Pitaka MagEz Slider review

The Pitaka MagEz Slider combines a desktop stand for your iPhone with a MagSafe power bank, so your handset can get juiced up wherever you go. Just slide the external battery out and take it with you. As a bonus, the swiveling stand also includes an AirPods charger.

I put the charging stand on my desk to test it out in everyday use. Here’s what I found.

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

A MagSafe desktop stand keeps your iPhone charged while holding it so you can see the display. The handset sticks to the stand so removing it is as about easy as picking it up.

A MagSafe power bank clings to your iPhone magnetically so it can juice up the handset when you’re on the move.

The Pitaka MagEz Slider is both. It’s an external battery that fits into a desktop stand. The battery is always ready to go because it’s kept plugged in.

Plus, there’s an AirPods charger built into the back of the stand. And a USB-C port gives a place to plug in an Apple Watch charger.

An iPhone stand that’s MagSafe compatible

Touch your iPhone 13 or iPhone 12 to the front of the Pitaka MagEz Slider and they’ll magnetically cling together. The connection is strong – I can tap the screen and the phone shows no sign slipping off.

While the iPhone is on the stand, the handset is charging. There’s no need to plug in a cable to power up your phone.

The stand holds your iPhone up at 30 degrees past vertical. I find that a useful angle for video, FaceTime calls or just checking incoming messages. And the MagEz Slider sits on a round base with bearings in between, so you can easily rotate it to point the screen toward you. What’s more, because the handset is attached magnetically, you can easily switch the display between landscape and portrait.

The exterior of the MagEz SLider Dock is a dark grey. It looks professional, and takes up little room on my desk.

The accessory connects to the wall via a USB-C cable. There’s a 20 watt wall charger in the box, too.

An iPhone MagSafe battery pack, too

The MagEZ Battery Pack slips into the MagEz Slider.
Photo: Adel Neal/Cult of Mac

The “slider” in the name of this product apparently refers to the MagEZ Battery Pack, which slides into the stand. The 4000 mAh power bank has a MagSafe charger built into it.

When your iPhone is charging in the stand, it’s actually clinging to the external battery. You can grab the top of the power bank and your iPhone at the same time, slide them up, and you’re ready to go.

Pitaka’s battery pack is pleasantly curved. When I’m using it with my iPhone, I haven’t found a MagSafe battery that’s more comfortable to hold than this one.

It does add some bulk, of course. It’s 3.8 inches by 2.4 inches by 0.5 inches, and 4.1 ounces. But the power bank looks good. It’s mostly black with a black/grey pattern on the rear panel.

There’s a power button hidden against the back of the iPhone when the power bank is being used. That’s fine, but the four LED battery status lights are next to it. This means you need to take the battery off your handset to see how much charge is left in the accessory.

Just so there’s no confusion, the MagEZ Battery Pack comes with the stand. And the MagSafe charger in the battery is the only one in the Pitaka MagEz Slider that can charge an iPhone. If you take the battery out, the stand can no longer juice up your handset.

iPhone power bank performance

Of course I tested the real-world performance of the MagEZ Battery Pack. I did so in the simplest way possible: I connected it to my iPhone 13 and tracked the battery level.

In half an hour of charging, the power bank raised the battery level by about 12%. That’s not particularly quick, but not painfully slow either.

Putting the battery pack in the Pitaka MagEz Slider doesn’t increase the charging speed. It’s always about 12% every 30 minutes.

The external better was able to raise the battery level in my iPhone 13 by 70%. That’s a lot of extra hours of use.

Power for your AirPods charging case, too

There’s a wireless charger for AirPods on the back of the MagEz Slider.
Photo: Adel Neal/Cult of Mac

The back side of the MagEz Slider is open, and Pitaka built a wireless AirPods charger into it.

There’s a small shelf that can be connected to the stand magnetically. Rest the AirPods charging case on this and wireless power will start flowing. It’s very convenient.

If you don’t own AirPods, leave the magnetic shelf in a drawer.

An extra USB-C port, too

The Pitaka MagEz Slider has an open USB-C slot where you can plug the Pitaka Power Dongle for Apple Watch.
Photo: Adel Neal/Cult of Mac

On one side of the MagEz Slider is an open USB-C port. Plug Pitaka’s Apple Watch travel charger ($59.99) into this port and the stand can charge three devices at once. I also found that the Satechi USB-C Magnetic Charging Dock ($39.99) works just as well.

If you don’t have an Apple Watch, the USB-C port is always there for you to charge something else. Just plug in a cable.

Pitaka MagEz Slider final thoughts

Pitaka’s MagSafe charging stand has a unique design. It’s small but can simultaneously juice up your iPhone and AirPods. And the MagEZ Battery Pack is surprisingly comfortable when attached to an iPhone.

With the right Apple Watch charger (sold separately), the stand can handle three of your devices at the same time.

Pricing

The MagEz Slider is $129 on the Pikata website. That’s a higher price than many rival products, but it does offer a few unique features.

Buy from: Pitaka

Amazon sells it bundled with Pitaka’s Apple Watch charger I mentioned earlier. The price for this combo is $179, a but less than buying them separately.

Buy from: Amazon

If you want to shop around, don’t miss the Belkin Boost↑Charge Pro 2-in-1 Wireless Charger Stand ($99.95). This is fully MagSafe compliant for much faster charging, and includes an AirPods case charger. Don’t miss my review.

Or there’s the more basic Mophie Snap+ Wireless Charging Stand ($59.95). I reviewed it too.

Pitaka provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out more in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.

Pitaka MagEz Slider review