New mophie powerstation battery can charge almost anything [Review]

The mophie powerstation pro AC includes a three-prong power socket, making this external battery right for anyone who has a range of devices they need to charge on the go, not just phones and tablets. The 27,000mAh power bank also includes a mix of three of USB ports.

I put this hefty battery to the test. Here are its strengths and drawbacks.

mophie powerstation pro AC review

We tend to take electrical sockets for granted. In our daily lives, they’re nearly ubiquitous. But when we leave home, charging our devices becomes a lot more complicated. I know I’ve wandered through airports looking for some place to plug in my phone.

An external battery is a good solution. You carry extra juice for your gear for when they run low, and it’s always convenient: right there in your bag.

The mophie powerstation pro AC is just like that, but on steroids. It carries enough power to add hours of use to an iPhone, iPad and a MacBook.

And it sports something few rival power banks do: an AC socket so you can power non-USB devices. Plus it has USB-A and USB-C ports.

• Power bank can run an iMac or Mac mini
• Don’t forget the USB ports
• It’s big. Really big.
• Plenty of storage in this power bank
• Makes a good emergency battery
• mophie powerstation pro AC final thoughts
• Pricing

Power bank can run an iMac or Mac mini

It’s obvious where the “AC” in the name of the powerstation pro AC comes from: it has an AC socket like you’d find in a wall outlet.

Anything you can plug into a wall socket can go into mophie’s power bank. But that’s an important caveat: the socket can output 100W at most. Still, that’s a useful amount of power — by their specs, you can run a Mac mini or even a 24-inch iMac off it.

Just don’t think it can handle a spaceheater. In my tests, it can run a full-size fan, but not at full speed.

While testing the powerstation pro AC, it occurred to me I could plug a multi-port wall charger into the AC socket. I tested it with the Shargeek Retro 67, and the combination works well. It adds even more USB-C ports to mophie’s accessory.

Don’t forget the USB ports

This isn’t your only option to USB ports, of course. The mophie powerstation pro AC also includes two USB-C ports and a USB-A one.

One of the USB-C ports puts out up to 60W. That’s more than enough to charge an iPad or iPhone at their maximum speed. And while some MacBooks can take in more, 60W is plenty fast.

There’s also a second USB-C port and a USB-A port that can each handle 20W. That’s as much power as an iPhone 14 can take. And it’s much more than the maximum charging rate of an Apple Watch.

Altogether, the power bank can put out 130W when all four of its ports are in use.

Plenty of storage in this power bank

The mophie powerstation pro AC holds 27,000mAh, which is a lot of power for a portable battery.

Over multiple test runs, it was able to increase the battery level on my iPhone 14 Plus by 342%. If you plug in your device as soon as the 20% warning pops up, that’s more than four recharges.

For larger computers, the power bank has plenty of power to fully recharge a 2022 MacBook Air more than once.

Just keep in mind that a battery of this capacity doesn’t get recharged quickly. There are four LEDs on one side to give a basic indication of charge level, and an hour of drinking in power at 41W lit up two of them, so about 50%. Still, it was several hours later before the power bank was full — charging slows down considerably as the level approaches 100%.

It’s big. Really big.

The mophie powerstation pro AC is powerful enough to be useful in many situations, but you’re going to have to think hard about whether you want to carry it into those situations. Because it’s quite large.

It weighs in at 2.6 pounds. The unit is 7.6 inches by 4.5 inches by 1.25 inches.

That’s not something you’re going to carry around on the off chance you might need it. But if you’re going to be away from electrical sockets for multiple days, it might be worth toting in this external battery.

Or when you’re traveling by car, size and weight becomes less of a issue.

Makes a good emergency battery

Trips into the wilderness aren’t the only time the mophie powerstation pro AC can be a lifesaver. Because it’s able to store 27,000mAh of power, you might consider keeping this accessory charged up for emergencies.

I tested the the power bank with the Lion 50W Foldable Solar Panel, and they made a good combination. Together, they could keep multiple devices going through a days-long power outage.

The AC socket would likely come in handy in this situation. You never know what you might need to power up in an emergency.

mophie powerstation pro AC final thoughts

Anyone going off the grid for an extended time can see the advantages of a an external battery capable of recharging devices multiple times. Even if it is kind of hefty. It keeps your iPhone, Mac or iPad running long after more svelte batteries have given up the ghost.

And the AC socket adds a tremendous amount of flexibility.

★★★★★

Pricing

The mophie powerstation pro AC is available now for $199.95.

Buy from: mophie

It’s expensive, but the AC plug is unusual enough to help justify the premium price.

mophie 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.