Review: Mophie's new multi-device chargers help you cut the cords

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2021
Mophie is the first to bring multi-device wireless chargers to the Apple retail store, and AppleInsider goes hands on with all three of the new Qi-enabled devices.

Mophie's most powerful wireless chargers yet
Mophie's most powerful wireless chargers yet


There are three chargers in Mophie's new lineup. The three include a solo wireless charging pad, a dual wireless charger, and a dual wireless charger with an integrated Apple Watch dock.

All three of these share many similar design elements such as the glossy top, soft-touch plastic body, support for 7.5W of wireless fast charge. Let's first dive into what sets them apart from each other.

The solo charger






The most basic of them all is the simple updated Mophie charging pad. It can charge one device at a time and has no additional USB outputs.

iPhones, AirPods, etc can all be charged. This works best if you have no other accessories to charge and need the smallest footprint possible.

The dual charger

Mophie's Dual wireless charging pad
Mophie's Dual wireless charging pad


Stepping things up is the dual wireless charger. Again, it follows the same design albeit now with two charging positions on one pad. Each of the two is capable of Apple's 7.5W maximum, and is great for two phones or a solo phone and a set of AirPods with the wireless charging case.

Mophie's Dual wireless charging pad has a USB-A port on the back
Mophie's Dual wireless charging pad has a USB-A port on the back


For additional charging options for devices, a USB-A port resides around back. It can be used to charge a battery pack or Apple Watch.

Three-in-one

The most capable of the three includes two wireless chargers as well as an Apple Watch charging puck. This nixes the need for any additional wires, but doesn't have the USB output seen on the dual wireless pad.

Mophie's three-in-one wireless charging station
Mophie's three-in-one wireless charging station


This second coil is slightly recessed into the dock, leaving a rubberized nest for AirPods to rest in -- and only AirPods. While the groove helps keep the small AirPods charging case in place, it makes putting a different device on that coil impossible.

Out of the box, the charger comes in two pieces with the Apple Watch puck snapping into place behind the AirPods groove.

Pros and cons

We have a couple of issues with Mophie's new line, though nothing that is a dealbreaker.

The finish of the chargers isn't nearly as nice as with the original Mophie charger that debuted in Apple Stores with the launch of the iPhone X -- Apple's first Qi-enabled phone. That model was metal with a soft silicone pad covering the top. Conversely, the new line is primarily plastic, with a glossy top.

They feel lighter and collect and show dust far faster than before. Still, in isolation, the build of the Mophie line is superior to most -- it just doesn't feel as premium as its first go around.

We're not fond of the included, massive, power bricks. Mophie chose once more to use a proprietary barrel connector rather than something more open such as USB-C. This makes it harder to replace the power cable should something happen.

Mophie did its best to streamline the chargers, including keeping them narrow as to not take up additional space on a surge protector, but they are far from compact. Had the company gone with USB-C, smaller chargers would have been available, even if not from Mophie directly.

Regardless of the superficial pain points, we can't help but like the Mophie chargers. They are well thought out and have appropriate outputs and speeds that fit a variety of different use cases.

Whether you have an iPhone, an iPhone and AirPods, or an iPhone, AirPods, and an Apple Watch, one of these docks will fit your needs.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Where to buy

Pick up the new Mophie single coil, dual wireless charging pad, and three-in-one base station from Mophie directly starting at $39.95.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    Weren’t the 8/8 Plus the first Qi wireless iPhones?
  • Reply 2 of 16
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,772member
    Why does it take Morphie longer than everybody else to support the current generation iPhones? Every year. Now, a week before the 11’s drop, they update these chargers using last years specs. What happens if Apple upgrades the iPhone (as I suspect) to deliver faster than 7.5w charging? Suddenly these things are old news after only 1 week on the market.
    Of course, they do have chargers that support 10w, but those aren’t what is reviewed here. Also, it is possible that they have some inside knowledge that prove my suspicions wrong. But I don’t think so... Morphie is late to the party again. As usual. 
  • Reply 3 of 16
    Hmmm.....Don’t they resemble Nomad ones?
  • Reply 4 of 16
    Why would they include an indented pad that is only usable for Airpods?  The electronics are the same as for a second phone.  Wasteful and silly. 

    Of course Apple should make the Watch chargeable on a standard Qi pad, too, so they are not innocent.
    edited September 2019 caladanian
  • Reply 5 of 16
    chaicka said:
    Hmmm.....Don’t they resemble Nomad ones?
    My Nomad Basestation Apple Watch edition has a much more premium look and feel. I has a nice leather pad over 3 charging coils, allowing for Air Pods & iPhone, or iPhone across the whole length of the pad as well as a dedicated watch charging puck. 
  • Reply 6 of 16

    Of course Apple should make the Watch chargeable on a standard Qi pad, too
    I couldn’t agree more. I never understood why it isn’t fully Qi-compatible already. 
    edited September 2019
  • Reply 7 of 16
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 4,038member

    Of course Apple should make the Watch chargeable on a standard Qi pad, too
    I couldn’t agree more. I never understood why it isn’t fully Qi-compatible already. 
    I don’t know where things were with the Qi standard when they were designing the watch, it’s possible the Qi standard was not defined enough, or that there were some factors specific to the Apple Watch. 

