Eliana Willis

This Belkin battery pack is not only an upgraded version of a good original, but it’s also ZDNET’s pick for the best MagSafe battery pack right now. I really liked the first iteration of this battery pack, and I like the newly upgraded Qi2 version even more. This new model has the USB-C connector on the side instead of the bottom of the pack, making it easier to use your phone standing upright while the pack is charging. Instead of the charging indicator lights being on the side, they’re now more visible, located on the back of the pack. This model is also a tad slimmer and lengthier than its predecessor, making it easier to transport. Also: My new favorite MagSafe battery pack supports Qi2 charging, has a kickstand, and isn’t made by Anker or BaseusAnd while this Belkin pack is a true embodiment of a classic brick-style battery booster, there is still a place in my heart for it because it just works so well. Similarly to many options on our Best MagSafe battery pack list, it provides 5,000mAh of extra juice to your phone, which is a standard capacity for many MagSafe packs. Its design, though simple, fits snugly against my phone (no bumping onto the lip of my camera lens) and remains secure. Its secure grip and competitive battery speak for themselves. I took this pack to a Yankees game, to several late-night outings, to work, and even on errands, and I am impressed with the charging. You can expect between a 25-30% battery boost in about an hour to your phone.What’s more is that it comes with a built-in stand that easily swings in and out — no folding required — and while I originally thought this would be useless, I rather enjoyed being able to prop my phone up whenever. Perhaps the best thing about this Belkin pack is that it comes in a few fun colors, a nice feature many competitors still haven’t matched.Like the previous iteration, this pack is still not the slimmest design I’ve ever seen. But the newly upgraded design offers a more comfortable and sleek user experience that feels great in the hand and doesn’t feel as boxy as the pack really is. Overall, I’m impressed with the new shape and think it was a much-needed facelift. Apple is the only retailer that sells the blue, green, pink, and sand color options right now (as well as black), which is a bit of a downside. On the flip side, Belkin only carries the black and white iterations as well as the 8k and 10k models. Regardless, Redditors who own this battery pack really like the intentional upgrades. Some Redditors said that this is a great pack to replace Apple’s discontinued battery pack, too. Belkin Boostcharge Pro Qi2 Magnetic Power Bank 5K features: Capacity: 5,000mAh | Charging Port: USB-C | Power button: Yes | Available in a few colors (some Apple exclusive) More

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Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images If you’re a Venmo user, you should probably review your privacy settings. If you haven’t checked them before, your entire friends list and transaction history are public. Also: NASA has a problem, and it’s offering up to $3 million if you have a solution You might wonder why it matters […] More

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Prakhar Khanna/ZDNETI’ve been running the iOS 18 betas on my iPhone 16 for weeks, and I’m currently running the betas of iOS 18.1. One thing that’s been a constant companion of mine during that time has been a power bank. Why? Because my iPhone 16’s battery life has been terrible with iOS 18. It turns out I’m not alone. Reddit, Apple’s support forums, and social media are awash with people complaining about battery life. Also: I improved my iPhone’s battery life by changing these 11 settingsReddit user with the creative name of reddit_sucks12 has this to say:I just got the iPhone 16 pro max and I noticed the charge left while idle is way worse than my iPhone 13 Pro Max. Literally within like 3-4 hours of being idle while I sleep it lost about 15-20%, which compared to my iPhone 13 Pro Max is abysmal because it loses only a few percentage points. Is anyone else experiencing the same issue and is it related to iOS 18? I really hope so because I don’t want the phone to have problems like this.I’ve done some digging around to see it there are any commonalities to the complaints. It boils down to an extremely rapid drop in battery — as much as 50% in a few hours — and that is able to happen even when the iPhone is not being used. Reddit user mlaprise did some tests:I did an experiment.I charged my existing 14 Pro and a 16 pro (bought 2 week ago) and used them the exact same way, but they sit mostly unused for 36h. Here’s the result.You can see the 16 Pro discharge going faster in the last 12h. Both have the same background app processing running (none). Not sure what’s going on on the 16 Pro. After 36h, the 14 Pro is at 85%, the 16 Pro at 58%.As usual, people have been turning stuff off, tweaking settings, removing apps and widgets to no avail. No one it seems has come up with a solution. And I’m in the same boat. I’ve tried a bunch of stuff — even turning off the always-on display and killing background refresh on a swathe of apps — and nothing worked. Also: NASA has a problem, and it’s offering up to $3 million if you have a solutionWe’ll have to wait for Apple to fix this for us.So this is why I’m carrying around a power bank — a small 10,000mAh Ugreen unit More

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