Gaming on-the-go is easier than ever with the PowerA MOGA XP5-i Plus Bluetooth. Long title, I know, but it’s because of the inclusion of Bluetooth to hook up to any device and also the gaming clip to hold your device.
Sporting a gaming clip to hold your phone, bluetooth to connect it, a standard controller layout, MFI certified for Apple products, and a built-in power bank, this is no ordinary controller.
I tested out this controller on 3 different devices and the results may or may not surprise you. PowerA was nice enough to send me home with one of these during TwitchCon 2022, so here I am giving you a review.
PowerA MOGA XP5-i Plus Bluetooth
Manufacturer: PowerA
MSRP: $79.99 USD
Before we get into the thick of the controller, let’s do the basics first. It feels very close to an Xbox controller with the exception of the center button, but it functions similarly.
It’s pretty sturdy and built about the same, but feels a little bit lighter for what I assume to be portability. It’s rechargeable with any USB-C cable you have; it charges not only the battery for wireless play but also the power bank with a 3000 mAh battery.
Like previously mentioned, it has Bluetooth for any device you want to use it for, but from my experience, it works best with Apple devices due to the MFI certification (a fancy way of saying that Apple has approved these devices to produced).
Very simple packaged items like the USB-C adapter and adjustable phone clip fit perfectly and don’t move around so nothing is lost in the box when you open it, even in a rush.
The instructions do provide help for knowing the power bank and pairing with Bluetooth, which I had to look at for a moment despite my “see what happens” approach.
Pairing was quick and easy to identify the controller; I paired it with three different devices, two of them were Apple (iPhone and Apple TV), and the other was my old Razer Phone 2.
It most certainly worked great to keep them not only charged, but to actually charge them. The clip also fits around both the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Razer Phone 2 easily, and the clip can be tightened to hold them in stronger.
I played an array of games with the MOGA XP5-i Plus like Call of Duty Mobile and it worked fine. I couldn’t tell if the controller or the game itself caused input lag, but it still worked normally with cloud gaming and searching menus.
Booting up Xbox Cloud Gaming also let me test out a few games instantly like Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and it was comfortable to hold the entire time while I started up some Halo 3 campaign missions.
Issues that I found was navigating menus on Android appeared to only work for the left analog stick and the control was inverted.
Another issue was the additional buttons on the back of the controller where your hands would grip. I found myself accidentally hitting them because of where they were placed when I would just reposition my hands.
The battery indicator felt off slightly because I would never seem to have it at a full charge, but maybe it required a bit more charging. A toggle switch turns on the charging for your device if you connect the cable for it. The major positive is that you don’t waste energy just by using the controller function if you have another power source you want to use.
Downsides with the MOGA XP5-i Plus are minimal, but they’re worth putting here for a heads up. The buttons underneath are very sensitive compared to the other buttons on the controller. The other issue of Android having inverted controls wasn’t on the controller itself but if you choose to get it for Android, that is what I experienced.
The PowerA MOGA XP5-i Plus was reviewed with a retail unit provided by PowerA. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here. The MOGA XP5-i Plus is available at Amazon, and other retailers.
