Spigen ArcPack 5-in-1 Wireless Power Bank Review

Power banks are not really seen as extremely innovative products. One can talk of the capacity of a power bank, ports, and charging speed…and that is pretty much it. There are a few size variations, and some brands try to throw in a few additional features, such as wireless charging and LCD displays, that show capacity, but that is generally all there is to see.

So we must confess to being fascinated by Spigen’s rather elaborately named ArcPack 5-in-1 Dual Portable Power Bank with Cradle. At its core is a 10,000 mAh charger that can charge devices wirelessly as well as with wires, but it is what Spigen has done with it that is interesting.

Spigen ArcPack 5-in-1 Wireless Power Bank Design: Rock solid, but with some science project feels

Our package of the Spigen ArcPack 5-in-1 (that’s what we will call it henceforth) comprised four parts:

1. A 10,000 mAh portable power bank with support for wireless charging (with the wireless charging area marked by the Spigen logo), with a USB Type-C port, pogo pins, and
2. A cradle with a holder with pogo pins with a wireless charging pad behind it, and two USB Type-C ports – one at the back and one at the side
3. A TPU deck with two flexible hook-like arms on its sides.
4. A USB Type-C to Type-C cable.

All the components are made of solid plastic and have a matte finish. You can put all of these together to make a single unit. Place the power bank in the cradle, where it leans back on the tiny stand and connects to the pogo pins (no magnetic connection, though), connect the type-C cable to the back of the cradle, and you suddenly have one of those wireless charging stands on which you can charge your smartphone in portrait mode and even use it normally while it charges wirelessly. Attach the TPU deck to the lower part of the power back in the cradle with its hooks around it, and you can also charge a phone in landscape mode (say, while watching a movie on it).

It is not a very cleanly designed setup, and thanks to the stand on the cradle, it can be a little awkward to carry (it would have been cool if the stand could fold back and be raised up, making the cradle totally flat). The absence of magnetic attachment can also make the power bank wobble a little when it is placed in the cradle, and the TPU deck is handy but is still a rather odd way of accommodating charging in landscape mode.

At about 415 grams, all this is not very heavy, but you can either keep it all joined together on a table or carry it in its components and put it together whenever you need it, which is a little inconvenient. It is all very solidly built but has a certain element of “science project” about it – it is not what we would call a very sleek or elegant design when it is in its component parts. Put together, it can pass off as a slightly thick wireless charging stand.

Spigen ArcPack 5-in-1 Wireless Power Bank Specs: Packed with potential

That setup comes with a lot of battery and charging power. The power bank itself has a capacity of 10,000 mAh. The wireless charging pad on it can charge up to a speed of 15W (slower for iPhones, though as this is not MagSafe supported), the USB Type C port can charge at 20W, and the Type A can charge at 18W. Move on to the cradle and the wireless charging pad on it that can charge at 5W. The Type-C port on the side can also charge at 5W, while the Pogo pins can charge the power bank at 18W.

What does all this add up to? Well, simply this: when it is all put together, the ArcPack, when connected to a 30W charger to a power outlet, can wirelessly charge a phone up to 15W on the power back in the cradle, a TWS on the charging pad on the cradle at 5W or a smartwatch at 5W using the Type-C port on the side of the cradle.

Take the power bank out of the cradle, and you can use the Type-C port to charge a device at up to 20W, the Type-A port to charge any device at 18W, and, of course, a smartphone wirelessly at up to 15W. You can even use the cradle connected to a power outlet to charge a TWS wirelessly and a smartwatch over the Type-C port. So you could technically charge five devices using this setup – three from the power bank and two from the cradle, provided you keep the power bank and cradle apart. Place the power bank in the cradle, and the number comes down to a still-very-impressive three – and those are three different devices that you can charge (phone, TWS, watch), which is quite something.

Spigen ArcPack 5-in-1 Wireless Power Bank Performance: All-rounder charging solution

The Spigen ArcPack 5-in-1 does serve up some seriously versatile charging. The absence of MagSafe support means that it charges iPhones at around 7.5W wirelessly, which is rather sluggish, especially if you have a Plus or a Pro Max variant with big batteries. The Pixel 8 Pro and other Android devices, however, charge wirelessly at close to 15W.

We, however, love the fact that we can charge phones wirelessly in landscape mode (with the TPU deck), making the cradle a great option to watch shows on or just keep the iPhone charging overnight in the much-hyped standby mode. The cradle is also great for charging TWS (our Pixel Buds Pro and AirPods Pro got charged without any problems) and for charging Apple and Samsung smartwatches using the Type-C port on the side of the cradle. No, the charging pad on the cradle will not charge smartwatches. We tried.

We found that the setup’s optimum use was leaving the cradle connected to a power outlet on our work desk and taking just the power bank with us when we stepped out. We would have loved to have MagSafe charging on it, but it works reasonably well without it and charges speedily using wires from both ports. The wireless charging pad on the power bank charges TWS, too, which makes it very handy for being used on the move.

The power bank is light enough to carry, and 10000 mAh is also enough for charging a phone a few times over a couple of days. When we were at our work desk, we simply attached the power bank to the cradle, allowing it to be charged at a very healthy 18W over the pogo points(we attached it to the power outlet using a 33W charger and got good charging speeds), while we charged phones and TWS wirelessly, or juiced up our smartwatches. With this arrangement, we had a power bank, TWS, and smartwatch that were almost always topped up when we took them for our trips.

We just wish it would wirelessly charge the iPhone faster. But that apart, this is a very versatile and handy arrangement to have, with the cradle making it desk-friendly even while the power bank lets you stay mobile. Both come with wireless charging. Neat!

Spigen ArcPack 5-in-1 Wireless Power Bank Review Verdict: Worth a buy?

The Spigen 5-in-1 Wireless Power Bank is generally available in the price range of Rs 3,000 – Rs 3,500. Some might think that is a hefty price tag for a 10,000 mAh power bank with wireless charging, but add in the support for wirelessly charging AirPods and also charging smartwatches as well as acting as a wireless charger when connected to a cradle and a power outlet, and the Spigen 5-in-1 starts looking like a decent deal.

You do not need to invest in multiple charging devices and can charge a phone wirelessly in portrait and landscape mode, and can even use the power bank and cradle independently or in combination. Add the relatively brisk charging speeds (except for iPhones), and you have a single charging package that is very handy indeed.

It could have been more elegantly designed, but in terms of effectiveness, this is a very good option for anyone who wants a power bank with reasonably quick wired and wireless charging that can also double up as a wireless charger for multiple devices.

Buy Spigen ArcPack 5-in-1 Wireless Power Bank