iPhone accessory maker Ugreen recently came out with a new Nexode Air charger and MagFlow Air power bank, two products that are designed for Apple users.
MagFlow Air
The $60 MagFlow Air is a 10,000mAh Qi2 power bank that also has a built-in USB-C cable. The power bank is 4.4 inches long, 2.75 inches wide, and 0.55 inches thick. It has some weight to it, and feels like a good quality device. It’s about the same weight as the iPhone 17 Pro Max. It’s close in size and design to Anker’s MagGo, which is $20 more expensive at $80.
The MagFlow Air has a clever design. It’s a Qi2 charger so you can charge your iPhone wirelessly, but there’s also a pull-out braided USB-C cable that unclips from the bottom corner. When it’s clipped in, it serves as a lanyard. There’s another USB-C port at the bottom for charging the power bank or charging a third device (though you can also charge it with the built-in cable). It does support passthrough charging, so you can connect it to a power adapter and then plug in an iPhone. With this setup, the iPhone charges first and then the power bank charges.
I would not choose Qi charging over USB-C charging when there’s a choice, but it’s useful to have both in case you need to charge two devices at one time. I am a fan of built-in cables, and this one seems well-attached. It takes some force to pull the cable out, so it stays in place when it’s used as a carrying strap. The cable is not removable, and it is not replaceable. Ugreen says it has been bent over 10,000 times in testing with no issue.
Qi2 charges a compatible iPhone at up to 15W, and it’s not the fastest wireless charging available. You can get up to 25W with one of Apple’s MagSafe chargers or a Qi2.2 charger. The magnets in the MagFlow Air are strong, making for a secure connection to an iPhone. It stayed in place when pulling my iPhone out of a pocket.
USB-C charging is faster at 30W, and if you use the USB-C cable instead of the Qi2 charger, you can fast charge your iPhone. You can attach the charger via ?MagSafe? and plug it in, which is useful because it combines USB-C charging speeds with the convenience of a magnetic attachment. An iPhone plugged in via the USB-C cable won’t charge wirelessly, but the connection remains available.
I have an ?iPhone 17 Pro? Max, so 10,000mAh isn’t quite enough for two full charges, but it is sufficient for a full charge and then some. The MagFlow Air gets warm when charging an iPhone wirelessly, which is not unusual for a Qi charger.
I tested the space gray aluminum color, but the power bank also comes in blue and white. The back has a soft touch material that won’t scratch an iPhone, and that provides grip. A button on the side lights up four LEDs to let you know the charge level. It takes about two hours to charge the MagFlow Air from empty to full over USB-C.
Ugreen says the power bank has “Dymondcell ATL cells with 13-layer protection,” “intelligent safety protection,” and “Thermal Guard temperature control,” which will hopefully keep it from exploding on an airplane (it is under the airline limit of 100Wh). The 13-layer protection is supposed to prevent “overheating, overcurrent, and short circuits” for safer charging.
Ugreen doesn’t explain what Dymondcell is, but it has partnered with battery maker Amperex Technology Limited (ATL) and is using ATL lithium-ion batteries. Ugreen’s UK site has a little more information, but it doesn’t detail what the 13 layers are. The battery cells can apparently withstand a 4mm tungsten steel nail penetration test and survive a 1.43-ton crush resistance test. I can’t test those claims, but it sounds impressive.
Nexode Air
Priced at $25, the USB-C Nexode Air is the slimmest 65W charger I’ve seen to date. It uses GaN, and it’s not too far off from the size of the tiny power bricks that Apple used to provide with the iPhone.
The Nexode Air is just over 1.6 inches long, 1.2 inches wide, and 1.3 inches deep. The prongs fold in when it’s not in use, making it more compact for travel. I tend to prefer multi-port chargers so I can charge more than one device at a time, but if you need a single charger for a Mac or another device, it’s a good option.
Ugreen’s 65W Nexode Air next to 30W Apple USB-C charger
I tested a space gray version that charges at 65W, but it also comes in 45W and in orange, white, and blue to match Apple’s ?iPhone 17 Pro? models. 65W is enough to fast charge a MacBook Air, and it also works for iPhones and iPads. It fit well in a plug, left plenty of space to plug in something else, and it charged as expected.
Ugreen includes a color-matched braided USB-C to USB-C cable that feels like it’s made well. The cable is 3.3 feet, which is a standard size that usually comes with accessories.
Bottom Line
There are a ton of power banks out there, so the MagFlow Air has a lot of competition. This little Anker Nano is my favorite 10K option, but the MagFlow Air is growing on me. I like the magnetic connection with the option to charge over USB-C because it’s a combo that most power banks don’t offer.
$60 is on the high side for a 10K power bank, but with the built-in cable and the Qi2 magnetic charging, it’s priced competitively with other trusted brands.
As for the Nexode Air, it’s a good little USB-C power adapter if you need a pocketable single-device charging option.
How to Buy
The 65W Nexode Air is available from Amazon for $25. The MagFlow Air is available from Amazon for $60.
Note: Ugreen provided MacRumors with an MA320UG for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.This article, “Ugreen MagFlow Air and Nexode Air Review: A Power Bank and Charger Built for iPhone” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
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Author: Juli Clover