Momax Airbox Review

One Power Bank to rule them all

I was recently given the chance to test out the Airbox from smart tech company MOMAX, the description on the company’s website states:

“MOMAX Airbox is the ultimate companion for Apple. It neatly stores and wirelessly charges your favorite devices - Apple Watch, iPhone, AirPods 2/AirPods Pro, and iPad simultaneously with a large capacity 10,000mAh battery that supports 10W wireless charging and 20W PD fast charge”

As a creative who is always on the go (and heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem), I always have at least 3 things on me which will at some point in the day require an extra bit of juice to keep it running, be it my iPhone 11 Pro, my Apple Watch, AirPod Pros or iPad Pro. On a busy day all will be used extensively, so I always make sure that I have a power bank with me, as I hate the thought of having to hunt down a mains socket just to be able to send an email, check and run quick edits on the days shots or to charge my AirPods to make the days commute bearable with some Angels & Airwaves, Run The Jewels or a podcast.

Freedom! - No cable spaghetti here

I’ve used my Anker PowerCore 15600 mAh bower bank for a few years now. Usually travelling with it meant I was limited to a maximum of two simultaneous charges via USB-3.0 going into two devices at a time… it also meant I had to carry at least 3 cables (2 apple cables and 1 micro-usb to charge the bank itself).

Say goodbye to cables!

With the MOMAX Airbox I can get away with carrying just one USB-C cable (the bank itself comes with a matching cable) knowing that it will cover my day-to-day devices. When using the Airbox (often in the afternoon), I’d usually use it to wirelessly charge my AirPods and iPhone and then plug in my iPad Pro using a single USB-C to USB-C cable, which meant a) I was able to check the status of the charges all in one place, via the LED indicators on the front opening of the power bank and b) my devices were not in an endless tangle of cable spaghetti.

The design of the Airbox is unique in the way that it opens up (in a way similar to a glasses case) to reveal all of your charging needs and storage options inside. There’s a slot to charge and store your AirPod Pros, a fold out stand and wireless charging station for your Apple Watch on the left half of the power bank and a wireless charging pad sort your iPhone takes up the right hand side. There is also a slot to store your Apple Pencil (unfortunately this model doesn’t charge it).

Throughout my use of the Airbox over a couple of weeks I found it typically took 2 hours to fully charge the power bank using the USB-C cable supplied or 5 hours charging the device wirelessly, which in my case was done using an IKEA desk lamp with a built in wireless charger in it’s base.

I also used it on multiple occasions as a traditional wired power bank on other non-Apple devices such as my Lumix S1 (which can charge the camera battery by plugging the USB-C cable into the corresponding port on the camera body), my DJi Mavic Controller (again using the USB-C cable) along with my DJi Oslo Action (using a USB-C to Micro USB cable). Whilst these devices obviously did not charge as quickly as they do when using their designated wall chargers, the Airbox did charge them a tad faster than when I’d used the Anker power bank very occasionally in the past. Whilst obviously this is not the ideal way to charge these devices, it is a good plan b to have for those times when you’re out in the field and desperately in need of an extra bit of battery life.

What’s in the box!

CENTRE OF CREATION

The Airbox comes in this sleek box; which along with the power bank itself comes with, supporting instructions, a USB-C cable and carrying pouch.

Light my way

The seven super bright LEDs located at the front of the power bank in between the USB port and the opening latch give you a very accurate indication of the status of you charge(s).

Right 4 Indicators (White): Battery Level (All lights on for full battery)

Left First Indicator (Green): Type-C Fast Charge Indicator

Left Second Indicator (Orange): AirPods Charging Indicator (Light on when AirPods are charging)

Left Third Indicator (Orange): 10W Wireless Charge Indicator (Light on when charging phone wirelessly)

Give me a sign

The Airbox is one of those tech products where you don’t realise how much you needed it until it’s in your hands and it replaces, (in my case) it streamlines the way you would do things before. In this case, less cables / the need to carry separate chargers for individual devices. I can simply slip this in my camera bag paired with one USB-C cable and I know I’m covered for the day (I do always carry a spare USB-C cable, but that’s more out of habit than anything else). But whenever I’m away overnight I know I can just take the Airbox and a cable, I don’t need to take multiple wall plugs, wireless chargers or cables; which when you are carrying cameras, lenses, drones, tablets or laptops and have all that to worry about is an absolute blessing.

You can find out more about MOMAX and there other awesome gadgets on their website here and on their Amazon page here.