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Apple has been slow to approve devices that support fast charging of the Apple Watch, as well as MagSafe. We’ve only seen a handful of devices from Nomad, Belkin, and Mophie with that support.
Instead, we’ve seen a variety of Qi chargers with magnets that charge at slower speeds.
OtterBox is coming to market with a unique design as well as all the requisite certifications to make it an extremely tempting option.
design
There are only so many ways to design a dual-device charging tree, with most of them looking similar to the Belkin design. OtterBox isn’t too far off but instead seems to have modeled its charging station after the Studio Display.
Charge your iPhone and Apple Watch
While the Apple Watch puck is a fixed horizontal orientation, the MagSafe puck can tilt from vertical to horizontal.
The MagSafe puck pivots vertical to horizontal
It takes a fair amount of effort to adjust the MagSafe puck. If it were too weak, it would move on its own when the large iPhone 13 Pro Max is placed. But that won’t happen.
As you set the angle of the charger, it will stay there as you place your phone and pick it up. Of course, since this is MagSafe, you can rotate your iPhone to any angle.
On the back of the stand is a single USB-C port, used to power up your iPhone and Apple Watch simultaneously.
USB-C cable and power adapter
Some chargers these days also don’t include power adapters, which provides additional value. And OtterBox went all-out with the accessories to provide quality options rather than off-the-shelf components.
The cable has stylized curved stress overmolds and an included hook and loop management tie. The power adapter is compact with prongs that pivot out from the end. It looks nice too with a silver band in the middle and angled grooves that make it easy to grip when plugging or unplugging.
charging speeds
The aforementioned charger OtterBox has bundled is a 36W power adapter. That’s plenty of power to max out the MagSafe charger and support fast charging of Apple Watch.
The MFi-certified MagSafe module will charge any iPhone 12 or iPhone 13 model at up to 15W of power. Most magnetic Qi chargers are only capable of 7.5W of power.
Charging Apple Watch
One thing we’d love to see is a secondary USB-C output should you need to optionally power a third device. From our understanding, The MFi program doesn’t allow this additional output on MagSafe devices and we hope this changes in the future.
Should you buy the OtterBox 2-in-1 charging station with MagSafe?
Everyone has a preferred charging setup. It’s a personal choice based on your needs and devices.
We can’t sit here and pompously say that the OtterBox is the ultimate solution for everyone, but we can at least judge whether or not the package presented is worth the cost.
In the crowded charging market, OtterBox has done an excellent job. This charger has an excellent look and feel using premium materials.
OtterBox 2-in-1 box
As long as Nightstand mode for Apple Watch is not a requirement, we see no reason not to recommend it. There are no other two-in-one MagSafe chargers with Apple Watch Series 7 fast charging even available to consider.
OtterBox isn’t typically known for chargers, but after this, maybe it will be.
- Sleek, aluminum design
- Fast charging for Apple Watch Series 7
- MFi-certified MagSafe and watch puck
- Includes USB-C cable and power adapter
- MagSafe mount is very adjustable
- Can charge AirPods as well
- No additional USB output
- No support for Nightstand mode
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
where to buy
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