Other Good 3-in-1 Travel Chargers
Photograph: Simon Hill
Kuxiu Qi2 25W Travel Charging Station for $78: This charger folds down to an impressively small package, and it feels sturdy with a silicone-covered metal construction. It can hit 25 watts for supported Qi2 W25 phones, comes in a few different finishes, and ships with a 45-watt power adapter and USB-C cable in the box. Unfortunately, I don’t like the way it looks, and I found it awkward to get all three devices charging at once. It’s actually so compact that it feels crowded.
UAG 3-in-1 Travel and Desktop Charger for $165: This charger was close to earning a top spot until I clocked the price. It’s a very smart 3-in-1 charging kit that folds flat and comes in a snazzy zip-up bag with a 4-foot braided USB-C cable and 25-watt power adapter, including plugs for the US, UK, and Europe. You can prop your iPhone at different angles on the MagSafe stand, and it works well with StandBy mode and Nightstand mode for your Apple Watch, but it’s not Qi2-certified, so you won’t get the stated 15-watt charging for an iPhone. Ultimately, it’s just too expensive.
Aukey MagFusion Z Qi2 3-in-1 Foldable Charging Station for $80: This clever 3-in-1 charging station folds flat and feels durable, but it’s kind of heavy for travel. I found my Apple Watch tended to lean on one side on the charger and didn’t work with Nightstand mode unless I folded it above the main charger, which is also the position required for the iPhone to sit in landscape orientation for StandBy mode.
Mophie 3-in-1 Travel Charger With MagSafe for $150: This little travel kit comes with a carrying case, charging brick, and USB-C cable. The square stack unfolds to reveal three wireless chargers in one elongated pad. The iPhone sticks magnetically to the center (15 watts), and the Apple Watch dock supports Nightstand mode. There’s also a grooved spot for the AirPods. It feels great, is compact, and is pretty lightweight all around.
Twelve South Butterfly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger for $80: This is an uber compact 2-in-1 charger that looks like a hockey puck. Open the Butterfly, and you’ll find two pads that are attached via a rubbery silicone material. You can fast charge an Apple Watch on one—even popping the charger up to take advantage of Nightstand mode—and the other circle lets you recharge your MagSafe iPhone at 15 watts. It’s a super compact solution, and Twelve South includes a 30-watt power source and cable with international plug adapters.
Native Union Voyage 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger for $100: For a slightly lower price, reviews editor Adrienne So likes Native Union’s Qi2 butterfly solution, which doesn’t include plug adapters but does come in a tidy travel pouch and has a cable.
Avoid These Chargers
Mous Travel Charger: While the compact folding nature of this charger and the low price impressed me, it gets kinda warm when you charge all three of your Apple devices, and the AirPods spot is finicky.
MagSafe and Qi2, Explained
Most of my picks are MagSafe or Qi2-certified wireless chargers. That means they take advantage of the magnets embedded in the back of the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone 15, iPhone 16, and iPhone 17 ranges. The magnets ensure perfect alignment, enabling faster and more efficient wireless charging.
Qi2 is a wireless charging standard that Apple worked with the Wireless Power Consortium to develop. Compared to the original Qi standard, it brings MagSafe-style magnetic charging, enabling faster charging rates and improved efficiency. Apple updated the iPhone 12 and newer to support Qi2, but it’s not just for Apple phones; other phones can get Qi2 certification. While Qi2 Android phones are still thin on the ground, you’ll find Qi2 in Google’s Pixel 10 series, and there are Qi2-ready phones that add magnets via a compatible case.
Qi2 charging mostly goes up to 15 watts, but the Qi2.2 update, branded as Qi2 25W, goes up to 25 watts. Support for Qi2 25W is currently very limited, and includes the iPhone 17 range and the Pixel 10 Pro XL.
If you use a case, ensure it is a MagSafe or Qi2 compatible case. A normal case will weaken the pull of the magnets in the device and will not stick to chargers as well. If your case is too thick, your phone may not charge at all.
MagSafe is also available in the AirPods charging case (depending on your model). Apple’s AirPods and AirPods Pro with the wireless charging case will work with nearly all of the standard Qi wireless charging pads on these chargers (as will many third-party wireless earbuds), but if you have AirPods with MagSafe, then you can hook them up to the magnetic mounts as well.
What Are StandBy and Nightstand Modes?
I mention StandBy and Nightstand modes throughout this guide, but what are they?
StandBy mode was introduced in iOS 17. When you place your iPhone on a charger in landscape orientation, it turns the screen into a smart display to show the time (with different clock designs to choose from), photos from your library, or widgets. If you have an iPhone that supports an always-on screen, you can choose to have the display automatically turn off after a certain amount of time when the iPhone isn’t in use or if the room is dark. Head to Settings > Standby to customize it.
Nightstand mode shows the time on your Apple Watch when the watch is sitting upright and charging, so it can serve as a beside clock. You can customize this on your Apple Watch by heading to Settings > General > Nightstand mode.
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