It will not run out of options if you seek the web for wireless energy banks. However, many of us are waiting for Qi2 loaders to appear, which will bring additional characteristics such as magnetic block and faster loading speeds. And while those have not yet arrived as energy banks in India, many of those who require convenience without load wire on the fly will have to go with the standard Qi chargers (and their limitations). Recently I received a wireless charger made by Urbn for review. What makes it interesting is its small form of shape, which is barely visible even behind an standard size iPhone model. However, after a few weeks of use, I discovered a series of limitations that make it difficult to recommend this model compared to other offers available in India.
URBN 5,000 MASH COMPACT MAGTAG WIRELESS POWER BANK REVIEW: DESIGN AND SPECIFICATIONS
The Urbn 5,000 MAH Compact Magtag Wireless Power Bank, hereinafter, known as the Magtag Urbn charger, comes with some interesting features. The key between them is their small and complete design of pebbles, which has a really small footprint that measures only 9 cm x 6.3 cm, with a thickness of 1.6 cm. It is also very light to only 121 grams. While its outer cover is made of plastic, its outer surface is covered with a rubber texture, which offers a good grip and feels solid without unwanted gaps. However, I noticed that the area in the load pad is an adequate dust magnet and becomes quite messy after a little use.
LED battery charge indicators only reveal an estimate of battery life
The Energy Bank has only one button on the back that is flanked by two LED indicators to show the amount of load energy that remains in the batteries. Unlike most other wireless energy banks that I have used, the load process is not activated by placing a smartphone on the load pad, but only when pressing the button.
While it was something that I had to remind myself, it has its advantages, since the Energy Bank may break in the back of its iPhone all day, but it can activate the wireless load only when necessary when pressing a button.
While LEDs are a useful indicator of the current internal battery capacity, it must take into account that it is only an estimate. The energy bank that shows a single LED (instead of the four) indicates that it could have anything between 25 and 10 percent of its load capacity. Therefore, a brilliant LED does not mean that it currently has 25 percent of the loading capacity of the battery package. Honestly, I would prefer a digital battery monitor screen on the back, which would give users a more precise idea about the load that remains instead of such estimates.
The Magtag Urbn rarely aligns perfectly due to its weakest lower magnet
I tried this energy bank only with an iPhone, since they pack smaller batteries. The manufacturer affirms both in the box and on its website that is compatible with Magsafe, but I have my doubts about it. The magnetic ring and the board were not powerful enough to maintain my iPhone 14 pro firmly instead. The circular surface had a better retention and, therefore, often the Energy Bank continued to turn since the magnet under it never hooked correctly on the phone.
As its product name indicates, the Power Bank offers a 5,000 mAh energy backup. However, Urbn also sells another model with a greater capacity of 10,000 mAh. Urbn claims to offer a maximum wireless load output of 15W with 10W input through a USB-C port.
URBN 5,000 MASH COMPACT MAGTAG WIRELESS POWER BANK REVIEW: performance
While the design of the Energy Bank seemed to verify all the boxes for a budget charger, it does not reach the brand or meet the expectations when it comes to the real load process.
Since this is a “compatible with Magsafe”, it is not really able to reach the “maximum 15W” announced by charging an iPhone wirelessly, but obviously limited to 7.5W. Then, one must also take into account the loss of expected power, which occurs when loading devices wirelessly.
Taking into account the two previous factors, the Urbn Magtag could not even deliver a full load for the 3,200 mAh battery of the iPhone 14 Pro. He managed a 23 percent charge in 30 minutes and then continued to load the phone at 46 percent in 1 hour. 2 hours later, the Energy Bank finally surrendered and stopped loading the phone at 80 percent, with a brilliant LED indicator, hinting an estimated 25 percent charge that remains in the tank.
The 5,000 mAh battery of Urbn Magtag cannot completely load the 3,200 mAh battery of an iPhone 14 Pro.
Very disappointed, I decided to try to load the iPhone 14 pro using its official cable connected to the USB-C port of the Energy Bank. This delivered better results. I completely loaded the phone in 2 hours and 3 minutes, with the juice just enough for another load.
Once drained, the Magtag Urn takes approximately two hours and 25 minutes to completely load.
URBN 5,000MA MAGTAG MAGTAG WIRELESS POWER BANK REVIEW: VERDICT
In general, the Urbn Magtag in its taste of 5,000 mAh (with a price of Rs. 2,499) cannot be used to completely load wirelessly an iPhone and will clearly do not do justice to the Android Premium devices that already have 5,000 mAh batteries ( for several reasons). Its usefulness as a wireless charger is basically limited to short recharge charges when it is placed in a pocket (thanks to its compact size), but I am not sure if that will work well, given its slightly weaker magnets. The Energy Bank also admits the transfer load, which charges both smartphones (wirelessly) while charging batteries inside its energy bank itself, so it can be used as a desktop loader when it is connected to a power cable and an adapter.
In fact, it makes more sense to go to the 10,000 mAh larger (and thicker) model (with a price extracted from Rs. 2,199) as it packed in a higher capacity, which should, in theory, deliver a complete load For a regular -seed iPhone. While the market is flooded with options, I would recommend the Magsafe Magsafe battery package of daily objects, since it offers many features (and a better design) at a slightly higher price of RS. 5,999.
Price: RS. 2,499
Pros:
- Small and compact design
- USB-C port
- Ignition/off button
- It folds as a desktop loader
Cons:
- LED indicators show the estimated load that remains
- The magnets are a bit weak
- You cannot deliver a full position