone 12 to charge the smartphone, the accessory itself can only be charged via USB-C. The battery pack can also charge other devices that don’t feature MagSafe through its USB-C port.
It’s important to note that this isn’t an official MagSafe accessory and is only listed by Anker as being MagSafe compatible. While it should perform similar to other MagSafe accessories in terms of attaching to the back of the iPhone 12, it’s only capable of 7.5 watts of charging power instead of 15 watts like Apple’s official MagSafe charger.
Last week rumours started circulating that Apple could have plans to release a MagSafe battery pack designed to magnetically attach to the rear of the iPhone 12. The report stated that this new battery pack aims to replace the bulky Smart Battery Case the tech giant released for the iPhone 11 series.
If Apple does end up releasing its own MagSafe battery pack, it will likely support 15 watt charging speeds, giving it an advantage over Anker’s third-party option.
The PowerCore Magnetic 5k Wireless Power Bank is currently listed as unavailable in Amazon’s Canadian store, but costs $40 USD (roughly $50 CAD) in the U.S. store.
MobileSyrup has reached out to Anker to confirm the accessory’s Canadian price and availability. This story will be updated with more information when it becomes available.
Image credit: Anker
Via: Gizmodo
