Journey ARIA 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station review: Chic, lightweight magnetic travel charger

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating

Pros

3-in-1 Apple charging

Tall travel stand

Apple Watch fast charging

Folds flat

Cons

Requires a 30W or higher wall charger

Our Verdict
Even without speedy 25W charging, we love the adjustable pad, premium looks and soft silicone feel of this next-gen iPhone/Watch/AirPods charging dock.

Price When Reviewed
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There are smaller multi-device travel chargers than the Journey ARIA 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station, but few stand so tall and elegantly as this. In cool Corian-like white with a muted gray kickstand, the ARIA looks as stylish as the boutique hotel you might take it to.

The ARIA can charge your three favorite Apple devices at the same time, unless your particular love is the Vision Pro.

At the front, the iPhone charges at a speedy 15W. This Qi2 speed was the fastest a charging stand could offer just a few months ago, but if you are in a real hurry look for a Qi2 25W solution in our reviews of the best magnetic wireless chargers.

15W should power up an iPhone from 0-50% in around 45 minutes, while 25W does the job in just over 30 mins. One advantage that 15W has over 25W is that it doesn’t require active cooling to maintain efficiency, so there’s no noisy fan to keep you up at night. To be fair, most cooled 25W chargers allow you to turn the fan off when you want absolute peace.

Round the back of the charging stand are a Qi charging pad for an AirPods case and a pull-out 5W fast-charging pad for any Apple Watch.

Travel friendly

The ARIA 3-in-1 folds flat for travel and can also charge iPhone and AirPods (or two iPhones) flat on a desk rather than folded out in stand mode. Either way, it’s an elegant and minimalist design.




Journey

Folded, it measures 6.3 x 2.76 x 0.75 inches (16 x 7 x 1.9cm). Unfolded it’s stands a handsome 6 inches (15.3cm) tall, with a space-saving small footprint.

At half a pound (230g) it’s super-lightweight for portability and travel.

There’s a touch-controlled night light that creates a soft illumination, which might appeal on a nightstand.




Simon Jary

Price

The Journey ARIA 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station is priced at $129.99 or £109.99. That’s in line with Belkin’s other 3-in-1 chargers, but there are many cheaper—although often less elegant—3-in-1 magnetic wireless chargers, which we’ve reviewed in both our best MagSafe charger and best Apple Watch charger roundups.

Journey’s $139 NOVA 3-in-1 Charging Stand is another less-portable but rather lovely desktop option, and there’s a flat non-stand foldable 3-in-1 travel solution in the Journey SWIV.

Like the Apple iPhone itself, the ARIA doesn’t ship with a wall charger, so you’ll need to use one you already own or check our reviews of the best wall chargers to buy one separately. It will need to be at least 30W in power.




Simon Jary

Should you buy the Journey ARIA 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station?

Even without the speediest 25W charging, we love this minimalist foldable travel stand for its good looks and flat or stand options for charging your iPhone, Watch and AirPods.