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| The PicoGo Air costs around $43.44 in China. Pictured: a promotional picture showcasing the thin design of the power bank. |
The magnetic power bank wars are heating up, and Baseus just fired a shot across Xiaomi's bow.
In the endless quest to slim down our everyday carry, power banks have traditionally been the awkward bulge in your pocket. But Baseus is betting that the new PicoGo Air—launched this week in China—strikes the perfect balance between wafer-thin portability and actual usability. The headline figure? Just 6.9mm thin.
That makes it undeniably sleek, though eagle-eyed spec watchers will note that Xiaomi's recently unveiled UltraThin Magnetic Power Bank 5000 measures an even slimmer 6mm. So Baseus isn't taking the absolute thickness crown. But here's where things get interesting: both packs deliver identical core specs, and Baseus has added a party trick Xiaomi can't match.
Same Core, Different Soul
Let's talk numbers first. The PicoGo Air packs a rated capacity of 5,000mAh—that's enough to fully juice most iPhones once or give a Samsung Galaxy a solid top-up. Like its Xiaomi rival, Baseus skipped the newer Qi 2.2 standard. Magnetic wireless charging tops out at 15W, which is perfectly fine for overnight charging or desk duty, if not exactly racecar speed.
Plug in a cable, and you'll get 22.5W wired output. Again, identical to Xiaomi's offering. So on raw charging specs, it's a dead heat.
Where the PicoGo Air separates itself is the stuff you can't see on a spec sheet.
The NFC Feature Nobody Asked For, But Everyone Will Want
Here's the genuinely clever bit: Baseus built what it calls PowerSense NFC into this power bank. Tap your phone against it, and a companion app pulls up detailed battery status—not just a blinking LED guessing game, but actual percentage readouts, health metrics, and charging stats.
It's one of those features you don't realize you need until you've used it. Anyone who's ever squinted at four tiny LEDs trying to decode whether their power bank has 25% or 50% left knows the frustration. The PicoGo Air solves that with a simple tap.
Baseus showcased this feature in their announcement on Weibo. You can see the official post (machine translated from Chinese) right here: Baseus PicoGo Air Launch on Weibo.
Keeping Its Cool: The Glacier Heat Dissipation Structure
Thin power banks have a notorious enemy: heat. Cramming batteries and charging coils into a 6.9mm chassis is a recipe for thermal trouble. Baseus claims to have solved this with what it calls the "Glacier Heat Dissipation Structure"—a mouthful, sure, but the engineering behind it is legit.
The setup pairs an advanced VC (vapor chamber) heat sink with an aluminum alloy body and adaptive temperature control. In plain English? The entire chassis acts like a heatsink, pulling warmth away from the internal components before it becomes a problem. Baseus promises stable, safe charging even when you're pulling the full 15W wirelessly.
For comparison, if you're looking for a high-wattage wall charger to pair with this setup, the 65W Ugreen Nexode Pro slim charger is currently $44.99 on Amazon—a solid companion for faster top-ups when you're near an outlet.
Design Details That Actually Matter
Baseus isn't hiding its inspirations here. The PicoGo Air features what the company calls "Apple-inspired R-angle curved design"—which is marketing speak for "it looks and feels like it belongs next to an iPhone." Three metallic finishes are available at launch, and Baseus says the built-in magnets are aggressively strong. No wobble, no slipping off mid-charge.
The company is also throwing in a short USB-C cable with every unit. Notably, that bundled wire supports up to 60W fast charging, which is overkill for the power bank itself but thoughtful for charging other devices.
Pricing and Availability
The Baseus PicoGo Air launched in China at 299 yuan, which converts to roughly $43.44. That puts it in direct price competition with Xiaomi's offering and slightly below many Anker alternatives.
International availability hasn't been announced yet. But here's the pattern: Baseus has consistently brought its PicoGo lineup to global markets, usually within two to three months of a China launch. The PicoGo series has been a quiet hit on Amazon US and Europe, and there's little reason to expect the Air will stay home.
Who Is This For?
If you're a specs-first buyer, the PicoGo Air and Xiaomi's UltraThin are virtually identical on paper. Same capacity. Same wireless speed. Same wired output. The Xiaomi is marginally thinner and lighter.
But if you value thoughtful extras—the NFC battery check, the superior thermal management, the premium aluminum build—Baseus makes a compelling case. And for anyone who's ever been frustrated by ambiguous LED battery indicators, that PowerSense feature alone might be worth the slight thickness penalty.
The magnetic power bank category is evolving fast, and 6mm is no longer the floor. But Baseus is betting that being slightly thicker with significantly smarter features is the winning formula. Early signs from the Chinese launch suggest they might be right.
Bottom line: If you need the absolute thinnest magnetic power bank money can buy, Xiaomi still holds that crown. If you want a nearly-as-thin pack with genuinely useful features and better thermal engineering, the PicoGo Air is your answer. Watch for the global launch later this year.
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| The NFC feature of the power bank (machine translated) |
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| Temperature control features of the power bank (machine translated) |
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| Core highlights of the power bank (machine translated) |