The Beloved USB Gadget That Belongs In Your Next Costco Cart

There is no dearth of excellent USB gadgets that make our everyday lives easier. While some cool gadgets use your PC's USB ports to add new functionality, other useful USB gadgets can level up your workspace. One such useful USB gadget is the Anker MagGo Magnetic Wireless Charging 5,000mAh Power Bank, which can come in super handy to you if you own a smartphone or mobile accessory that supports Qi wireless charging. It also has built-in magnets, making it pretty easy to attach to a phone with MagSafe or Qi2 charging support.

While the wireless charging support is certainly convenient, you can also use it to juice up your device using a regular USB cable, making it pretty versatile. Costco is selling a two-pack of the Anker MagGo power bank at just $40 — which is a solid deal — as Anker sells similar 5,000mAh wireless charging power banks at around $48 for a single unit. You can keep both units for your own use or gift the second power bank to a friend or family member to make their life a bit more convenient. Now, let's take a look at the various features of this power bank and what you can expect from it.

As the name suggests, the Anker MagGo Magnetic Wireless Charging 5,000mAh Power Bank features a 5,000mAh battery. It's important to remember that power banks can lose around 40% of the stored battery capacity in power conversions, so you are likely to only get around 3,000mAh of battery power while charging a mobile device with the Anker power bank. So, if you have a smartphone with a 5,000mAh battery, don't hope that the Anker power bank will charge the phone from zero to 100%. The power loss is even more during wireless charging. Among other features, the Anker offering features a built-in kickstand that can be useful when you plan to use the phone while charging it for video calls or watching media.

Additionally, it supports pass-through charging, which means you can connect the power bank to a wall adapter and charge both the power bank and the connected device simultaneously. In terms of charging speeds, it supports up to 7.5W of wireless charging speeds; however, if you connect a USB-C cable, you can get up to 12W of wired charging. If you use both wireless charging and wired charging features of the power bank simultaneously, the total charging output will be limited to 12W. The Anker power bank itself can be charged at 10W using the built-in USB-C port.

Costco shoppers are generally positive about the Anker power bank and appreciate the built-in kickstand for convenience, its lightweight design, and value-for-money pricing. Some buyers also say it's a useful USB gadget while travelling and is pretty easy to use. The only major complaints are around its slow charging speeds and the weak magnetic connection offered by the power bank. It's important to remember that if you're using the power bank with a phone case, you need to use a MagSafe case; otherwise, you won't get an ideal magnetic connection.

A small selection of shoppers also highlights not being able to fully charge their phones with it. But, as mentioned, all power banks suffer from power conversion losses and will never deliver the marketed battery capacity. Anker offers an 18-month warranty for any manufacturing defects, and you also have Costco's own return policy if you're not happy with your purchase.