Anker's new 8.6mm magnetic power bank is impressively slim — but not yet sold outside China
Anker has launched its slimmest magnetic power bank yet in China, and the specs are genuinely appealing — but if you're shopping in the US or UK, you'll need to wait. The Anker Air measures just 8.6mm thick, holds 5000mAh, and sells on JD.com for 329 yuan (around $48/£38). No Western launch date has been announced.
The design
At 8.6mm, the Air is thinner than most smartphones in a case. Anker has kept the hardware minimal: no OLED screen, just LED charge indicators. That trim choice cuts cost and bulk without a real trade-off for most users — you're checking battery level, not running a dashboard. The magnetic hold is rated at 12.8 N, which is comparable to rivals from Baseus and Ugreen, and Anker says it works through compatible magnetic cases.
The charging
Wireless output tops out at 15W, in line with the Qi2 standard that's spreading across Android flagships as well as iPhone. Wired USB-C hits 20W. Anker claims the Air can take an iPhone 17 Pro from zero to 33% in about 30 minutes wirelessly — enough to keep you going through the back half of a long workday. The bank can charge two devices simultaneously, though speeds drop in that mode.
The competition
Here's the catch: the compact magnetic charging market has moved quickly. In the UK, the Baseus PicoGo AM52 is already available for around £59 with 10,000mAh and 25W Qi2.2 wireless charging — double the capacity and faster output. In the US, Anker's own Nano 5K sits at roughly $54–60 on Amazon and covers a very similar niche. The Air's main edge is its thinness and, potentially, a lower price point if it reaches shelves here.
5000mAh won't get you through a weekend trip, but it's a solid daily backup — the kind you clip on before heading out and forget about until you need it. If Anker brings the Air to the US and UK at or near its Chinese price, it lands in an attractive spot. For now, per Notebookcheck, it remains a China-only product with no confirmed timeline for a wider rollout.
