The beauty of a portable power bank becomes apparent when it gets you out of jams as your gadgets run out of power without an electrical outlet in sight. And if the bank can juice up a few devices at once, all the better. That’s what makes the Momax AirBox Go so great.
Momax recently sent me the three-in-one portable MagSafe charger to test. I took it on a weekend trip and found it performed well, keeping my iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods Pro going.
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AirBox Go review
AirBox Go is a sleeker, more travel-ready version of Momax’s AirBox charger and storage device. It’s a bit bigger and thicker than a large iPhone, weighs a bit less than an iPad and fits easily in luggage or a computer bag. It could fit in a spacious coat pocket, too, but it may be too chunky for a pants pocket.
The white-and-silver Go sports a fun look. It seems like a retro gadget, or even a prop from an old sci-fi show or movie. A Star Trek tricorder or communicator? Perhaps not. But maybe Momax should look into product-placement opportunities on the retro-futuristic series Hello Tomorrow! (If Apple TV+ doesn’t cancel it after one season).
And AirBox Go works as advertised. It’s an excellent 3-in-1 portable power bank for iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods.
Charger placement and wattage
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
Unlike AirBox, AirBox Go puts the fast-charging iPhone MagSafe pad (15W) right on top so you can access it without opening the cover, which flips up a few inches like the old Star Trek communicator or a vintage flip phone.
The device’s Apple Watch charger (5W) sits at the upper right corner on the front. You can use it as is, or flip it up if your watch band requires it.
A silver-colored, ridged cover flips up right over the iPhone pad, revealing a compartment on the lower end of the device for AirPods. It both stores and charges AirPods charging cases (5W).
But one thing AirBox has that AirBox Go does not is a place to store Apple Pencil. I won’t miss it because I always keep my Pencil with my iPad case, where it charges in a magnetic slot or stores more securely in a pouch.
AirBox Go includes a sturdy, lariat-like rope with an adjustable clasp that lets you hang the device from your wrist or secure it to something else, like the handle of a knapsack or suitcase.
Portable charging solution for short trips
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
I took the AirBox Go on a weekend trip. Because it’s a power bank, once charged it doesn’t need an electrical outlet until you have to charge it again.
So its greatest value would come when you can’t get to an outlet to use another charger. That could easily come up on a camping trip or during a power outage. Or it could even come on a day when you know you’ll be out and about for hours, so you toss AirBox Go in your bag or coat pocket.
On my weekend trip I stayed in a hotel room with plenty of outlets. But I pretended I had to rely on the little gadget. Sure, I packed a 150W multiport GaN charger as a backup, but I never needed it for my small devices — thanks to AirBox Go.
The gadget kept my iPhone 13 Pro, Apple Watch 6 and AirPods Pro (2nd generation) going for the whole weekend, with juice to spare in the 10,000mAh battery.
Remember to turn it off to save battery life
I wasn’t thrilled with having to power it on each time I used it and power it off afterward to avoid battery loss. In part that’s because it didn’t come on with the first press of the power button two or three times. That made me wonder if it had stopped working. But on the next press the LED lights would come on and it continued working.
When using it as a charging dock under power, having to fiddle with the power button isn’t a problem. If you’re in a place with power, you can plug in AirBox Go with its USB-C cable. The device’s pass-through power delivery allows it to charge itself while charging other devices wirelessly. That would allow you to leave it on rather than turning it on and off.
But like I said, AirBox Go shines most when used as a power bank. So if you’re traveling light and you want to make sure you personal devices — iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods — don’t die, you can’t go wrong with AirBox Go. It’s quite convenient.
But if you have those device plus a MacBook Pro and an iPad to charge, you’re better off with a multiport charger than can handle the bigger devices. In that case, you could bring AirBox Go along for the small devices if you plan to be away from power at times.
A USB-C cable is normally included for charging AirBox Go (20W), but my shipment didn’t include one, unfortunately. Even so, the device charged up fine with one of my many, many other USB-C cables.
And speaking of battery life, the device includes indicator lights for that. At the upper left-hand corner of the device you find six little LED lights next to the power button. Four of the lights indicate how charged up the 10,000mAh battery is (full with four lit white). A green light indicates fast charging is in progress. An orange light comes on when you charge AirPods. Those worked fine.
AirBox Go features and specs:
Photo: Momax
- Total output: 25 watts
- Battery capacity: 10,000mAh 37Wh 5,000mAh 7.4V (37Wh)
- Battery cell life > 300 cycles
- USB-C input: PD20W (5V 3A/9V 2A)
- iPhone MagSafe charger: 15W
- Apple Watch charger: 5W
- AirPods charging compartment: 5W
- Pass-through charging (AirBox Go can charge with cable while charging other devices wirelessly)
- Dimensions: 186.5mm x 75mm x 35mm
- Weight ~350g
- Compatibility: iPhone series 12, 13, 14 models; AirPods (3rd and 4th gen); all Apple Watch series
The regular price of Momax AirBox Go is $199.99, but right now you can get 15% off at Amazon ($169.99). And better yet, you can also apply a $20 off coupon, making your final cost $149.99. That could be worth it if you need a handy portable power bank for your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods.
Where to buy: Amazon
Momax 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.
★★★★☆
