3-in-1 charging stations capable of wirelessly powering up an iPhone, an Apple Watch, and AirPods have been popular for years now, although most of them involve relatively straightforward and utilitarian designs. Accessory brand Journey is looking to bring a bit more design flair to the category with its new NOVA 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station, which will begin shipping next Monday, October 28.
The NOVA charging station is available in Wood Grain and Sparkle Grey color options, and I've been testing out a Wood Grain model for a few days to see how it looks and performs.
Overall it features a compact footprint with a vertically oriented design rather than a "tree-style" design used on some competing 3-in-1 chargers. The entire body is made of plastic, but the faux wood grain front can help it fit in depending on your decor. A pair of non-slip strips on the bottom of the charger help keep it in place and protect your surfaces from damage.
At a little over 400 grams (0.9 pounds), the NOVA is hefty enough to remain stable with an iPhone mounted on it, yet it remains somewhat portable so it can be easily transported. It measures around 15 cm high (though an attached iPhone will raise the total height by a few centimeters) and has a footprint of around 8 cm by 9 cm.
The NOVA is topped with an elevated angled surface hiding a Qi2 charging pad, allowing an iPhone to magnetically attach and charge at up to 15 watts depending on your iPhone model. The MagSafe-compatible Qi2 standard has only recently started making its way into a broad array of products, and while Apple has already one-upped Qi2 with its new 25-watt MagSafe charging on the latest iPhone 16 models, Qi2 should still be plenty sufficient for most users.
The phone charging surface is plain plastic with no distinct pad or graphics indicating where to place the device. Magnetic alignment makes it easy to find the right spot even without those features, so it allows for a very clean look when there's no phone on the charger.
The rear of the station includes a flip-up Apple Watch charging puck that delivers fast charging on supported Apple Watch models. The flip-up feature lets you hide the puck away while not in use and protect it if you choose to toss the charging station in a bag for travel.
The rear-mounted Apple Watch puck design means your watch won't be visible while charging on a nightstand, end table, or desk, but if you're also charging a phone in either horizontal StandBy or vertical orientation, that's likely a better option for viewing the time and other information.
Finally, a hollow opening oriented toward the front of the charging station serves as a spot to drop a compatible AirPods case for charging. The AirPods charging spot has a grippy pad to help keep the AirPods in position, but it doesn't include magnets to help with aligning AirPods cases with that feature. Still, the placement seems fairly forgiving to me, and I didn't have any issues getting my AirPods Pro to consistently charge.
A touch-activated light inside the opening can help you find the AirPods charging spot in the dark or even just provide a bit of light in a dark room for any other needs.
The NOVA charging station comes with a 1.5-meter USB-C to USB-C cable to power the unit, although you'll have to provide your own power adapter. I always prefer that a power adapter be included in the box, especially for more premium priced accessories, so that's a bit of a downside here. Allowing you to provide your own adapter does offer more flexibility if you prefer to power it from a multi-port charger, a flat charger for tucking behind furniture, or other options, so just be aware of that potential additional cost. You'll want at least a 30-watt charger to be able to charge everything at full speed.
Journey also includes an adhesive magnetic ring and alignment guide in the box, which allows you to add magnetic capabilities to older iPhones and other smartphone models that support wireless charging but not MagSafe/Qi2.
The NOVA 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station is normally priced at $139.99, but there's currently a 20% off pre-order discount that brings the price down to $112.00. Many other 3-in-1 chargers from reputable brands with MagSafe/Qi2 and Made for Apple Watch certification are in the $120–$150 range, so this is in the same ballpark. Remember that you do have to provide your own power adapter though, but the current pre-order discount brings things down enough to keep pricing competitive even with that possible additional cost.
Note: Journey provided MacRumors with a NOVA 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Journey. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Article Link: Review: Journey's NOVA 3-in-1 Qi2 Charging Station Powers Up Your Devices With a Unique Minimalist Design
