The Chat Command

What’s the deal?

Black Friday is only three weeks away, and ahead of the sale event several smartphone accessories have received substantial discounts.  Anker’s handy MagGo 3-in-1 Charging Station has been reduced to $82, a $28 discount off its original price. However, only the white model is seeing the price drop.

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Anker unveiled its MagGo 3-in-1 Charging Station at CES and it is now available for purchase for $109.99.
• The charging station has a compact form factor, comparable to a deck of cards, while still being able to charge your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch simultaneously with impressive speed. 
• If you don’t happen to own an Apple Watch, you can likely find other, less expensive charging station alternatives to better suit your charging needs. 

If you find yourself in the walled garden that is the Apple ecosystem, you likely own an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods with pride and joy. If that’s the case, this charging station is for you. The Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station packs everything you could want in a charging dock in a compact, $109 package. 

After testing it for a month, I’m left very impressed by the 3-in-1 form factor, which, for the most part, doesn’t compromise the charging speed.

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The Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station leverages Qi2 technology to snap onto the back of your iPhone and delivers 15W fast charging. In addition, it has a a retractable arm to set your Apple Watch and a pad for your AirPods, or any earbuds compatible with wireless charging. But wait, there’s more.

Anker says the charging station can deliver an ultra-fast charge, powering an iPhone 15 Pro from 0% to 20% in about 15 minutes and an Apple Watch from 0% to 47% in 30 minutes, so I put those claims to the test.

Whether I was charging one device or three, I noticed that the devices were charging at a comparable speed to when I normally had them plugged into their respective wall chargers. Of course, the exact charging speed of my devices depended on different factors, such as how many were charging at the same time, and whether the device had zero percent battery.

However, to show an example of its charging abilities, I did a quick 30-minute charge test of my iPhone 14, which went from 40% to 60%. It is worth noting that during that time, I kept using my phone as usual, including FaceTiming and scrolling through TikTok. 

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Both of these activities were aided by Anker’s built-in, adjustable phone stand that goes up to 65 degrees for the ideal tabletop viewing. That leads me to the charging station’s best feature — the design. The charging station — which comes in two sleek colors, white and black — is small and compact when completely folded, making it perfect for traveling.

It only weighs 6.9 ounces, so it won’t weigh your work bag or suitcase down, and can effectively replace the three chargers and cables you would otherwise have to pack for your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch.

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In addition to the charging station, the only other thing you need to bring with you is a high-output USB-C cable and adapter, both of which are included in the box. The Anker adapter maxes out at 40W, so anything that’s the same or higher would be ideal.

ZDNET’s buying advice

If you consider yourself an Apple aficionado — or just a big fan of wireless charging all your mobile devices — Anker’s new MagGo Charging Station is guaranteed to be a great fit. Unlike bulkier 3-in-1 stands, this charging station is comparable in size to an Apple Magic Mouse, making it perfect for travel. Although the ticket price may seem steep, it’s relatively competitive in the market, with charging docks oftentimes costing upwards of $150