A new breed of power banks is here, and they're built around safer battery chemistry

Power banks you can use in-flight move closer to reality with BMX's safer solid-state tech

If you’ve travelled by air recently, you’ve probably noticed the warnings about power bank use. Once an indispensable part experience, they are now frowned upon for use during the flight due to the associated risk of catching fire 40,000 feet above the ground. Not great. You can still use them on the down low because no-one’s really checking, but no-one wants to be that guy causing the plane to make an emergency landing, do they? And do you real…

A new breed of power banks is here, and they're built around safer battery chemistry

Credit: BMX TL;DR The semi-solid-state battery-powered magnetic power banks first shown at CES 2026 are now available to buy, starting at $59. Unlike traditional power banks, they use battery cells with significantly less flammable liquid electrolyte to improve thermal stability and reduce fire risk. The lineup also includes what BMX calls the world’s thinnest 5,000mAh Qi2 magnetic power bank, measuring just 6.8mm at its thinnest point. Power b…