I’ve been looking at MagSafe-compatible charging stands for a while now, ever since I switched from my iPhone X to the iPhone 12 Pro. And aside from Apple’s $100 MagSafe Duo, I haven't found one that I've used for more than a week without becoming frustrated or disappointed. Most of the ones I have taken a look at haven't been truly MagSafe-compatible, meaning they just ended up being a standard 5-7.5W Qi charger with a few magnets to keep the phone aligned while charging. Which isn't to say that is a bad thing, I mean, that's what MagSafe is in its simplest form. But I want the full experience. I want the pretty animations and the little chime too. And this one checks so many of my boxes that I even purchased a second one for my editing desk!
This 3-in-1 MagSafe-compatible charging stand from ANPULES, while being a nearly full-plastic construction, doesn't feel cheaply built. It's a MagSafe-compatible charger, meaning your iPhone 12-series will react to it in the same manner that it would to Apple's first-party MagSafe puck. It's also capable of supplying a whole 20W of charging power to the iPhone 12, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max, and 15W to the iPhone 12 mini, using the included USB-C power brick and USB-C to USB-C cable. Also included in the box is a small "foot" that fits around the support for the Qi charger and adheres to the top of the base, a pair of plastic "shelves" that fit into the three slots on the foot for charging non-MagSafe phones, a USB-A to USB-C adapter nub in case you want to use your own brick or plug it into something like a PC, and some gel-like pads, to help keep the stand in place on potentially slippery surfaces.
As I previously mentioned, the stand allows you to charge all of the iPhone 12 models, presumably all iPhone 13 models, all Apple Watch models, and AirPods/AirPods Pro with wireless charging cases by default. And with the little foot they include, you can also charge older iPhones as far back as the 8, 8 Plus, and X, and most Qi-compatible Android phones. During my use and testing, however, I have been unable to get my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 to charge on the stand, due to the phone's shape and size, as well as the positioning of the phone's Qi coils.
One caveat to this charging stand compared to other more expensive stands is the Apple Watch charging cable is not integrated into the stand, and is not included with your purchase. Which kinda sucks, but you should already have at least one handy if you own a Watch. But the upside to this is if for whatever reason your charging puck stops working in the future, you will only need to replace the Apple Watch charging cable, and not the whole stand. However, the method they implemented to hide and manage the slack of the Apple Watch cable in the base of the stand is a really nice touch, and I personally feel like it mostly makes up for the omission. A word of warning though: you MUST use a 1 meter cable like the ones Apple includes with the Watches themselves. Any longer, and you'll have too much slack, and any shorter will result in the cable not reaching the embedded USB port.
With a price of $40.99 on Amazon at the time of writing, there isn't really much else you you can ask for at the price. I mean, Apple's standard one device MagSafe charger is $39.99! So for one whole extra dollar, you get a second Qi charger for your AirPods or even another phone, if you're fancy like that, and an arm to hold your Apple Watch in Nightstand Mode while it charges! And get this: it even comes with its own fast charge brick! You really can't be taking that for granted these days. I do wish there was an option to purchase it in white, as it would fit in a lot more naturally in my setups. But at the time of writing this, the 3-in-1 MagSafe-compatible charging stand from ANPULES is a solid option for those of you looking to tidy up your desks or bedside tables!
*This review is not payed for or sponsored in any form. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this article are strictly those of the author.