Every iPhone in Apple’s current range has MagSafe, the magnetic ring built into each device that lets you connect wireless chargers – yet the one MagSafe battery pack Apple sells is only compatible with the iPhone Air.

So, why doesn’t Apple make any battery add-ons for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17e or the iPhone 16? It’s a question I’ve been pondering since I started testing the PowerCapsule, a magnetic power bank from Twelve South.

I’ve been using this battery-boosting accessory for a month with my iPhone 16, as well as the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, which has Pixelsnap, an Android version of MagSafe. The charger works with any iPhone with MagSafe and is certified for fast Qi2 wireless charging that the majority now support, as well as the Pixel 10 series. That means it can charge a phone at speeds of up to 15W.

The Twelve South PowerCapsule costs £49.99, which is half the price of Apple’s £99 iPhone Air MagSafe Battery, which the US firm has designed to only fit properly on the back of the slender iPhone Air or one of its official cases.

Twelve South’s charger comes in dark slate or light dune colours and snaps easily onto the back of any MagSafe or Pixelsnap phone, automatically starting to charge using its 5,000mAh capacity cell. My slate test unit looks the part, with a textured design on one side and a rubberised finish on the side that clips to your phone to prevent scratches.

A single button shows you how charged the device is with four white lights, while a blue light shows it’s delivering charge. You recharge the PowerCapule itself via any USB-C charger, with a lovely 1.5m braided cable included in the box.

The premise of snapping a battery pack onto your phone to charge is very simple and useful given the relatively short, day-long battery life of many smartphones. Yet Apple only made a universal MagSafe battery pack for a short period, discontinuing it in 2023.

Perhaps Apple thought modern iPhones have good enough battery life that the firm didn’t need to provide a magnetic charging pack anymore – but then in September 2025, the iPhone Air version resurrected the line up, and was a clear sign Apple was admitting the slim iPhone Air didn’t have the staying power of the iPhone 17 models thanks to its smaller battery.

If you have any MagSafe iPhone, then the PowerCapsule is very easy to use, but it has a couple of neat hidden tricks up its sleeve. Not only can you charge the charger while it’s connected to a phone, powering up both devices at once, but it can also be charging a phone while additionally topping up another phone or accessory via USB-C, such as AirPods.

If you see yourself doing this regularly, you might want to opt for the 10,000mAh version, which is surprisingly but pleasingly only £10 more at £59.99. This beefier option can also charge at up to 30W wired – just note it’ll be noticeably thicker and heavier than the slender 5,000mAh version I tested, which has enough juice to refill most of an iPhone battery when you hit the red.

As a small, light, simple MagSafe charger, you can’t go wrong with the Twelve South PowerCapsule. At £49.99, it’s a peace of mind purchase to charge up and keep in your bag or even a jeans pocket. It’ll be ready to go when you’re out and about and suddenly realise your phone is about to die.

Apple should be making a MagSafe power pack for all its iPhones. In the meantime, this one fills the gap nicely.

Buy the Twelve South PowerCapsule from Amazon