This Android phone company is the new favorite iPhone accessory for me

One of the best perks of having an iPhone is the sheer amount of available accessories. Much as Android fans may not like to admit it, finding the perfect case, screen protector, charging dock, etc., for an iPhone is significantly easier than doing the same for a Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel. That point became even more apparent when Apple added MagSafe to the iPhone in 2020 — opening up a whole new world of magnetic accessories that Android phones have had to sit out on.

I have a fair share of MagSafe accessories I use daily with my iPhone 16. There’s an AUKEY charging dock on my nightstand that I put my iPhone on every night before bed. I also use Peak Design’s MagSafe wallet as my go-to wallet of choice. It’s slim, houses all the cards I need, and conveniently sticks on the back of my iPhone when I’m out and about.

More recently, I’ve added another MagSafe accessory to my arsenal. Believe it or not, it’s from one of the top Android brands. OnePlus launched the Slim Magnetic Power Bank late last month, and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite iPhone accessories of the year.

This is the MagSafe battery pack I’ve been waiting for

OnePlus making an iPhone accessory? Has hell frozen over? Not yet (though it sure does seem like we’re getting close). This isn’t the first time OnePlus has created an iPhone accessory; it first did so in 2015 when it made iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s cases with its famous sandstone finish. Further, the Slim Magnetic Power Bank isn’t “technically” just an iPhone accessory; any phone with Qi2 can use it. However, given the snail’s pace adoption of Qi2 from Android phone brands, iPhones predominantly benefit from it.

On paper, OnePlus’s power bank may not seem like anything special. It has a 5,000mAh capacity, LEDs to indicate its remaining charge level, and temperature control tools to ensure your phone’s safety  all pretty typical stuff. Numerous accessory brands offer magnetic power banks like this, many of which have higher battery capacities and extra goodies like a built-in kickstand.

So, what is it about the OnePlus Slim Magnetic Power Bank that makes it so special? It’s all about the design.

As the name suggests, OnePlus’s power bank is slim. But it’s not just kind of slim — it’s really, really slim. The power bank measures just 8.8mm thick and weighs a mere 120 grams. For comparison, a 5,000mAh Belkin power bank I have is nearly double the thickness at 16.5mm.

That’s a big difference on paper, but it’s an even bigger one in practice. Much as I’ve enjoyed using the Belkin power bank over the last few months, it feels like a brick next to OnePlus’s accessory. Both battery packs add a bulge to the back of my iPhone when attached, but Belkin’s power bank makes it substantially heavier than when I’m using OnePlus’s. I can obviously still tell the OnePlus power bank is attached, but to a much lesser degree than the Belkin one (and most other MagSafe power banks I’ve used).

Not only does that make a difference when holding my iPhone, but that thinness is also felt in my pocket. It’s possible to fit my iPhone with the Belkin power bank into my pocket, but thanks to its added thickness, it looks and feels quite awkward. OnePlus’s battery pack, meanwhile, is barely noticeable.

Of course, there are compromises OnePlus made to get the Slim Magnetic Power Bank as thin as it is. There’s no kickstand on the back, no built-in charging cable, and no larger capacities beyond 5,000mAh. Plenty of other battery packs offer all of those things, and if that’s what you’re after, you’ll be better suited by the endless competition. 

OnePlus's power bank feels like exactly the accessory I've been searching for.

But that’s not what I want out of a power bank. My main priority is to have something I can slap on my phone when I need more juice while out and about. I don’t need the biggest capacity possible; I just want something that’ll add a few more hours of use without turning my phone into The Hulk. That’s precisely what I get with the OnePlus Slim Magnetic Power Bank, and combined with its fantastic aluminum casing, it feels like exactly the accessory I’ve been searching for.

A fantastic accessory that could have been more

As much as I love OnePlus’s battery pack as an accessory for my iPhone, I can’t help but think of how much more it could have been in a world with widespread Qi2 adoption. With a magnetic case for the OnePlus 13, the power bank works just as well as it does with my iPhone. But therein lies the problem. Since the OnePlus 13 doesn’t have Qi2 built into it — as is true for almost all Android phones available today — you have to have a magnetic case for it to work.

If you’re a case person, this doesn’t matter. But if you’re like me and use your phones sans-case, it’s a real shame. I wish I could use the Slim Magnetic Power Bank with my OnePlus 13, Galaxy S25 Ultra, or any other Android phone I’m testing. But without a magnetic case for them, I can’t.

This isn’t an issue specific to OnePlus’s battery pack, but it being made by a prominent Android phone brand shines a bigger spotlight on it. iPhones have benefited from MagSafe accessories for nearly five years now, yet there’s no sign of Android phones getting magnetic Qi2 support any time soon. Even so, companies like OnePlus are creating magnetic accessories that are perfect for Qi2-equipped phones and using the band-aid of magnetic cases to support them.

If you have an iPhone (or an Android phone with a magnetic case), the OnePlus Slim Magnetic Power Bank is a killer accessory. It’s virtually perfect for what I want from a battery pack like this, and it’s quickly become my go-to power bank for my iPhone 16. I just wish it’s one I could easily use with my Android phones, too.