The Best iPhone Charging Stations, According To Rigorous Testing

Keeping our devices all charged up can be more complicated than it ever has been before. Gone are the days when most of us just had a basic phone to charge up overnight. These days, if you’re deep in Apple’s ecosystem, you likely have an iPhone, an Apple Watch and AirPods that always need to be charged and ready to go. And, after hours of testing the best iPhone charging stations, the Anker Foldable 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station supports the fastest charging speeds, offers a convenient design and has a durable build.

But it’s not the only great iPhone charging station I tested. If you’re looking for something to travel with, then the Anker MagGo Pocket-Sized 3-in-1 Charging Station is a better option. And if you don’t have an Apple Watch and are only looking for a two-in-one charging station, then the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Magnetic Charging Pad is the way to go. After over a month of extensive testing, here are the best iPhone charging stations.

Best for:

• Switching between a stand and a pad
• Charging at the fastest iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods speeds
• Getting everything in the box

Skip if:

• You want the most premium materials

I want an iPhone charging station that’s functional, reliable and thoughtfully designed. The Anker Foldable 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station ticks all of those boxes.

As the name suggests, this charging station has a foldable design. It doesn’t necessarily make it a good choice for travel, but it does mean that you can use it as either a charging stand or a charging pad, as you see fit. When used as a charging stand, it’s thoughtfully designed to keep an iPhone in StandBy mode out of the way of the Apple Watch charger. And even with my huge iPhone 15 Pro Max attached horizontally to the charging station, I was still able to easily place AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) and my Apple Watch Ultra 2 on it.

It supports the fastest charging speeds, too. This is actually a Qi2 charging station, so you’ll be able to use it with other Qi2-compatible devices that aren’t made by Apple. (Of course, you probably wouldn’t buy this if you weren’t an Apple user, given the fact that it has a dedicated Apple Watch charger.) The Qi2 magnetic charger is 15W, which is the fastest wireless charging speed that the iPhone supports. The charger also supports fast Apple Watch charging, and the AirPods charging pad is 5W, the fastest speed for charging your AirPods.

I also appreciated that unlike the top competing Belkin model, this charging station is powered through USB-C. Some of Belkin’s top BoostCharge Pro models are powered by nonstandard power adapters, which could present problems when you need a replacement. With the Anker Foldable 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station, if your cable breaks, you can simply replace it with another one that you likely already have in the house. Anker does include both a charging cable and a power brick with the charging station, though.

The single reason this charging station gets a 9 out of 10 instead of a perfect score is that, while its build quality is good, it’s not quite as high-end as Belkin’s top models. Belkin uses a nice rubberized material for its charging stations, giving them a slightly more premium feel than the Anker models. The Anker charging station is mostly made of plastic, and while it doesn’t feel quite as premium, it still feels solid and well built. The charging station is available in black or white; I reviewed the black model.

Regardless of price, the Anker Foldable 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station is my top pick for iPhone charging stations, but it just so happens to be a little bit more affordable than some of its competitors too. For context, Belkin’s top-tier charging stand, the Belkin MagSafe Three-In-One Wireless Charging Pad, costs $150. Anker’s option costs only around $100—still a lot of money to be sure, but not quite as hard of a pill to swallow.

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Best for:

• Charging two devices at a low price
• Getting a cheap charger with a cable included
• Its sleek and stylish overall design

Skip if:

• You’re looking for a 3-in-1 charging station
• You need faster charging speeds

If you’re looking for a decent iPhone charging station at a lower price, the Anker PowerWave Magnetic 2-in-1 Stand is worth buying. This is a two-in-one charging station, so you won’t be able to charge your Apple Watch with it. However, you can charge your iPhone and a secondary device, such as AirPods.

There are a few things I really like about this charging station. For starters, the magnetic charging pad tilts, allowing you to get the best possible angle for viewing your phone while it’s charging. Additionally, the device is powered through USB-C and comes with a USB-C cable, though there’s no power adapter included. The design of the charging station is quite sleek, and it should look great on any nightstand or desk.

While I found a lot to like about this charging station, I found a few quirks, too. For example, if you look closely at Anker’s listing, you’ll find that it doesn’t actually use the word, “MagSafe,” instead calling it a “Magnetic 2-in-1 Stand.” That’s because the MagSafe spec requires 15W charging, and this charging stand can only charge at 7.5W. It still has the magnets necessary for MagSafe, so you’ll still be able to magnetically attach your phone to the stand and use it in StandBy mode when it’s placed horizontally. The secondary wireless charger is perfect for charging your AirPods, with a maximum charging speed of 5W.

While the charging stand isn’t as premium or well built as some of Anker’s other featured iPhone charging stations, it’s still a great option for those looking for a charging station under $50.

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Best for:

• Those who want a less intrusive pad design
• Getting one the best builds of any charger
• Hitting those fastest charging speeds

Skip if:

• You’re on a budget

There’s something about the look of a wireless charging pad on a table as opposed to a wireless charging stand. Sure, wireless charging stands allow you to see your devices easily, but charging pads are low-profile and a little sleeker. If you’re confident that you don’t want a stand and prefer having only a wireless charging pad, then the Nomad Base One Max is for you—though you’ll have to spend some cash to get it.

Nomad has become known for building high-quality products, and the Base One Max is no exception. The charging pad is sleek and stylish, and very well built—in fact, it’s quite heavy. The materials look smooth and feel sturdy, and the charger looked great on my table and nightstand.

To be clear, if you’re at all unsure about whether you want a stand or a pad, go for my top pick instead, as it can be used as a pad, too. That said, those who know they only want a charging pad will like the overall build and design of the Base One Max.

The Nomad Base One Max supports all the fast-charging we expect—15W for the iPhone, 5W for the second wireless charging and fast Apple Watch charging. And the charging station uses USB-C for power, so you can easily replace the cable if you need to.

There are a few things that I didn’t like about this charging pad, though. For one thing, at $170, it’s pretty expensive. I also didn’t love the placement of the AirPods charging, right behind the Apple Watch Ultra 2. At times, my Apple Watch band got in the way of the AirPods charger, though I was able to simply move the band out of the way every time, so it wasn’t as serious of an issue as if the iPhone completely blocked one of the charging spots. Still, I generally found this charging station to be very well designed.

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