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MagyarBaseus Blade 2 in a short review: Ultra-thin 65W power bank for Steam Deck, MacBook Pro and Co.
The Baseus Blade 2 power bank packs a 12,000 mAh or 46.44 Wh battery into a 7.3-millimeter thin housing. This results in a practical form factor that allows the power bank to fit easily into most laptop bags. Together with an output of up to 65 watts, the Blade 2 is said to be perfect for charging a MacBook Pro or a Steam Deck.
The Baseus Blade 2 impresses in the short test with its flawless workmanship - the metal frame and the plastic front and back give it a high-quality appearance, although the housing is not particularly light at 327 grams. For comparison: The model with a capacity of 20,000 mAh (approx. 90 euros on Amazon) weighs 506 grams, i.e. 54% more with a 66% higher capacity.
A small display shows how quickly connected devices are being charged - this is particularly helpful for identifying problems, such as USB-C cables without support for 65-watt Power Delivery. Baseus advertises the connection to a smartphone app, which can basically show the same information as the power bank's display but also allows you to set a timer for switching off the power bank. The app was not included in the test, as the login process was not functional during the test period.
Sufficient capacity for two iPhone charges
If you want to use the Blade 2 to charge an iPhone, you can fully charge the smaller models twice. In our test, an iPhone 14 Pro could be charged from 0 to 80 percent in around 52 minutes, and a full charge was achieved after 01:52:30 hours (the power bank reported a remaining charge of 54 percent).
Apple iPhone 14 Pro (3,200 mAh / 12.38 Wh)
- 0% - 20%: 08:59m (Blade 2: 92%)
- 0% - 50%: 26:24m (Blade 2: 78%)
- 0% - 80%: 51:45m (Blade 2: 65%)
- 0% - 100%: 01:52:30h (Blade 2: 54%)
Longer laptop runtime thanks to 65W Power Delivery
The Baseus Blade 2 is primarily advertised for use with laptops, and the test quickly shows why this is the case. Even the relatively large 69.6 Wh battery of the 14-inch MacBook Pro can be charged by around 53% with one charge of the Blade 2, effectively extending the runtime by around one and a half times.
Thinner notebooks, such as the 13-inch MacBook Air with Apple M3 (approx. 1,373 euros on Amazon), which has a much smaller battery with 52.6 Wh, can be charged more. Thanks to the reasonable output of 65 watts, the entire battery of the power bank can be transferred to a laptop in just 46 minutes.
Apple MacBook Pro (14 inch, 2021, M1 Max, 69.6 Wh)
- 10% - 20%: 06:36m (Blade 2: 79%)
- 10% - 30%: 14:34m (Blade 2: 59%)
- 10% - 40%: 23:14m (Blade 2: 41%)
- 10% - 50%: 32:42m (Blade 2: 21%)
- 10% - 60%: 43:04m (Blade 2: 0%)
- 10% - 63%: 46:05m (Blade 2: 0%)
Longer gaming fun for Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and Co.
The powerful power bank is virtually predestined to extend the runtime of a gaming handheld, as 65 watts is enough to charge even more powerful models such as the Asus ROG Ally (approx. 670 euros on Amazon) while gaming at maximum TDP. The 40 Wh battery of the Steam Deck can be charged by around 82 percent with one charge of the power bank, whereas the gaming handheld from Valve only charges with 22.5 watts in standby mode on the Blade 2, which explains the relatively long charging time.
Steam Deck
- 10% - 20%: 15:12m (Blade 2: 88%)
- 10% - 30%: 27:36m (Blade 2: 76%)
- 10% - 40%: 38:29m (Blade 2: 63%)
- 10% - 50%: 50:17m (Blade 2: 50%)
- 10% - 60%: 01:03:02h (Blade 2: 37%)
- 10% - 70%: 01:15:16 (Blade 2: 24%)
- 10% - 80%: 01:27:36 (Blade 2: 10%)
- 10% - 90%: 01:47:12 (Blade 2: 3%)
- 10% - 92%: 01:54:00 (Blade 2: 0%)
Solid performance on two ports, 60 watts input
As long as only one USB-C port is used, it doesn't matter which port the cable is plugged into - both ports can charge devices with up to 65 watts. The choice of port only matters if two devices are connected at the same time because in this case USB-C 1 charges the connected device with up to 44 watts, while USB-C 2 only charges with 18 watts.
The power bank itself charges with up to 60 watts when connected to a correspondingly powerful charger. This means it can be charged from 0 to 80 percent in just 38 minutes; a full charge takes just under an hour. The display shows how long it will take to fully charge the device, although this is more of a guide - as the charging power slowly drops from 60 watts to around 10 watts at over 80 percent, it takes a little longer to reach 100 percent than the power bank software estimates.
Baseus Blade 2 fast charging:
- 0% - 20%: 09:54m
- 0% - 40%: 19:21m
- 0% - 60%: 28:40m
- 0% - 80%: 37:45m
- 0% - 100%: 01:02:47h
Verdict
The Baseus Blade 2 power bank fulfills the manufacturer's marketing promises - devices are charged with up to 65 watts, and the power bank can be fully recharged in around an hour thanks to 60-watt fast charging. If you're looking for a slim powerbank that fits easily into most laptop bags to extend the runtime of a notebook or gaming handheld, you can't go wrong with the Blade 2.
Those looking for a versatile power bank to charge a smartphone while traveling will find models with a similar capacity that are much smaller and lighter but usually do not achieve the 65 watts of power of the Blade 2. If you want to fully charge a laptop, you should reach for the larger 20,000 mAh model; the Blade 2 only charges many notebooks to around half the capacity of their battery. The USB-C cable supplied is short and stiff, and the carrying bag included in the scope of delivery is not of particularly high quality.
Prices and availability
The Baseus Blade 2 is available for a recommended retail price of 99.99 US dollars. The power bank will also be launched in Europe, but exact details on the price and availability in Germany are still pending. Further details on the power bank can also be found at on the official product page.
Transparency
The present review sample was made available to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or a shop for the purposes of review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review.
