Slim matters. Light matters more. That is why Baseus’ new PicoGo Air AM71 gets attention.
It is thin. 0.27 inches exactly. It weighs 3.7 ounces. My hands barely notice it is there. This beats the older PicoGo Ultra-Slim and even the Anker Nano MagSafe. Those are slightly thicker and heavier. Same 5,000mAh battery capacity, though.
Is it better? Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. It is not a perfect winner.
The wins
Price drops. Listed at $70 it sounds expensive. Use code EHYGXRMR on Amazon before July 31 and you pay $40. Fifteen bucks less than Anker. That hurts for the competitor.
The build feels good. Slimmer profile, lighter weight, same footprint. Then there is charging speed. The PicoGo Air does 22.5 watts over USB-C. Anker caps at 20 watts. A small gap. But a gap nonetheless.
Baseus throws in a braided USB-C cable too. Short. Durable. It actually stays in your pocket without tangling.
And NFC. PowerSense. Log into the Baseus app. Hold the power bank near your phone. Tap. You see battery stats. It is a nice touch if it worked consistently.
The misses
Wireless charging is slow. Only 7.5 watts. No Qi2 support here. If you hate waiting while lying down, this is annoying.
Heat creeps in. Baseus talks big about graphene and aerogel. They claim a “proprietary thermal management system.” Micro-structured heat dissipation. Sounds impressive on paper. In practice my hand felt warm during wired charging. Wireless kept cooler. Still warmer than I like.
Then the NFC glitch. The battery monitor gives you a snapshot. Not live data. Sometimes it showed input power. Not output. Useless half the time.
Magnets are okay. It sticks to my iPhone 16 Pro. Even through a case. But Anker feels tighter. Stronger grip. Android users are out of luck. No ring included. Stick one on yourself if you want MagSafe-style mounting on a Pixel.
Should you buy it?
I stuck this to the back of my phone. Used the cable. Much faster that way. 5,000mAh is a decent buffer but do not expect to top off twice. Conversion loss and heat eat into that capacity.
Compare it to the old PicoGo Ultra-Slim. That model is slower but costs around $25. For a fraction of the price. The Air is slimmer though. And faster.
Want more juice? Look at the PicoGo AM52. 10,000mAh. Qi2 certified. Up to 25 watts wireless. 45 watts wired. Thick though. Twice the size. Twice the weight.
Thinness has a cost. Power usually adds bulk. You have to choose one or the other.
If weight is your enemy get the Air. If capacity is king look at the AM52. Apply code UTYJDF71 on Amazon to drop its price to $43.
I still reach for the slimmest thing available. Even if it takes longer. Comfort matters. Maybe not to you.
