Xiaomi has never exactly been shy about where some of its inspiration comes from. Every now and then, the company makes something that looks at Apple’s homework, changes the font, and somehow still ends up with a pretty compelling product. That’s why my recent trip to Taiwan for Computex 2026 had me buying some familiar-looking products, namely the Xiaomi UltraThin Magnetic Power Bank 5000 15W and the Redmi Buds 8 Pro.
At a glance, both neatly slot into a very familiar Apple-shaped corner. The power bank feels like a cheaper answer to Apple’s iPhone Air MagSafe Battery. The Redmi Buds 8 Pro are trying to offer some of the AirPods Pro experience without asking for AirPods Pro money. But these aren’t knock-offs. They aren’t even a copy. These are well-built gadgets that simply offer better value.
The power bank is just so handy
While I’ve used ridiculously large capacity power banks, Xiaomi’s UltraThin Magnetic Power Bank serves an entirely different purpose. It isn’t trying to be an all-rounder brick designed to charge even your laptop. Here, you get a humble 5,000mAh cell that is designed to charge pnly your phone. Would I take it as my only charger for a long travel day? probably not. But the point is that it is very easy to carry.
It is just 6mm thick and weighs 98 grams, which makes it feel closer to a thin metal card than a proper power bank. Snap it to the back of a MagSafe or Qi2-compatible phone, and it adds power without turning the whole setup into a brick. This is even more handy if you have one of those super slim phones or hate using cases because it ruins the purpose of a well-built device.
In my experience, it worked exactly the way I wanted a small magnetic power bank to work. It snapped on cleanly, stayed light, and gave me enough extra charge to stop worrying about the battery percentage. It supports up to 15W wireless charging, although iPhones are capped at 7.5W, and there is also a USB-C port that can output up to 22.5W. During my time with it, I used it with an iPhone 17 Pro, an iPhone 15 Plus, and even an iPhone 14. Each time, Xiaomi’s take on the iPhone Air MagSafe Battery felt more versatile. On paper, it also charges faster and has a larger capacity, despite being around half the price.
Impulse earbuds purchase that surprised me
Cheap wireless earbuds are everywhere, but most of them usually reveal the compromise quickly. Transparency may sound robotic, or the microphone is downright horrendous. That’s what made the Redmi Buds 8 Pro surprising. They fit well, which already solves half the battle with in-ear buds. The active noise cancellation was genuinely impressive, especially for something that sits below the premium tier. Transparency mode was also better than I expected, and that is one of the hardest things to get right because bad transparency mode instantly feels artificial.
Xiaomi is throwing a lot at these buds. You get up to 55dB ANC, triple-mic AI noise reduction, LDAC support, Hi-Res Wireless Audio certification, Dolby Audio, dynamic head tracking, dual-device connection, Google Fast Pair, and up to 33 hours of listening with the case. I’m not calling this an AirPods Pro killer. Apple still has the ecosystem advantage and better polish when paired with iPhones, Macs, iPads, and Apple Watches. Even so, the gap was much smaller than I expected.
This is where Xiaomi peripherals get fun
The fun thing about these Xiaomi accessories is that they do not need to beat Apple outright. All they had to do was get close enough that the price difference starts bothering you. The power bank is thin and light in a way that makes it easy to keep around every day. The earbuds have strong ANC, a comfortable fit, solid transparency mode, and enough premium features to make them feel far more expensive than they are.
Are they as seamless as Apple’s own accessories? No. Apple still owns the ecosystem game, and if you want everything to work in the most polished way possible, AirPods Pro and Apple’s MagSafe Battery still have obvious appeal. But Xiaomi is just giving you most of the feeling for way less money, with enough quality that the lower price becomes a little too good.
These accessories are a part of my daily routine just because they are cheaper, more flexible, and surprisingly polished alternatives that make you wonder how much of the Apple premium you are really paying for the product, and how much you are shelling out just for the logo.
