Review unit provided by PowerA
The MOGA line of controllers from PowerA is made solely for mobile gaming, with MO from mobile and GA from gaming. The mouthful of a name XP5-i Plus is PowerA’s newest mobile controller for iOS devices. Note that if you are looking for the Android version, then you’ll need to refer to the XP5-A version instead. This MFi-certified controller doesn’t break the mold of generic mobile gaming controllers, but it does have a few tricks up its sleeves to keep itself relevant among the competition.
What comes in the box is the XP5-i controller, a USB-C to USB-A adapter, a plastic detachable phone clip, and a user manual. It’s ready to pair straight out of the box, with no 3rd party companion app needed on your phone. Turn on the controller, set it to pair mode, and connect it directly to your phone; it’s as simple as that. You can also connect your phone to it with a wire if you don’t want to use Bluetooth. But surprisingly, I didn’t notice any input lag or delays from using it wirelessly.
Let’s walk through the plethora of buttons you see on the controller, starting with the typical analog sticks and face buttons you are probably already familiar with if you own any other Xbox-style controller. Holding the giant home button in the middle for two seconds either turns the controller on or off, whereas the ellipsis button on the left is for either capturing screenshots or recording video. The one on the right of the home button brings up the gaming menu, which in this case is Game Center on iOS. On the back of the XP5-i are two remappable gaming buttons and a Bluetooth pairing button to connect to your mobile device.
The left button you see on the bottom of the controller displays how much charge is remaining, since this is a wireless controller, whereas the right button turns the power bank function on or off. A pleasant surprise that came with this controller is that it doubles as a power bank for your phone while you game with it. We all know how much battery is drained from gaming on your mobile device so it’s a game changer that PowerA put a convenient battery pack to keep your iPhone juiced up. The 3000 mAh power bank inside the XP5-i is accessed via a convenient lightning port to USB-C wire, which unfortunately does not come with the overall package.
I’m not a huge mobile gamer, but the one game that I play daily is Honkai: Star Rail, so I took the XP5-i for a spin with it. The controller worked right away after setting my game into controller mode and I was ready to rumble. I even walked around to test the sturdiness of the phone clip, which fared fine, but I still had some doubts that my phone wouldn’t fall to the ground. It was a bit of a disappointment to find no built-in headphone jack in the controller as I had to rely solely on my phone’s speakers when I gamed. This felt like a missed opportunity or a forgotten feature!
It’s worth noting that this controller is only for iOS devices, meaning it will not work on Android phones, Xboxs, PlayStations, PCs, or even MacOS devices. Considering the XP5-i controller costs a whopping $80 USD, I probably wouldn’t recommend this unless you are an iPhone only gamer. I say this because most games on the iPhone are already extremely touch screen friendly, meaning you don’t need an external controller to get the best experience. If you play a competitive first-person shooter like Call of Duty or maybe even Fortnite on mobile, then I can see you potentially gaining an upper hand, but even that’s sort of a stretch.
The size is comparable to most other Xbox controllers and feels neither too heavy nor light. The buttons have great feedback when pressing them and the grips on the controller feel comfortable and sturdy. On the other hand, I wasn’t very impressed with the plastic attachable phone holder, because it felt finicky and cheap. I was worried it would snap at any second and never knew if my phone was truly secure when I clipped the holder to the controller. Like all other PowerA products, this one also comes with an excellent 2-year warranty, so I don’t have too much to worry about in the grand scheme of things.
The PowerA Moga XP5-i is an excellent choice for mobile gamers looking to up their game to the next level, with its sturdy build, wireless capabilities, and built-in power bank. Unfortunately, it comes at a steep price of $80, isn’t very portable given its size, and only works on iOS devices, making its target audience extremely niche and narrow. Still, I was very impressed with the controller thanks to the overall ease of use.
