Baseus PicoGo AM52 25W 10K Magnetic Power Bank review: Sl…

Macworld At a glance Expert’s Rating Pros 25W wireless iPhone charging 45W wired charging 10K battery capacity Thermal engineering Built-in cable option Cons Sli…

Impressing with both fast wireless (25W) and wired (45W) outputs, the Baseus AM52 is the slimmest 25W 10000mAh power bank we’ve tested. Choose the model with a built-in USB-C cable for the most convenient travelling solution. Portable power banks are getting smaller and faster, but somewhere in the middle is a sweet spot that will make the ideal power bank for iPhone users. Too small and the power bank’s capacity to recharge the iPhone’s battery will be impaired.

Too fast and the charging phone might get too hot, damaging the health of its battery. Baseus has impressed us with its recent PicoGo series of magnetic wireless power banks. When we reviewed the Baseus PicoGo 10000mAh Magnetic Power Bank (AM61) we noted its super-fast 25W wireless charging speed that is paired by a 45W wired charging option. The Baseus PicoGo AM52 Qi2.2 Magnetic Power Bank follows the AM61 with the same 10K capacity and identical wireless and wired charging speeds.

It’s thinner, is built using superior materials and demonstrates better heat dissipation. The sleek AM52 comes in two models: one with an integrated USB-C cable, and one without. Both measure 4.1 x 2.6 x 0.63 inches (102 x 67 x 16mm), with the cable-free version weighing 196g vs the cabled model’s 211g—so both around 7.45oz. The similarly cabled Baseus PicoGo AM61 measures 4.1 x 2.7 x 0.75 inches (104 x 68 x 19mm) and weighs the same as the wired AM52.

The AM52 is therefore roughly the same dimensions as its sibling, except that its marginally slimmer: 16mm vs 19mm. While the AM61 has a plastic front and glossy coated back, the AM52 boasts a silicone front and aluminum alloy back with a sandblasted finish for better fingerprint resistance. Most 10K wireless power banks are around 22mm deep, so the AM52 is one of the slimmest we’ve tested. The Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K, Slim) is even slimmer at just under 15mm but is rated at 15W power rather than the AM52’s 25W.

The AM52 is, in my experience, the slimmest Qi2.2 power bank you can buy. The aluminum alloy shell of the AM52 is finished with a soft silicone contact surface that’s scratch-resistant and is smoothly comfortable to hold. As mentioned, the Baseus PicoGo AM52 employs the latest Qi2.2 charging technology so can output wirelessly at up to 25W for iPhone 16 or later. Earlier iPhones (12-15) will charge at 15W using this power bank.

If you aren’t planning on upgrading your phone for the foreseeable fututre, you could probably save money on a cheaper 15W power bank. If you own an iPhone 16 or 17 or plan on buying one or the iPhone 18, buy a 25W wireless power bank now. In our tests the AM52 recharged an iPhone 16 Pro from 0% to 50% in 36 minutes, which is the charging time we’d expect for a Qi2.2 charger. If you need even faster charging, use the integrated USB-C cable or a separate cable in the USB-C port for output at up to 45W.

When clamped to the back of your iPhone and connected via USB-C, priority is given to the faster 45W—the ice-blue wireless indicator light will turn off—as otherwise the 15W shared limit would otherwise be engaged. You needn’t worry about this as the power bank will automatically pick the best speed for you. This won’t make a big difference to the charging time for an iPhone that can’t take advantage of the full 45W, but it is aimed very much as Samsung phones that can accept up to that level of power.

It will still be a faster recharge than wireless, even at 25W. Of course, you’ll need at least an iPhone 15 to use the USB-C into the iPhone. Apple fans needn’t shrug their shoulders as 45W is also powerful enough to keep a MacBook Air going or slowly charge a sleeping MacBook Pro. The 10K capacity should give a MacBook around a 30-40% charge. The cabled version of the AM52 retains the USB-C port found on the basic model, so can charge three devices at the same time: one wirelessly, one via the built-in cable and one via the port.

When using all the ports, however, power output is limited to 15W shared between the outputs. Charging at as much as 25W brings with it temperature concerns. To protect itself a connected phone getting too warm from the attention will slow down or cut of charging until it cools down—thus negating some of the speedy 25W wireless benefit. We’ve tested a 25W power bank—the Sharge Icemag 3—with its own fan to keep it cool, but at times we could hear this when there was little other background noise.

Baseus claims that the fanless AM52 uses a triple-loop cooling system to ensure safe and efficient charging, even when powering two devices simultaneously. This system includes a graphene heat-conduction layer to spread heat evenly and quickly across the aluminum body. The Baseus PicoGo AM52 costs $69.99 / £59.99 for the model with no integrated cable and $79.99 / £69.99 for the AM52 with cable built in.

We think that extra ten bucks is worth it for the convenience of the built-in cable. The ‘cableless’ AM52 does in fact ship with a separate 300mm USB-C to USB-C cable but it’s not integrated into the power bank itself. Impressing with both fast wireless (25W) and wired (45W) outputs, the Baseus AM52 is the slimmest 25W 10000mAh power bank we’ve tested. Choose the model with a built-in USB-C cable for the most convenient travelling solution.

Simon has over 30 years of expert experience testing and reviewing ever-smaller and more powerful tech accessories, from USB-C and Thunderbolt docks to chargers, batteries, hubs and adapters. A former Editor of Macworld, he has contributed to PCWorld, Tech Advisor and TimeOut, as well as national newspapers such as The Times, Independent and Telegraph.

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