Mophie Powerstation Plus 10K – Reviewed and Tested

While we all love the off-grid nature of adventuring, a little backup power for your phone and camera is always a good idea – so, Anna and Julia put Mophie’s Powerstation Plus 10k to the test.

Every year, the We Are Explorers crew get together for our annual team adventure – we’ve canoed through some spicy whitewater, sea kayaked our way around some of Queensland’s most remote islands, and hiked and climbed to the top of The Castle in the Budawangs. 

Each of these adventures has one thing in common – they’re remote, and electricity is not an option. 

So, on our most recent adventure, Mophie was kind enough to give Julia and I a Powerstation Plus 10k to see how it stacked up on a 3-day wilderness adventure where WiFi was non-existent, but maps and cameras were mandatory. 

Here’s what we thought. 

Charging myself and my phone | @jackjbrookes

Quick Specifications

Battery: Lithium – we think, hard to find details online
Capacity: 10,000mAh
Dimensions: 14.5cm L x 7.1cm W x 1.5cm H
Weight: 240g
Waterproof: No
Compatibility: 30W Charging with integrated USB-C and 20W with Lightning cable. One USB port.
Charge time: Can charge an iPhone 15 Pro up to 50% in approximately 25 minutes. 
Price: $119.95 RRP

Buy Now

You get one inbuilt USB-C and one lightning cable, along with a third USB-C port | @jackjbrookes

Performance

The Mophie Powerstation Plus 10K Power Bank ticks all the important bits off with a decent charging capacity, offering at least two full charges for a phone. 

The Castle hike took us three days (with photo ops and overnight camps along the way, obviously). We topped up our phones each night after full days of snapping pics and videos – and were pleasantly surprised to find it still had juice when we arrived back at basecamp. 

While the days were sweaty, once the sun set we were all reaching for those extra layers and woolly socks. Despite the chilly nights, the Mophie Powerstation held up surprisingly well in the cold, with no noticeable power loss, even as the temps dropped below zero! 

Turned out it was the coldest spring morning they’d had in years | @jackjbrookes

Often Lithium-ion batteries struggle with the cold, so this was impressive (we assume it’s lithium ion and have reached out to Mophie to confirm, as the exact battery makeup isn’t listed anywhere online).

For a three day hike, we found it had a perfect amount of battery life for general phone charging usage. ‘It’s a great option for phones and headphones, but if you’ve got extra gear like a camera, you might need more charge on a longer adventure,’ Julia said. 

Overall, both Julia and I have been impressed with how long it holds the charge even when not in use. Previously, I’ve had powerbanks that sit in a cupboard for weeks, then find them flat despite not being used. I find the Mophie seems to hold charge well regardless of how long between adventures, which is a big win for those who love to pack at the last minute (I’m the problem, it’s me).   

Durability

Having only had it for a few months, it’s tough to comment in-depth about its durability. However, it’s withstood plenty of knocks and drops on the trails and hasn’t seemed to mind a bit. 

With an aluminium frame and uber soft silicone coating on the exterior, mine surprisingly hasn’t got even a single scratch (which, given the state of my iPhone is impressive, trust me). 

The cables are braided and made from something called Enduraflex silicone and have been tested to withstand up to 30,000 bends (if you’re counting). I’m not sure where I’m sitting with my bend count, but I can attest that they feel far from flimsy. 

Scratch-free! Impressive if you know me | @jackjbrookes

Design

It’s a sleek and compact unit, with one of the best features being the in-built charging cords (1x lightning cable and 1x USB-C) which tuck away neatly into the sides when not in use – so no need to dig through your pack to find that one loose charging cable. These offer reverse charging too, meaning you can use either cable to recharge the power bank itself.

One downside Julia found was that the inbuilt cords meant there wasn’t a huge amount of flexibility, especially if you’re not an iPhone user. The powerstation has one additional USB-C port but no standard USB ports, so you can’t plug and play with the cord of your choice. As an Apple gal, and an OM System camera user, I was able to charge my MacBook briefly too to give it a boost, but only because the air takes a 30W charge. It’s not really made for charging laptops. Camera and phone however? Super easy, but it’s worth noting what charging ports you may need. 

USB-C is becoming more versatile, but the lightning connector will be very useful if you have an iPhone 14 or earlier | @jackjbrookes

One of the features I found incredibly handy was the pass-through charging feature. Now, full disclosure, I had no idea what this meant until I was in the situation where both the powerbank and my phone were almost flat. Luckily, I was near a powerpoint at the time. In a nutshell, this feature means it prioritises charging your phone first. So if you plug in the battery to the wall, and then your phone, the power is channelled to your phone first, then the powerstation battery, so you can charge both at once! 

It fits easily into any pack, and even when you’re not on the trails, it’s a great compact device (pretty much the same size as my iPhone) that slips into my handbag or laptop case easily. 

Sustainability

Batteries aren’t known for being environmentally-friendly, so one of the best things you can do is buy a quality one like this Mophie battery that’ll last a long time, before you recycle it.

Zagg Inc. is Mophie’s parent company and it has some stuff going on for sustainability. They’ve removed plastic packaging from a bunch of products and the replacement cardboard is Forest Stewardship Council certified. The EU website has a video, mention of helping to plant 3.6 million trees via the Eden Project, and something called TÜV Rheinland Certification Greed Product Certification, which has some sustainability focus.

Their page does quite clearly say that they’ve ‘just started their sustainability journey’, which is refreshing considering most of the greenwashing you see around, and reflects their current Ditch Carbon score of 13/100. So yeah, they’re getting a fairly low sustainability score here, but we’ll be watching to see if bigger commitments and transparency come through in the future.

Batteries are a necessary evil, best to get a quality one | @jackjbrookes

Price

Powerbanks vary in price hugely, so you could expect to pay anywhere from $20 to $200. The Mophie 10k sits just above the middle of this range at $119.95  and is very comparable to other premium 10k options on the market. 

The big takeaway from a little research on comparable models is that most don’t come with the inbuilt cords, and charging outputs tend to sit around 15-20k in comparison to Mophie’s 20-30k.

Rechargeable batteries are one thing you shouldn’t skimp on, as that $20 Temu special is a big risk of house fire.

Final Thoughts

The Mophie Powerstation Plus 10K is a solid unit and a great addition for anyone looking for a straightforward power solution on the trail, or even just for general use. Since our team trip, mine lives in my handbag or car for any of those pesky charging emergencies. 

It’s lightweight, powerful, durable, and charges all of my devices quickly and easily. If you’re someone who uses any plugs other than the USB-C or Lightning, then it may not be as useful, though I would argue that most powerbanks these days use these common ports. Now that iPhones are no longer using Lightning, I daresay it won’t be long until we see two USB-C ports on the Mophie Powerstation Plus 10K.

The extra USB-C plug is mighty useful | @jackjbrookes