HyperJuice magnetic iPhone 12 battery is handy but hefty [Review]

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The HyperJuice Magnetic Wireless Battery Pack matches the look of an iPhone 12.
HyperJuice Magnetic Wireless Battery Pack for iPhone 12 really simplifies on-the-go charging. It’s almost MagSafe, but not quite.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Sanho HyperJuice Magnetic Wireless Battery Pack magnetically clings to the back of an iPhone 12 series model, recharging it without wires, clips… anything else. It packs 5000mAh of power and a USB-C port too.

I put the MagSafe-like battery pack through real-world testing. Here’s what’s I found.

Sanho HyperJuice Magnetic Wireless Battery Pack review

External batteries generally have to be connected to phones by cables, which makes the device difficult to use. Or there are battery cases that semi-permanently attach to the handset but add bulk.

The HyperJuice Magnetic Wireless Battery Pack merges the two. It’s an external battery that simply needs to be clicked onto to an iPhone 12 to transfer power. And it’s easily removed when not needed because magnets are great.

5000mAh is enough to give a solid charge to the handset, greatly increasing the time before you have to find a wall socket. But this power bank isn’t fully MagSafe compatible so don’t expect the full MagSafe charging speed.

Hardware and design

Sanho’s charger takes advantage of the batteries Apple built into the back of the iPhone 12 series. The MagSafe system allows the power bank to cling to the handset’s charging coils. It’s very convenient.

But the latest HyperJuice model isn’t small. It’s 3.8 inches by 2.5 inches by 0.7 inches, and 0.3 pounds. The real issue here is the thickness. When connected to the iPhone, the combination is almost an inch thick, which is just not very pocketable.

In my tests, the clip-on didn’t interfere with using the handset. Yes, it’s obviously noticeable, but that didn’t stop me from accessing Safari or even playing games. The edges of the HyperJuice Magnetic Wireless Battery Pack are curved so it’s comfortable to hold.

Sanho makes the product only on basic black. The look is fine, if not colorful.

Magnets in the iPhone 12 and power bank connect them together quite well, despite the weight of the accessory. I can shake the phone and the battery won’t come off.

There’s a single button on the new HyperJuice model. Press it to wake up the accessory or shut it down. It can be connected to your iPhone while not charging. Next to this is a set of four LEDs that indicate the current change level. By my tests, they’re fairly accurate. Which isn’t true of every battery.

On the bottom edge of the accessory is the USB-C port, so you charge this accessory with the same cable as your MacBook or iPad Pro/Air. The port can also be used with a cable to replenish another device at 12W.

The Sanho HyperJuice Magnetic Wireless Battery Pack is not thin.
The button and USB-C port on the latest HyperJuice battery are very easily accessible.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Sanho HyperJuice Magnetic Wireless Battery Pack performance

Sanho careful doesn’t say that its product is MagSafe compatible. It uses the magnets that are part of the new charging system, but that’s all. The power bank hasn’t been certified by Apple. And it doesn’t offer the full MagSafe charging speed of 15 watts.

I tested this power bank by having it recharge an iPhone 12. (There’s no substitute for real-world testing.) Starting with the handset’s battery at 0% and the device shut down, the HyperJuice Magnetic Wireless Battery Pack raised the iPhone’s battery level to 24% in half an hour. That’s more than quick enough to be useful, though a full MagSafe charger would have gotten the level up to about 33%.

After two hours the battery level was up to 78%. Shortly afterward it topped out with the iPhone at 80%. Think of it this way: if the handset had been at the first battery warning when I connected the Sanho power bank, it would have brought the charge up to 100%. That’s a respectable accomplishment for a relatively small external battery.

Recharging through its USB-C port, the latest HyperJuice model took a bit over three hours to get juiced up again. Sanho provides a USB-C to USB-A cable for this, but no wall power adapter.

Sanho HyperJuice Magnetic Wireless Battery Pack final thoughts

This magnetic clip-on battery beats connecting your iPhone 12 to a power bank via cables. Too bad it’s not a bit slimmer, which would made it more pocketable.

As it is, you aren‘t going to want to walk around all day with the HyperJuice Magnetic Wireless Battery attached to your iPhone. I suggest using your handset as you normally would, and if the battery level gets low at the end of the day you can slap on this power bank to replenish the device.

HyperJuice Magnetic Wireless Battery Pack comes only in basic black.
This external power bank for the iPhone 12 series is easy to very use and carry around. But it’s not svelte.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Pricing

Sanho’s HyperJuice Magnetic Wireless Battery Pack is selling now at HyperShop. It’s priced at $39.99.

The company sells many of its products through Amazon but this accessory isn’t listed there at the time of this writing.

Comparable products

Other accessory makers are bringing out their own power banks that cling to the iPhone 12 series with magnets. That includes the Anker PowerCore Magnetic 5K ($39.99). Like the HyperJuice model, this also doesn’t fully support MagSafe.

There will soon be clip-on batteries that are MagSafe. Belkin recently unveiled the Boost↑Charge Magnetic Wireless Power Bank. There’s a 2500mAh version ($49.99) and a 10,000mAh version ($69.99). Both are MagSafe approved but neither offers 15W charging.

Sanho provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out other in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.

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