I’m always on the lookout for new slim and lightweight pocket-sized portable chargers and the 5,000 mAh one recently launched by Baseus. PicoGo Air AM71 is easily one of the thinnest and lightest power banks I’ve ever tested. Just 0.27 inches (6.9 mm) thick and weighing about 3.7 ounces (105 grams), it’s a bit thinner and lighter than the previous Baseus. PicoGo Ultra Slim Magnetic Power Bank And Anker Nano MagSafe Portable Charger ($55), both measuring 0.3 inches thick and housing 5,000 mAh batteries.
But is the PicoGo Air better than the Anker? The short answer is: in a way, yes; in some ways, no.
Learn more: Best Power Banks for iPhone in 2026
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The Baseus PicoGo Air AM71 is slightly thinner and lighter than the Anker Nano MagSafe.
David Carnoy/CNETWhat makes the Pico Air AM71 better
- Price: While the PicoGo Air AM71 costs $70, applying code EHYGXRMR has payment on Amazon brings the price down to $40, $15 less than the Anker Nano MagSafe. The code is valid until July 31.
- Height and weight: The PicoGo Air AM71 is a bit thinner than the Nano MagSafe and definitely feels lighter in your hand. However, their overall footprint is about the same.
- Slightly faster wired charging: The PicoGo Air AM71 offers 22.5 watts of wired fast charging, compared to 20 watts for the Nano MagSafe.
- Braided mini USB-C cable included: You get a well-designed short cable for wired charging that feels durable.
- NFC PowerSense functionality: Once connected to the Baseus app, place the PicoGo Air AM71 near your phone and tap to pair via short-range NFC to view battery status.
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The PicoGo Air comes with a short braided USB-C cable for faster wired charging.
David Carnoy/CNETWhat makes it less good
- Wireless charging speed: The PicoGo Air AM71 does not support Qi2 wireless charging and only charges at speeds of 7.5 watts in wireless charging mode. (Baseus earlier PicoGo Ultra Slim Magnetic Power Bank offers the same 7.5-watt wireless charging speed.)
- The battery heats up a little more: Although the PicoGo Air AM71 has layers of graphene and airgel insulation and was designed with a “proprietary thermal management system, featuring a micro-structured heat dissipation design that increases the cooling surface area by 50%,” according to the company, it does get a little warm, especially in wired charging mode. It remained pretty cool in wireless charging mode, however.
- NFC PowerSense functionality is temperamental: The battery monitoring feature only provides a snapshot of battery status, not real-time data. It also didn’t display power output for me; only the input power.
- The magnet doesn’t seem as strong: The PicoGo Air AM71 adhered very well to the back of my iPhone 16 Pro And iPhone17 (I tried it with a few cases), but I would say that Anker’s magnet seems a bit stronger. No ring is included for Android devices — I tried it with a Google Pixel 9 — but some people like me have already stuck a metal ring to the back of their device. Android phone to imitate MagSafe.
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The NFC battery monitoring function.
David Carnoy/CNETFinal Conclusions of Baseus PicoGo Air AM71
The Baseus PicoGo Air AM71 is a very thin and light power bank, very compact and easy to recommend, although it does have some drawbacks. I ended up sticking it to the back of my iPhone 16 Pro, but I used it more in wired mode (with the included short braided cable) than in wireless mode, since the phone charged much faster via a cable. Note that while a 5,000mAh battery should be able to fully charge an iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 17, it may be a bit insufficient due to capacity loss due to heat and voltage conversion.
The Pico Go Air AM71 offers small advantages over the previous one PicoGo Ultra Slim Magnetic Power Bankincluding a slimmer design, faster wired charging and better cooling. But the older model sells for around $25.
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The Baseus PicoGo AM52 is about twice as large and heavier as the PicoGo AM71, but it’s slim for a 10,000 mAh battery and has a built-in USB-C cable for wireless charging.
David Carnoy/CNETFor those looking for a higher-capacity charger, Baseus also recently launched its 10,000 mAh PicoGo AM52 battery (around $55), which is Qi2 certified and offers wireless charging speeds up to 25 watts and has a built-in cable for wired charging up to 45 watts. Note that you’ll only get short bursts of 25-watt wireless charging speeds as the battery slows down to prevent overheating.
As long as the extra size and weight suits you – the PicoGo AM52 is about twice as thick as the PicoGo Air AM71 at 0.6 inches and weighs about twice as much at 6.95 ounces – this may be the better choice. Apply code UTYJDF7V at checkout on Amazon to bring its price down to $43.
That said, personally I prefer a very light and thin power bank. But that’s just me.
