From my inbox

After much deliberation I put this Anker 622 Powerbank on my wish list. And within a week, it showed up at my door. Thank you, Secret Santa!

I wanted a power bank that made use of the MagSafe charging feature so that it would work without a power cable. The most elegant solution is Apple’s own MagSafe Powerbank. It integrates directly with the iPhone power management and it is prettier. But the Anker power bank had some things going for it. First of all, it charges via USB-C which gives me more options. When I find a power cable I can either charge the iPhone via Lightning or the power bank via USB-C.

It also adds a little stand, which can be folded out. It will hold the iPhone in any direction, portrait or landscape.

And finally, it will also charge other devices like the AirPods case. Since I swap iPhones often, I am now very happy that I have a MagSafe power bank instead of a Smart Battery Case which fits only one particular iPhone.

This Powerbank will work with iPhone 12 and 13 MagSafe compatible cases, but not with other cases, warns Anker. I think they mean that it will be unable to hold on to the phone without a magnet in the case.

And yes, I really use the iPhone without a case and I have done this ever since the iPhone 11. Don’t hold me accountable when you break your phone, but I have not broken an iPhone since the iPhone 6S Plus. I always used the saddle brown leather case and when I did not get one for the iPhone 11 Pro, Apple asked me to use it without a case to demonstrate how sturdy they have become. The 11 Pro developed a small crack in one corner of the back but the 12 Pro and 13 Pro do not show any wear although I dropped them dozens of times. My heart still skips a beat when I pick them up but so far so good.

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