In-Depth Analysis of the 3-in-1 Anker MagGo Charging Station: Features Vs. Functionality Shortcomings Exposed

Key Takeaways

• Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station has a compact design but suffers from structural integrity issues and heat regulation concerns.
• The vertical design saves desk space but can cause clutter and discomfort for left-handed users.
• The charging pads can heat up quickly.

In a market saturated with 3-in-1 chargers for Apple’s suite of portables, buyers understandably feel choice paralysis. I can confidently strike the Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station (3-in-1 Stand) from the running as it left me concerned about its structural integrity and heat regulation.

Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station (3-in-1 Stand)

6/ 10

Effortlessly power up your Apple devices with Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station. Just unfold, place your phone, AirPods, and Apple Watch for easy, simultaneous charging.

Pros

• Vertical design saves desk space
• Quickly charges devices at expected Qi2 standard

Cons

• Stand is very flimsy
• Can heat up devices to uncomfortable tempatures
• Layout is visually and functionally cramped

$99.99 at anker $100 at Amazon

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Price and Availability

The Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Stand (3-in-1) retails for $99.99 and comes in white and black variants. Inside the box are a 40W USB-C power adapter, a 5-foot USB-C to USB-C cable, and a set of six stickers designed to help keep your Apple Watch steady.

Specifications

Brand

Anker

Qi-Certified

Qi2

Color

White

Input Voltage

40W

Dimensions

5.5 × 5.5 × 6.5in

Weight

15.87oz

Adapter included

Yes

Includes adapter

Yes

Input

USB-C

Expand

Vertical Design Saves Space But Isn’t a Looker

Jerome Thomas / How-To Geek

Anker’s vertically compact design for this stationary charger aims to save desk space, with every branch of its tree-like structure placing devices within the circumference of its base. This design mentality carries over to its vertical USB-C power adapter, saving room on your power strip. This spatial efficiency is the defining trait of the MagGo Wireless Charging Station.

This compact design comes at the cost of clutter, however. As a left-hander, I found my wrist knocking into my Apple Watch when reaching across the tower for my phone. This is an issue that I don’t face with my Belkin BoostCharge Pro which situates the iPhone to the left of the tower, but if you’re right-handed or place the charging station on the right side of your desk, Anker’s layout may be preferable.

Further, larger phones like my iPhone 15 Pro Max take up a disproportionate amount of space, including obfuscating the watch from many angles. It’s a bit of a visual mess, though it may be less so if you’re using a smaller iPhone.

I also wasn’t a fan of the visible seams on the white model. These show up around the pole and the AirPods’ Qi2 charging unit. This compounds with the clutter to give the product a cheap look compared to its sleek competitors. Unfortunately, this sense of cheapness isn’t simply visual but also carries over to its build quality.

The Build Quality Isn’t Sturdy

Jerome Thomas / How-To Geek

If there’s one worry that plagued my every use of the MagGo Wireless Charging Station, it was its structural integrity.

The vertical pole upon which the iPhone and Apple Watch charging pads sit looks as unwieldy as it holds up in simple tests. Softly brushing my finger across the top of the pole resulted in the component wiggling slightly. This was accentuated upon docking an iPhone, which caused the pole to noticeably shake upon magnetic connection. Even lightly tapping the screen of a docked phone—to say nothing of standard, less gentile use—caused bouncing, which has the added effect of making it more difficult to use the phone.

The iPhone’s charging pad is highly magnetic, something that might be a pro for a sturdier stand, but causes further problems with the MagGo Wireless Charging Station. The base’s lightweight causes the entire unit to move when undocking a phone, and the non-slip mat underneath does little to counteract this. Removing an iPhone becomes a two-hand operation when competing products allow easy detachment with one hand. Ultimately, this all left me concerned about potential breakage over time.

It’s also not as if the magnets do enough to hold the iPhone in any given position. Lightly tapping the edge of the phone caused it to rotate, which meant I was constantly re-adjusting it. The rough material used for the iPhone’s charging pad also caused a disconcerting rubbing sound which left me worried that continued use could scratch my phone’s titanium shell . The stickers that Anker includes to help keep Apple Watches held in place (which proved unnecessary) would’ve been better allocated to a solution for the iPhone.

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Your Devices Will Charge Fast, But Run Hot

The MagGo Charging Station comes equipped with a 15W Qi2-certified charger for iPhones and two 5W Qi2-certified chargers for Apple Watch and AirPods. These are verified by Apple to function identically to their MagSafe line. Anker is offering this technology in a charging station form factor at a lower price than its primary Belkin competitor without sacrificing fast charging speeds.

There is a catch, however: the charging pads can heat up very quickly. While this isn’t entirely uncommon for wireless chargers, it was particularly pronounced for me while using this product. In one instance, my AirPods were warmed to the point that they were uncomfortably hot when placed in my ears. This raised concerns about whether there could be potential long-term damage to my devices.

The charging stand’s webpage touts technology that “performs more than 3,000,000 temperature checks daily to maintain an ideal temperature during 15W fast charging sessions.” If this temperature regulation is indeed occurring, it didn’t prevent my devices from heating up.

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Should You Buy an Anker MagGo Charging Station (3-in-1 Stand)?

Jerome Thomas / How-To Geek

While the Anker MagGo Charging Station (3-in-1 Stand) does what it’s advertised to do, there are enough red flags that make it difficult to recommend. Retailing at $99.99, it’s cheaper than the Belkin BoostCharge Pro ($149.99), though that price gap is felt in its build quality, tendency to heat up, and its visual appeal. Only consider this one on discount.

Alternatively, Anker offers some great portable alternatives, like its 3-in-1 Cube with MagSafe ($129.99) or MagGo Wireless Charging Station (Foldable 3-in-1) ($109.99).

Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station (3-in-1 Stand)

6/ 10

Effortlessly power up your Apple devices with Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station. Just unfold, place your phone, AirPods, and Apple Watch for easy, simultaneous charging.

$99.99 at anker $100 at Amazon