Solid-state power banks are ready to keep you juiced — without burning all your stuff

Lithium-ion batteries have been an utter game-changer for mobile devices, making possible everything from our smartphones to practical electric cars. But for all the power they can offer, their construction comes at a perilous disadvantage: It’s far too easy to damage one, and that risks the battery becoming a serious fire hazard.

One of the best solutions we’ve come up with for fixing that problem is replacing the liquid electrolyte that mobilizes the charge in these cells with a mostly solid alternative: so-called solid-state batteries. Not only does that kind of design improve power density (so smaller batteries can hold more charge), but it also wildly improves durability — and resistance to catastrophic failure.

This year at IFA 2025, BMX is showing off its latest mobile accessories, including its new SolidSafe Solid-State Magnetic Power Banks, and I had the chance to check out just how resilient these solid-state batteries are in the face of even aggressive damage.

BMX is launching its solid-state lineup two different capacities — both 5,000mAh and 10,000mAh solutions — with an upgraded 10K model even offering extra storage via microSD. But while battery packs this size are basically commodities by now, precious few are built around solid-state cells that can take a beating without even blinking.

In easily the most impressive demo I got to observe, a screw can full-on penetrate a SolidSafe bank and beyond managing to not start a fire, the battery pack keeps right on working, capable of charging your phone even in this compromised state.

You don’t have to settle for a bare-bones solution just because this is novel technology, either, and BMX’s offerings are equipped with magnetic Qi wireless charging — perfect for you new Pixel 10 phone. Of course, there’s also USB-C in and out, for full compatibility with your wired devices.

BMX is currently crowdfunding this project with a SolidSafe Kickstarter, and if you get in before it wraps up on September 14 you can save up to 50% off the final MSRP, which will be $80 for the 5K edition, and $100 for the 10K version. That doesn’t sound too bad at all for a little insurance against a random accident turning your old battery pack into an unpredictable inferno.