Intelli ScoutPro is a power bank for fans of wireless charging [Review]

By

Intelli ScoutPro review
Between its multiple USB ports and charging coils, Intelli ScoutPro can juice up five Apple devices at once while on the go.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

There are so many external batteries that it’s hard to stand out from the pack, but the Intelli ScoutPro manages it easily. There’s magnetic wireless Apple Watch and iPhone chargers. Plus the dual USB-C ports can output up to 100 watts each. All told, the accessory can hold up to 24,000mAh and handle up to 240 watt.

I put this power bank through its paces, testing all the ways it can recharge Apple devices. Here’s how it stood up.

Intelli ScoutPro review

If you’re carrying an iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and MacBook on a trip, then an external battery that can only charge a couple of these at the same time comes up short.

The Intelli ScoutPro can charge five Apple devices simultaneously. And it’s specially designed for iPhone and Apple Watch. As icing on the cake, it can fast charge a MacBook.

Hardware and design

Intelli put 20,000mAh into the ScoutPro and 24,000mAh into the ScoutPro Max, and then wrapped all that power in ports and wireless chargers. The result isn’t small, but useful power banks aren’t tiny. There’s no way to get a lot of electricity into a miniature gadget.

That said, this product is reasonably portable for what it is. The standard version is 5.4 inches by 3.3 in. by 1.1 inches and 1.1 pounds. The higher-capacity one is slightly longer at 6.2 inches, and a bit heavier at 1.2 pounds. You’re going to want to put either version in a backpack or gear bag. Or perhaps a large purse.

The aluminum casing is black with silver accents. The sides are curved to make the ScoutPro more comfortable to hold. And there’s a leatherette pad on the top to prevent scratches on devices that are wirelessly charging.

On the front, next to the USB ports, are a power button and a battery meter. In my testing, I found the meter accurately shows the amount of charging remaining, which isn’t true of all power banks.

Ports

To me, the feature that puts the Intelli ScoutPro ahead of the pack is the two wireless chargers. One is specifically designed for Apple Watch. Place the wearable on the right spot and it’ll magnetically click into place and charge at 2.5W.

And drop your iPhone or AirPods case onto the separate Qi charging mat for a juice up. Plus, iPhone 12 owners can celebrate that the power bank uses the MagSafe system. Apple’s latest handsets magnetically attach to the ScoutPro so they won’t slip off, and the charging coils stay aligned. How much power is transferred depends on the receiving device — the max is 15W.

The standard ScoutPro includes a 100W USB-C and a 60W USB-C port. Between them is a 22.5W USB-A port. The more powerful ScoutPro Max offers a pair of 100W USB-C ports but the same USB-A port.

Intelli ScoutPro has charging coils for Apple Watch or an Qi-comparable device. Including iPhone.
Pop an Apple Watch on the ScoutPro and it’ll begin charging.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Intelli ScoutPro performance

I started my tests by using one of ScoutPro’s USB-C ports to repeatedly charge a 12.9-inch iPad Pro. I’m testing the 20,000 mAh version of Intelli’s product, and it was able to give the tablet a 124% charge. The iPad has a 9720mAh built-in battery, so this power bank is 60% efficient. That’s the standard efficiency for virtually every external battery I’ve ever tested.

To translate those figures to another device, consider the 13-inch MacBook Pro has a roughly 5100 mAh battery so it would get more than two complete recharges from the 20,000mAh ScoutPro.

Next, I tried out the Apple Watch charger. This works exactly as expected — the wearable clings tightly and 2.5 watts of power get transferred.

Then I used an iPhone 12 to test the MagSafe charger. The magnets built into the handset clung to the power bank, as designed. The accessory brought the iPhone’s battery level from 0% to 22% in half an hour and to 46% after an hour. That’s below the charging speed of the Apple MagSafe Charger because the ScoutPro tops out at 10W when connected to the most recent iOS devices, while Apple’s accessory can provide 15W. Earlier iPhones charge at 7.5W on the power bank, but Androids can receive up to 15W, depending on the model.

When testing the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 and the Apple Watch at the same time, the two are cheek-by-jowl close to each other. Both charge, but I’m concerned the iPhone 12 Pro Max might be too large. Still, one would hope Intelli knows what they’re doing.

The 100W USB-C port is capable of juicing up a MacBook as fast as any Apple laptop can receive power. And the 60W one is no slouch. Just be sure you’re using a power cable that can handle as much current as you’re hoping to exchange. There’s one bundled with Intelli’s accessory.

And note that using one port at its maximum doesn’t reduce the power of another. The gadget can put out 240 watts at once.

Recharging

With the ScoutPro’s battery empty, I attached it to a 100W wall charger. As Intelli promises, the battery indicator reaches 100% inside of an hour.

And note that this accessory supports pass-through power. That means that in the evening you can connect your Apple Watch, iPhone and iPad to this power bank, and then plug it into a wall socket, and your Apple gear will be fully charged before the ScoutPro’s internal battery.

Intelli ScoutPro supports MagSafe for iPhone 12. And it can juice up an Apple Watch too.
In addition to its trio of USB ports, ScoutPro can wirelessly charge an iPhone and an Apple Watch.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Intelli ScoutPro final thoughts

I travel with multiple types of Apple gear. If that’s true for you too, then you’re well aware of the need to be sure you have a way to charge all of them. ScoutPro takes care of that. Bring a couple of USB-C cables and you’re ready to power up almost everything Apple makes.

It’s a versatile power bank for use on the go. But it’s also a premium product and comes with a price tag to match.

Pricing

Intelli ScoutPro is now on the crowd-funding site Kickstarter. Putting down a $129 pledge gets the Scount Pro Max. The units will be delivered in July 2021. But do not dawdle. At the time of this writing, the price was about to go up to $159.

Don’t be concerned that this is a crowdfunded project. I wrote this review based on real hardware. It’s an actual product that’s well made and works as advertised. And the device was fully funded in under 2 hours.

Comparable products

Most external batteries just include USB ports, but there are some with built-in wireless chargers. That includes Satechi’s Quatro Wireless Power Bank ($99.99). It has iPhone and Apple Watch chargers, but fewer ports and a smaller storage capacity.

Or consider the Mophie Powerstation Hub ($50.99). This includes a wireless iPhone charger and USB-C and USB-A ports.

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

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.