Solid and stylish, at home or on the go: Anker MagGo 3 in 1 review

There’s always room for the MagGo 3 in my suitcase or rucksack. In one way, that’s down to its compact dimensions: six centimetres wide, nine long and two and a half high. Almost exactly the size of a pack of cigarettes.

Anker includes a 40-watt plug and a 150-centimetre USB-C cable with the charging station. The mains plug is so small that it doesn’t block neighbouring sockets in a three-pin power outlet. Sadly, this isn’t always a given.

How much current flows?

In standby mode, Anker’s charging station meets the EU maximum power consumption specification of one watt. However, I measured 0.9 watts, so it only barely sneaks by. And the one-watt limit only applies because Anker included a status LED, otherwise only 0.5 watts would be allowed.

Other charging stations are more economical, but this’ll hardly have an impact financial. The Anker station reaches eight kWh across 365 days of use. Similar devices without LEDs add just four kWh to your electricity bill, but that makes a difference of less than two francs.

In any case, charging your iPhone and the like won’t make you poor. Charging speed is generally more important than how much power a device consumes. I tested the Anker charging station with two iPhones (14 Pro Max and 13) as well as Apple Watch models 9 and 10. Here’s what I found out after almost 100 charges:

• The latest Apple Watch and the previous model charge as quickly as with original Apple charging pucks. (Hardly surprising, Anker is also officially Apple certified)
• The hefty iPhone 14 Pro Max charges just under 30 per cent on the magnetic dock in half an hour. That’s with a starting battery level of about 20 per cent.

The iPhone charges significantly slower than with a cable. But that’s not Anker’s fault. Induction charging is simply less efficient; only about half of the power goes into the battery, while the other half generates heat. With the MagGo 3’s Qi2 standard, an iPhone charges at a maximum of 15 watts. During charging, the power meter says the charger’s drawing 22 watts from the socket. The difference is lost.

What I like about the Anker charging station is that its LED only lights up briefly when the charging process starts. Then it turns off again. This was confusing at first since I thought charging had been broken off. But a glance at the iPhone display proved the opposite. The MagGo 3 charges reliably and continuously. This is ensured by the magnets alone, which hold every gadget firmly in place.

You can place three gadgets on the device at the same time: an iPhone, Watch and AirPods. Five watts of charging power are reserved for each of the latter two, and a maximum of 25 watts for the iPhone. The station doesn’t get noticeably warm, even during a quick triple charge.

How suitable is the charging station for everyday use?

I’m really impressed with how this charging station handles. Despite being so small, I can use all three charging spots without having to fiddle. The iPhone dock can be opened up to an angle of 60 degrees and holds the large Max smartphone both horizontally and vertically.

The base is the place for my Airpod case, and I can fold out a charging puck for my watch from the bottom when I need it. Thanks to four small rubber feet, this base holds on well to any surface and doesn’t slip around.

The charging station weighs 200 grammes. Not light as a feather, but still not heavy enough. If I want to release the iPhone from its magnetic holder, I have to hold the charging station with my other hand.