Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Folding Wireless Charging Station review: Pocket power rocket

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating

Pros

Charges iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods

Fast-charge Watch

15W Qi2 for iPhone

Compact and portable

Color choices

Cons

Our Verdict
Highly portable, this is a minimalist wireless multi-charger that will be a boon to all owners of Apple Watch, iPhone, and AirPods, not only on their travels but at home or in the office, too.

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We’ve seen some increasingly clever travel-friendly multi-device chargers released recently, and the Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Folding Wireless Charging Station, despite its incredibly long name, is one of the neatest we’ve tested.

It’s the first of the pocketable chargers we’ve tested to be able to charge three Apple devices at the same time, yet its shapely, convenient design is comparable to that of rival chargers that can only charge two at once.

Design

When you put it next to other 3-in-1 Apple chargers, it is remarkably compact: measuring 2.36 x 2.36 x 1.4 inches (6 x 6 x 3.6cm) when folded up into its very pocketable form.

You can unfold just the top Apple Watch charging pad or extend to expose all three charging pads. The pads are connected with a silicone strap, within which are unseen wires taking power from the USB-C port that is situated in the middle pad’s body.

At the other end to the Watch charger is the Qi2 charging pad on which you magnetically clamp your iPhone for fast 15W wireless charging.

In the middle there’s 5W charger for the AirPods case. You can also use this Qi pad to charge another iPhone (from iPhone 8) although non-magnetically and much slower—but it’s fine if you have time on your side.




Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

In some ways, and I mean this as no insult, the Anker 3-in-1 resembles a snail when folded up.

That sounds worse when you consider that its closest rival is called the ButterFly. That cuter-named fold-up charger from Twelve South is more glamorous but can charge only two devices at one time, unlike the Anker that can charge three simultaneously.

The MagSafe ButterFly and its cheaper Qi2 cousin the ButterFly SE measure 2.4 x 2.4 x 0.9 inches (6.1 x 6.1 x 2.3cm) so are about the same size except not as high because there’s no Watch charger on top. The SE is also a third lighter than the Anker MagGo (105g vs Anker’s 150g). Read our Twelve South ButterFly review and ButterFly SE review for more information on those products.

Despite being a little deeper, like the ButterFly the Anker MagGo will easily slip into a pocket but remember that it does require a cable (included) to connect to a separate USB-C wall charger (also included).

The iPhone mostly lays flat, but it can be placed into a more useful StandBy mode with some folding magic.

The Watch, however, always charges flat so no Nightstand mode is possible. The Twelve South ButterFly does win here as it can be folded 180 degrees to place the Watch in Nightstand mode.




Anker

The Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Folding Wireless Charging Station comes in four colors: black and white, of course, and also light pastel sort-of-green and pink.

It comes with a 5ft (1.5m) USB-C charging cable and a 40W wall charger. The cable and wall charger for the green and pink versions is white rather than being color-coordinated.

The inclusion of the charger with the $89 Anker MagGo matches what you get with the original $129 ButterFly (although it’s 40W compared to the ButterFly’s 30W charger). The ButterFly SE ships with no wall charger, so you’ll need to supply your own.

Another great benefit for travellers is the inclusion of international plug adapters to slip on to the wall charger’s foldable U.S. plug prongs.




Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Performance

The snail comparison is unfair given the fast speeds at which the MagGo can wirelessly output its power. Like the ButterFly SE, the Anker MagGo uses Qi2 (pronounced “chee too”) tech that matches Apple’s MagSafe at 15W. It’s based on MagSafe so there’s no real difference except for price.

(For more on this, see our explanation Is Qi2 is as good as MagSafe?)

Again like the ButterFly models, the MagGo is certified by Apple for Watch fast charging.

For more options check out our reviews of the best MagSafe Chargers for iPhone and best Apple Watch chargers.

Price

The Qi2 ButterFly SE costs $89.99 / £89.99 / €74,99, which is $40 cheaper than the MagSafe ButterFly and $10 less than the ButterFly SE. That it comes with a cable, 40W charger and interchangeable international plug heads makes it even greater value for money.

Verdict

The Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Folding Wireless Charging Station might not be as beautiful a design as the Twelve South ButterFly, or even as well named, but it’s an elegant and uncluttered compact solution that can charge more devices at the same time and just happens to be a little cheaper, too.

Highly portable, this is a minimalist wireless charging accessory that will be a boon to all owners of Apple Watch, iPhone, and AirPods, not only on their travels but at home or in the office, too.