As someone who travels a lot and writes about tech for a living, I’m perpetually on the lookout for things that can ease electronic burden. Anker’s been a go-to for the past several years, for clever, quality accessories on the (relative) cheap.
The firm launched a handful of portable accessories this week at IFA in Berlin, and a few in particular may well make it into my carry on the next time I catch a flight. The MagGo Wireless Charging Station and MagGo Wireless Charging Station pad are clever additions to the line that offer charging for the iPhone (via Magsafe), AirPods and Apple watch.
Image Credits: Anker
Neither are being positioned as travel-only accessories, but both fold up in a way that makes them conducive to being stuffed in a backpack or suitcase. The standard MagGo Wireless Charging Station looks a bit like a large power bank, unfolding to reveal a small surface area for wirelessly charging earbuds, along with a pop-out Apple Watch module.
The MagGo Wireless Charging Station pad, meanwhile, is perfectly flat and thin, with pop-out magnetic phone and watch charging pads/stands. Both form factors utilize Qi 2 for 125 watt charging.
Qi 2, which was introduced this year, is a new version of the charging standard that requires manufacturers to include a magnet to keep the devices in place. The new standard also likely means that future Android devices will be able to make use of products like this, as the feature becomes more standardized across devices.
Those two accessories will arrive at some point this winter (presumably in time for the holidays — both for gifting and travel reasons), along with a big new 10,00mAh power bank. That uses PowerIQ 3.0 for charging. It also features a kickstand and a small LCD on the side for monitoring the power level. There’s also a 6,600mAh version without the screen.
Image Credits: Anker
One more to add is this oddball. The MagGo Magnetic Charging station is a round desktop system with a Qi 2.0 charging pad on the front for the new iPhone, coupled with USB ports on the rear for wired charging of the rest of your devices.