Twelve South ButterFly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger review

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating
ProsCharges Watch and iPhone (can swap Watch for AirPods)Fast-charge Watch15W MagSafe for iPhonePortableSmall footprintConsExpensiveOur VerdictThe Twelve South ButterFly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger is clever, elegant and functional enough for you to forgive its price tag.

Twelve South makes our favorite 3-in-1 iPhone/Watch/AirPods charger, the HiRise 3 Deluxe, and it has triumphed again with this pocketable 2-in-1 charger that can handle iPhone and Apple Watch, or iPhone and AirPods, charging the two devices simultaneously.

If Apple made a 2-in-1 charger it might well look like this, and it is priced accordingly.

Charging performance

Apple would have it running as fast as possible, too. Technically the Twelve South ButterFly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger can’t be beaten: it is fully Apple-certified, so wirelessly fast-charges the Watch at 5W and the iPhone at 15W.








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Design

But the Butterfly’s wonder is its clever, dinky foldable size and MacBook-like aluminum styling.

Unfurl the elegant charger and the two wireless charging pads are revealed: one MagSafe for iPhone 12/13/14/15; and the other an adjustable Apple Watch charging module.








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Foundry

You can fold the charger 180 degrees and place the Watch in Nightstand mode. Flip it round, and you can set the iPhone in landscape StandBy mode.








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Foundry


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Even Apple hails it as “the world’s smallest 2-in-1 USB-C MagSafe charger.” It measures 2.4 x 2.4 x 0.9 inches (6 x 6 x 2.35cm) and weighs 4.2oz (119g).

While that is heavier than your average butterfly, it is certainly more robust while still being easily pocketable; just remember that you’ll need to pack a USB-C wall charger and cable. You won’t need to buy one, though, as it ships with a compact 30W charger that comes with interchangeable international plug heads for US/CA, UK, EU, and AU/NZ.

In travel mode, it’s a little larger than an AirPods Pro case. You can swap the Apple Watch for a wireless AirPods case, so all your non-Mac Apple products are catered for.








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Foundry

Price

The Twelve South ButterFly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger isn’t cheap, retailing at $129.99 or £129.95.

Maybe the closest Watch/iPhone charger we’ve tested is the Zens 2-in-1 MagSafe + Watch travel charger, which is cheaper but not as flexible as the Twelve South ButterFly, and doesn’t fast-charge the Watch.

The Journey SWIV 3-in-1 Foldable Wireless Charging Station can fast-charge a Watch but is slower at wirelessly charging an iPhone (7.5W vs 15W). It is larger, though still pocketable, and that allows it to charge iPhone/Watch/AirPods all at the same time. But if you can wait to charge those AirPods, the ButterFly wins out.

For more options, take a look at our list of the best Apple Watch chargers, complete with in-depth testing and recommendations.








Twelve South

Twelve South


Twelve South

Verdict

While expensive, the Twelve South ButterFly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger is clever, elegant and functional enough to justify this. It is a super-compact certified fast charger that should be winning design awards, and will certainly win you over if you can afford the price tag.

Accessories, Mobile Phone Accessories, Mobile Phone Chargers, Power