Not surprisingly, while running a site like this, I get a lot of requests to review power banks, but I turn down most of them. There’s only so much you can say about a generic black box that has the same design, capacity, and functionality as its competitors.
When Australian manufacturer Pulse Charge recently contacted me to ask if I would review its product unlimited wireless However, I’m more interested in the power bank than usual: the company says its goal is to create products that not only perform well but also look great, and the photos on the website seem to bear that out.
However, there’s often a big difference between cleverly lit product photos and reality, and that’s even before you start using it: The world’s most beautiful power bank isn’t worth much if it doesn’t work well.
Could that be the case here? I guess there’s only one way to find out.
Design and features
The Infinity is a small, slim, Magsafe-compatible power bank that’s longer and wider than a credit card, standing at just 8.5mm tall without the kickstand.
It comes in an unusually wide range of colors, including vibrant options like lilac and green as well as standard colors like black and white. Mine is the titanium version, which is probably the most stylish option.
The device has a premium feel to it, and that feeling extends to the packaging as well. It’s amazing what a little cardboard and foam can do to the unboxing experience. In addition to the device itself, there’s a small instruction card and a short USB C cable in the box.
The sheer amount of text and icons on the front does take away from the appeal a bit, but true to the company’s promise, the Infinity still looks better than most power banks.
There’s a big circle on the front letting you know where the wireless charging coil is, and underneath there’s a bunch of small text outlining all the various charging speeds on offer. There’s not much to say about the sides: aside from the USB C port and a small power button, they’re completely blank.
Press the power button once to turn it on and check the remaining power, press the power button twice to turn it off.
The stand, the most obvious feature on the back, is mounted in the middle so you can support the Infinity both vertically and horizontally. It’s not completely flush, which again means the power bank itself doesn’t sit flat on a table. Does it matter? not at all.
There’s also a row of small LED lights on the back: one lights up when the device is wirelessly charging, while the other four show the approximate remaining charge and whether the power bank itself is charging.
The rated power output is relatively high for such a compact device: up to 15W for wireless charging, or up to 20W if a USB C cable is plugged in. There’s one in the box, but almost any other should work just as well.
One of the features I was surprised to find was pass-through charging, which allows you to charge your device wirelessly from the Infinity while the power bank itself charges via a USB C cable.
In theory, this means you can use the Infinity as an everyday wireless charger rather than just a power bank. It probably won’t have a huge impact on the lifespan of the internal battery, but it’s still an option.
The Infinity’s 5000mAh capacity means most modern phones can be fully charged to meet your optimal needs. You won’t take it on a multi-day hike, but if you run out of battery on your phone before dinner time, it’ll easily get you through the end of the day.
Specification
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aspect: 42031_1bbc82-42> |
10 x 6.7 x 0.85 cm (3.9 x 2.6 x 0.3 inches) 42031_1dbf55-4b> |
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weight: 42031_1cca82-29> |
156 g (5.5 oz) 42031_2d5d7d-f6> |
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Charging options: 42031_1d1183-0c> |
USB C and Qi Wireless 42031_bf9363-d5> |
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capacity: 42031_08c969-13> |
5000 mAh 42031_ff116e-43> |
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Maximum USB C output: 42031_d2e2aa-0a> |
20W 42031_dcb13c-f6> |
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Maximum wireless output: 42031_417d19-e2> |
15W 42031_d94e7f-advertisement> |
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Max USB C input: 42031_705896-d0> |
20W 42031_c20bc7-61> |
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Magsafe compatible? 42031_0ddb0e-75> |
Yes 42031_20a4bd-12> |
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Pass-through charging? 42031_fa833d-FB> |
Yes 42031_dd199e-f6> |
test
If you have a Magsafe-compatible phone or case, the power bank snaps smoothly into place and starts charging immediately. This is how it works on my partner’s iPhone, covering everything below the camera array.
For other devices that can charge wirelessly but don’t have built-in magnets, like smartwatches, earbuds, or my Galaxy S24+ phone, you just need to make sure you line them up with the lightning bolt icon on the power bank.
