Anker MagGo Apple Watch Power Bank Review - a lone champion.

Following the recent recall of Belkin’s BoostCharge Pro Fast Wireless Charger for Apple Watch + Power Bank 10K, (that’s one heck of a name), there are now only a handful of official fast charging power banks for the Apple Watch.

Two to be exact.

You have Otterbox’s 2-in-1 Power Bank with Apple Watch Charger, and the other one is the Anker MagGo Power Bank for Apple Watch.

The Otterbox one is cheaper at $35, but it has several limitations that make the Anker MagGo at $55 a much better deal. The only thing the Otterbox version has going for it is its smaller size and price. But for just $20, you can get so much more for your money. Not to mention your watch might not be as secure as you would like on the charging stand. Throw a steel Apple watch with a link bracelet, and I bet it falls off.

Here’s a quick chart comparison:

In terms of design and aesthetics, the Anker MagGo Power Bank looks and feels like a high quality product. Say goodbye to battery packs with rubbery coatings that inevitably get sticky and attract more lint than wool pants. The top is a curved matte-plastic with a glossy sheen, while the bottom is a matte plastic with 4 little feet that  probably are screw covers.

The sides are matte but ridged so you get a grippy surface. The MagSafe puck can be flush with the device or can be positioned at 90 degrees if you have a special band that won’t lie flat like the link bracelet . The puck is a bit stiff to bring up and down, but I would rather have it be a bit stiff vs being loose.

The built-in USB-C cable is supposedly very durable since it acts as a lanyard, and only time will tell how well it holds up. It’s not meant to be lassoed around, but if you just use it to pick it up and put away, that should be fine. The cord material is nice and might be made of the same material as an Apple Watch sport band. It feels like the Apple coined, “fluoroelastomer” material. The cord easily glides out of the slot to be used to charge any other USB-C device and nestles back into its space magnetically, which is satisfying.

You can charge the battery bank two ways: with the built-in cord, or with the built-in port. You also get infinite battery life if you plug in the cord to the port (you don’t actually get infinite battery life by doing that).

The button next to the cord allows you to turn on the display to check battery status, and pressing it again changes the orientation of the read-out. If you take the puck charger out at its 90 degree angle, the display automatically orients itself in the right direction. The display turns blue when charging other devices, and green when being charged up. You also get wattage readouts for each device being charged. Up to 3 devices at the same time.

So does it actually live up to its claim of fast charging the Apple Watch Series 10 from 0-80 in 30 minutes? 

Yes it does.

I drained my 42mm Jet Black Series 10, and I got 82% after 30 minutes. With the larger sized watches I am sure they will meet the 80% claim. I even tested the 41mm Series 9, and I got 88% in 45 minutes which exceeds Apple’s 80% in 45 minutes claim.

The Anker MagGo Power Bank for the Apple Watch is the lone champion right now if you want an external power bank that can fast charge the latest Apple Watches. Even though it is the only option with faster charging, it does not skimp on features and functionality, making it a great buy. Normally priced at $80, it is currently on sale for $65, and if you keep track of the price, you can get it for even cheaper (I got mine for $55).

How to tell the difference between AirPods Pro 1 and AirPods Pro 2

Whether you get them mixed up or you have some shady person trying to sell you AirPods Pro 2 at a discount, you should know the difference between the two.

The outer casing is a dead giveaway with the speaker holes and the lanyard slot, but how would you tell the actual buds apart?

The heads of the buds on the Pro 2 have two black speaker/sensor cutouts vs the single one on the 1st generation.

The stems are identical.

AirPods Pro 1 (left) vs AirPods Pro 2 (right).

AirPods Pro 2 gets approval to be used as a clinical-grade hearing aid.

The engineering put into the AirPods Pro 2 is just phenomenal, but it also begs the question:

What percentage of hearing loss can be attributed to AirPods?

Or the even bigger question:

Since Apple was part of the music revolution with the iPod in 2001, what percentage of hearing loss can be attributed to Apple?

It’s not fair to blame Apple for hearing loss since they’re not forcing anyone to listen to music (or anything else) on absurdly high volumes, but it’s still something to think about.

At least they’re trying to raise awareness and fix it with the newly updated AirPods Pro 2.

How to get USB-C charging on your old AirPods

Filipe Espósito from 9to5Mac:

Engineer Ken Pillonel has developed a simple but great accessory: a case for AirPods that have a charging case with a Lightning port. But rather than being a mere protective case, Pillonel’s invention comes with a USB-C port, so that owners of older AirPods can simply “upgrade” their charging case.

Essentially, the case created by Pillonel has a built-in Lightning to USB-C adapter. All users need to do is put their original AirPods case inside the USB-C case. Then, when you connect a USB-C cable to the protective case, it will transmit power to the AirPods case inside.

Apple sells a USB-C charging case for the second generation AirPods Pro, so that those who own the Lightning version can upgrade without having to buy new earbuds. However, the case alone costs $99. Pillonel’s solution costs around $40 and is available not only for AirPods Pro 2, but also for AirPods 1, 2 and 3 and the original AirPods Pro.

Not a bad idea if you just want to go full on USB-C. Plus they're made in Switzerland. I really like how the engineer was trying to avoid any litigation from Apple by cleverly disguising the name AirPods into 41rP0d$.