I spend so much time on my smart phone that I tend to be caught short in terms of letting my battery get to zero! I use my iPhone for social media, banking, business email, two factor authentication and loads more, so it’s no wonder I have to charge my device at least once per day.
It’s important for my day to day life and blog needs to keep my phone charged.
There’s clearly a big market for portable smartphone chargers and one of these smartphone charges has recently been sent over to me here at CodeWithMike headquarters.
iWalk PowerGrip Mag Review
I’ve been sent the iWalk PowerGrip Mag which is a 6000mAh portable charger that’s compatible with magsafe, which means it’s wireless. I haven’t reviewed a magsafe portable charger on the blog yet, so let’s get stuck in and see if it’s any good.
I’m hoping it is, I recently reviewed another product by iWalk, and in my opinion it wasn’t very good. Let’s get into the review.
First up, I’ll detail my first impressions.
Right out of the delivery box I can see that the packaging has been really well designed. It’s sleek and the product images are clear. The cardboard is really high quality, it’s giving me iPhone box levels of quality.
Opening up the product box, you’re greeted with the charger and simple quick start guide. The quick start guide is printed on good quality paper and has been well written in English.
The guide is super simple to follow and I was set up in no time at all.
Single Use Plastic
The box does contain a few bits of single use plastic, which could very easily be replaced with planet friendly alternatives. Even better than that though, they can get away without including the plastic at all.
The first, is a thin plastic pouch that holds the placement template, full instructions and feedback card. The second plastic pouch holds the magnet, which is included in case your device doesn’t support magsafe.
The last is a plastic tray insert, which could very easily be replaced with a cardboard option.
My first impressions are good, it’s not ground breaking, but at the same time I’m not underwhelmed by what I’ve seen so far.
Build Quality
Portable chargers going to landfill is a huge problem that I only just became aware of. Believe it or not, Tesco (a leading supermarket in the UK) were selling single-use portable chargers until recently, which in my opinion is absolutely outrageous.
I’m hoping the build quality on this iWalk Powergrip Mag charger is good enough to keep it out of landfill.
Overall the actual portable charger is well made. It feels tough and doesn’t scratch easily. I particularly like the finger loop, I didn’t initially think I’d make use of it, but I did find myself reaching for it alot.
The finger loop can also be used as a phone stand, perfect for watching movies when orientated in landscape mode.
On the side of the iWalk PowerGrip Mag is where you’ll find the button that starts the charging; it’s lovely and tactile when pushed, however it’s just a tad too small in my view.
I don’t recommend you do this, but in the interest of a thorough build quality test, I decided I’d drop it onto wooden flooring from around one meter high.
It bounced slightly before settling back down. The charger didn’t have any obvious damage to the outer, but had I damaged the internals?
No, is the answer. I attached it to the back of my phone and pressed the side button; it started charging my phone instantly, which proves it’s well made and will cope with day to day use and the occasional drop.
I’m not entirely sure what the internal battery chemistry is. Lithium based batteries can be quite dangerous if punctured, so I’m pleased that it can take a punch, so to speak.
The bundled USB-C cable is un-branded and unfortunatley is poor quality. The end of the cable that connects to your device is showing signs of wear after only 2 weeks use. But, cables are replaceable and I do have spare USB-C cables around, so it’s not a deal breaker.
Overall I’m pleased with this magsafe offering by iWalk, the other charger I reviewed of their’s isn’t very good, but this one is great.
How Much & Where To Buy
This is available from Amazon and it’ll set you back around £29.99 / $29.99. I have seen it on sale for around £19.99, so there are bargains to be had. Hit the button below to check the latest price.
Summary & Verdict
Overall I think this portable charger is really good. It charges quickly, it’s well made and is quite reasonably priced.
Score: 9/10
The only thing I didn’t like was the single use plastic and how small the function button is on the side of the unit.
More Content
Liked my iWalk PowerGrip Mag review? For more awesome content like this, hit the link to view our jam packed categories. You’ll find amazing in depth reviews, how to guides and the latest tech and gaming news.
Disclosure:
If you use any of the Amazon links in this article they are affiliate links. This means that if you go onto buy something from Amazon I may get a small commission. It won’t cost you anything extra but it helps me to pay for the running costs of the blog and allows me to bring you great content! Thank you so much for your support.
CodeWithMike is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to www.amazon.co.uk.
CodeWithMike is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to www.amazon.com.
These headphones were sent to us in exchange for writing our Edifier WH950NB Review.