Since the stand tilts back, I can prop up the phone so it stays upright comfortably while charging wirelessly. For other devices, I just ditched the stand and laid the power bank flat on the table.
wireless charging
Wirelessly charging via Infinity, my S24+’s battery went from 20% to 63% in 1 hour and 48 minutes before the power bank completely drained.
Tried the same thing on my partner’s iPhone and had a much better experience, charging from 5% to 85% in 1 hour and 46 minutes, then slowing down the charge as usual. I almost fully charged my phone before the power bank ran out of juice.
These two results show how inefficient wireless charging can be when you’re not using a MagSafe-compatible device that locks the charging coil in the perfect position. Note that this problem exists with all wireless chargers: it’s not unique to the Infinity.
Wired charging
Using the cable, my S24+ started at 5% and took 55 minutes to reach 68% before the power bank ran out. It maintains 17-18W of power at all times. My partner’s iPhone also charges at the same speed, around 18.5W.
However, I did have an issue with the power bank overheating a few times while charging via cable. Both times my phone gained about 50% charge, then suddenly stopped charging, and the Infinity felt noticeably warm to the touch.
Initially, the power button was unresponsive and I thought the Infinity had just run out of power, but that was not the case. After ten minutes of letting it cool down, I tried again: This time, the phone started charging like nothing happened.
I couldn’t replicate this if I turned off fast charging on the phone, which isn’t surprising: it just produced a lot less heat.
If you want to get the most power from this (or any other) power bank, use a cable. Keep an eye on it as heat buildup can cause it to stop before it fully discharges.
pass-through charging
While testing pass-through charging, I noticed that when the power bank was completely empty, it didn’t work immediately. I tried wirelessly charging my phone after plugging the charging cable into the power bank: it worked for a few seconds, then stopped.
However, it worked well with the AirPods Pro case, and after plugging the power bank in for another ten minutes, I tried the phone again and it charged without issue.
In short, if you want to use the pass-through feature, just make sure you have a little charge in the power bank before you start.
Bracket
The kickstand works regardless of whether you’re using Infinity in portrait or landscape mode. Offers wide angle adjustment from 0 to almost 90 degrees: it snaps into place at 45 degrees, but holds securely at almost any other angle.
Using the Infinity to watch shows on your phone is particularly enjoyable, especially if you have a MagSafe-compatible device or case: the magnets are strong enough to hold your phone securely in place, regardless of the stand’s angle.
There’s a lot to be said for watching a movie for a few hours and walking away with a fully charged phone at the end!
The Infinity is small and slim enough that if you normally carry your phone in your pocket, you should be able to continue doing so while connected to a power bank. That said, it’s more than half the weight of an iPhone, so while it won’t tear a hole in your pocket with the extra weight, you’ll certainly be aware of it.
The extra weight also affects the phone’s balance when you hold it: the bottom half of the phone is suddenly much heavier than the top half. Most of the time this doesn’t matter, but if you hold your phone at arm’s length and take a selfie, you’ll notice the difference.
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judgment
Overall, this is a stylish little power bank with enough bells and whistles to make it stand out from the crowd of generic alternatives.
Judging from the size and capacity, the Infinity is suitable for everyday carry, you can just throw it in your handbag or backpack and forget about it until your phone needs more juice to get through the day’s work.
It’s more useful than that, though, thanks to a well-designed stand that allows you to easily watch shows on your phone for hours and still leave with more battery than when you started.
With the help of strong magnets, the kickstand keeps the Infinity rock solid in both portrait and landscape modes, holding compatible phones securely in place. Pass-through charging is an added bonus and usually works well: if the power bank is completely empty when you start it up, you may only need to charge the power bank for a few minutes first.
It works best with the latest iPhones and other phones with MagSafe or Qi2 wireless charging, and it feels like it was designed with these factors in mind. That said, you’ll get better efficiency with a cable, but you’ll need to pay close attention: I did see a few charging stops due to overheating.
Despite these minor issues, this is still a very useful device. If you live in Australia (Pulse currently only ships domestically) and are looking for a portable wireless power bank, you can find it in Infinity.
advantage
shortcoming
All pictures are from the author
