The Xiaomi UltraThin Magnetic Power Bank 5000 15W (model MDY-20-EB) is a 6mm-thick, 5000mAh power bank that sticks magnetically to the back of your phone. Xiaomi announced it globally in February, and it has now reached India at INR 5,999, next to the Xiaomi Magnetic Power Bank 10000 45W (INR 3,999) and the 20000 165W (INR 5,499). So you pay more for the smallest one. Whether that’s worth it depends almost entirely on which phone you own.
Short version: if you have a Xiaomi 17, it’s a good pick. If you don’t, the wireless speeds will annoy you.
Design
It measures 98.5 x 71.5mm, about the size of a playing card, and roughly as wide as a non-Max, non-Ultra flagship phone. It doesn’t poke out at the sides.
The thickness is what stands out. At 6mm and 98g, it beats the iPhone Air MagSafe Battery, which is around 7.7mm and over 126g according to third-party data. It also holds more than Apple’s 3,149mAh cell.
The front is anodized aluminum. The back is soft-touch plastic that lets inductive charging through, with a circle marking where the coil and magnets sit. There are three colors: Radiant Orange (my unit), Glacier Silver, and Graphite Black.
The bottom edge has a USB-C port that handles both input and output, four LEDs for charge level, and a button. Double-press the button for a low-current mode meant for Bluetooth headsets and other small devices that would otherwise make the power bank shut off.
Xiaomi UltraThin Magnetic Power Bank 5000 15W Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Battery | 5,000mAh at 3.79V (18.95Wh) |
| Rated capacity at 5V | 3,000mAh |
| Wireless output | 15W for Xiaomi 17 series, 7.5W for everything else |
| Wired output | Up to 22.5W over USB-C |
| Wired and wireless together | Up to 7.5W wired plus 5W wireless |
| Size and weight | 98.5 x 71.5 x 6mm, 98g |
| Price in India | INR 5,999 |
The 5,000mAh number is the cell rating. At 5V you should expect about 3,000mAh actually delivered to your phone.
The wireless charging problem
The 15W figure only applies to Xiaomi 17 series phones. Every other device is capped at 7.5W. 15W wasn’t fast to begin with, and it’s a letdown to learn that most people will never see it.
The reason is that the power bank is neither MagSafe nor Qi certified. With either one, it could send 15W to any phone that supports MagSafe or Qi 2.0 and above. Xiaomi hasn’t explained the omission, and it’s odd given that the cheaper 10000 45W supports Qi 2.2 at up to 25W.
Testing
I used an iPhone 15 Pro and a Pixel 11 Pro. The iPhone supports up to 15W over MagSafe and Qi 2, and the Pixel supports up to 25W over Qi 2.2, but neither matters much since this power bank isn’t certified for either. I didn’t have a Xiaomi 17, so I couldn’t test the full 15W speed.
Xiaomi UltraThin Magnetic Power Bank 5000 15W iPhone Charging testing
On the iPhone, starting from 1%, wireless charging gave these results:
| Time | Battery |
|---|---|
| 30 minutes | 27% |
| 60 minutes | 46% |
| 2 hours | 75% |
| About 2.5 hours (power bank empty) | 91% |
That’s not quick, but it’s fine at 7.5W. If this is what 7.5W looks like, a Xiaomi 17 at 15W should feel fairly brisk.
Xiaomi UltraThin Magnetic Power Bank 5000 15W Pixel Phone Testing
The Pixel did much worse. Power draw never went above 5W in the monitoring tool I used, and charging was painfully slow:
| Time | Battery |
|---|---|
| 30 minutes | 11% |
| 60 minutes | 21% |
| 2 hours | 39% |
| 3 hours (power bank empty) | 55% |
The power bank lasted half an hour longer on the Pixel than on the iPhone, which tells you how slowly it was emptying.
Wired charging on the Pixel was the good surprise:
| Time | Battery |
|---|---|
| 15 minutes | 23% |
| 30 minutes | 41% |
| 51 minutes (power bank empty) | 61% |
Those are solid numbers, but nobody should buy this for wired charging. Cheaper power banks with more capacity do that better.
The magnets held firmly on both phones, stuck directly to the back or through their own magnetic cases. An AirPods case sticks to the coil but only loosely. Phones without magnets can charge too, though you’ll have to keep the alignment right yourself.
Verdict
It’s small, light, and looks good. Wired charging is fast. Wireless is decent on a Xiaomi 17, slowish on an iPhone, and close to useless on other Android phones.
You give up speed and value for size. If you want something you can stick on your phone and drop in a pocket with no cable, it’s still a good option, and I’d say that’s a reasonable trade for some people. I’d like to see Xiaomi fix the certification problem in a follow-up model.
Rating: 3.5/5 for Xiaomi 17 owners, 2.5/5 for everyone else.