    I always use the magnetic charger anyway - it’s far easier and more reliable than a charging mat. My son gave me one of his extra charging mats for my phone and I quit using after I had a dead phone twice in the first 2 weeks. 
  • Reply 8 of 16
    Wonder if this does a better job cradling the Apple Watch over the Nomad? We love our similar Nomad charger, but both my spouse and I have many challenges with our watch not charging because it slipped a small amount during the night from it’s ‘center’ position- so now we check every morning needing to check immediately so we can give it a charge before leaving for work.
  • Reply 9 of 16
    Inferior functionally (fewer wired charging ports, no USB-C port), inferior in build quality, and inferior in appearance to the Nomad product.
  • Reply 10 of 16
    kuraikurai Posts: 16unconfirmed, member
    Inferior functionally (fewer wired charging ports, no USB-C port), inferior in build quality, and inferior in appearance to the Nomad product.
    To be fair, the Nomad product doesn't support USB-C either on its equivalent three product device, and ships with a huge charger as well. I was really surprised and disappointed by the inconveniently large brick, but realized they did this to support charging in multiple countries. Additional plug options are included in the box and can be easily switched out. As these will never be used by my family, I would have much rather seen a more svelte charging brick or even better USB-C. Given the location and layout of the kid's device charging station, we won't be getting a second of these devices when my daughter scores her Apple Watch simply because a second brick of the same size won't fit.
    edited September 2019
  • Reply 11 of 16
    jcs2305jcs2305 Posts: 1,341member
    Weren’t the 8/8 Plus the first Qi wireless iPhones?
    8\8 Plus & the X were announced same day in 2017. Seems strange to just say just the X was the first.
  • Reply 12 of 16
    jcs2305 said:
    Weren’t the 8/8 Plus the first Qi wireless iPhones?
    8\8 Plus & the X were announced same day in 2017. Seems strange to just say just the X was the first.
    Yes strange that and the 8’s were released into the wild first too.
  • Reply 13 of 16
    kurai said:
    Inferior functionally (fewer wired charging ports, no USB-C port), inferior in build quality, and inferior in appearance to the Nomad product.
    To be fair, the Nomad product doesn't support USB-C either on its equivalent three product device, and ships with a huge charger as well. I was really surprised and disappointed by the inconveniently large brick, but realized they did this to support charging in multiple countries. Additional plug options are included in the box and can be easily switched out. As these will never be used by my family, I would have much rather seen a more svelte charging brick or even better USB-C. Given the location and layout of the kid's device charging station, we won't be getting a second of these devices when my daughter scores her Apple Watch simply because a second brick of the same size won't fit.
    Not true: Nomad's 3-coil dock, its best one, does have both USB-C and USB-A ports on the back. It does admittedly have a rather large external charger. But there's no current way to provide that much power without one.
  • Reply 14 of 16
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 4,038member
    Inferior functionally (fewer wired charging ports, no USB-C port), inferior in build quality, and inferior in appearance to the Nomad product.
    Well, in spite of Phil Schiller’s delusions, USB A is still more common than USB C, especially for small device charging. When I got an iPhone XS 9 months ago it had a USB A cable. My brother in law got a series 4 Apple Watch a few months ago and it had...wait for it... a USB A cable! In fact, when I got a second charger for my Apple Watch, you couldn’t even get one with a USB C port.
  • Reply 15 of 16
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,772member
    Post event: I was wrong about the faster than 7.5w charging. Maybe next year...
  • Reply 16 of 16
    MplsP said:
    Inferior functionally (fewer wired charging ports, no USB-C port), inferior in build quality, and inferior in appearance to the Nomad product.
    Well, in spite of Phil Schiller’s delusions, USB A is still more common than USB C, especially for small device charging. When I got an iPhone XS 9 months ago it had a USB A cable. My brother in law got a series 4 Apple Watch a few months ago and it had...wait for it... a USB A cable! In fact, when I got a second charger for my Apple Watch, you couldn’t even get one with a USB C port.
    Phil Schiller isn't having any "delusions" and USB-C is obviously superior (100 W) to USB-A (max 15 W) for power delivery. In addition to having a smaller connector size. Sometimes it doesn't matter what is more "common". When every new technology is released, the older tech is always more "common". That's obvious, and also meaningless.
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