OtterBox 3-in-1 Charging Station review: wirelessly fast charge all your mobile devices

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating
ProsCharges Watch, iPhone, AirPodsFast charge Watch15W MagSafe for iPhoneSmall footprintBlack or white color optionsConsNon-adjustable iPhone padOur VerdictDeclutter your desk or bedside table with this multi-device charging station. You’ll remove multiple cables and wall chargers and have one charger for all your Apple mobile devices: iPhone, Watch and AirPods. The OtterBox 3-in-1 Charging Station is fully certified and so charges your Apple devices at the fastest possible speeds.

If you are a fully paid up Apple fan with iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch you’ll know that you need a separate lead or charger for each, which can lead to an untidy desk or bedside table, plus a nightmare when on the move.

A charging station that can power more than one Apple device should solve these messy situations.

We’ve reviewed the best iPhone chargers and best Apple Watch chargers, but some can tackle the charging demands of both, and handle an AirPods charging case and even a second phone at the same time.

OtterBox is famed for its high-quality, durable Apple accessories, and its latest 3-in-1 Charging Station is a big upgrade on its previous iterations.

It is fully Apple certified, so can fast-charge any MagSafe iPhone (iPhone 12, 13, 14 or 15 models, but not SE) at 15W as well as fast-charge an Apple Watch (Series 7, 8, 9, SE and Ultra) at 5W and Apple AirPods (2nd and 3rd generation AirPods, and all AirPods Pro) at 7.5W.

You can even swap out the AirPods for a second iPhone (iPhone 8 and later) via 7.5W Qi rather than full MagSafe.

You can place your Apple Watch in Nightstand mode but only in portrait mode as the stand doesn’t allow the Watch to be placed horizontally or flat as it can on its chief rival, the more flexible Twelve South HiRise 3 Deluxe 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Stand. The OtterBox Qi charging base can accept either AirPods or a second phone.

OtterBox

Design

The OtterBox 3-in-1 Charging Station is available in either white or black so can match its surroundings better than some one-color chargers.

It’s made of aluminum and is weighted (19oz, 534g) to give it a solid standing on your desk.

It’s a small-footprint design. It measures 5.6 inches high, and 4.6 inches both wide and deep (13.9-x-11.7-x-11.7cm), which is smaller even than the Twelve South HiRise 3 Deluxe.

The Apple Watch charger juts out of the left side of the charging station as you face it.

While not tiltable like the HiRise 3 Deluxe, the MagSafe iPhone charging pad can hold the device in either landscape or portrait—so works well in StandBy mode.

It comes with a 36W power adapter and a long 6.6ft (2m) power cable.

OtterBox

Performance

Charging all three devices at the fastest possible speeds means the OtterBox 3-in-1 Charging Station offers faster charging than most competitors.

Its closest competitors are the Twelve South HiRise 3 Deluxe and the Belkin Boost Up Charge Pro 3-in-1 Wireless Charger Stand with MagSafe, both of which are similarly priced.

If you really must have a white charger, the OtterBox is smaller than the Belkin and will charge a Watch faster; the HiRise 3, which matches it on charging speed, comes in black only.

If you can cope with the black-only color, the HiRise 3 Deluxe wins with its tiltable MagSafe iPhone charging pad.

Anker’s 3-in-1 Cube is smaller still and can fast-charge an iPhone but is not as fast as the OtterBox at charging a Watch.

We have reviewed more products in our roundups of the best MagSafe chargers and best Apple Watch chargers.

Foundry

Price & availability

The OtterBox 3-in-1 Charging Station costs $149.99 direct from OtterBox. At present it is available only in the U.S.

Should I buy the OtterBox 3-in-1 Charging Station?

You can quickly declutter your desk or bedside table with this smart multi-device charging station. You’ll remove multiple cables and wall chargers and have one charger for all your Apple mobile devices: iPhone, Watch and AirPods. The OtterBox 3-in-1 Charging Station is fully Apple Made for MagSafe and Made for Apple. Watch certified and so charges your Apple devices at the fastest possible speeds.

The rival Twelve South HiRise 3 Deluxe has more flexible, adjustable iPhone and Watch charging modules, but we admire the OtterBox for its more solid good looks in either black or white.

Accessories, Mobile Phone Accessories, Power