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Review: Mophie's 3-in-1 MagSafe Charger is Great for Travel
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Travel Setup, 2022 Edition
The world is starting to open up again, so I'm starting to think about travel again.
www.caseyliss.com
Casey Liss shared that he bought two of them to use when travelling overseas. He admits that they are ridiculously expensive, but have been invaluable in simplifying the amount of cables and chargers he needs to bring with him.
Older post, but I agree on size for traveling. Small baggie today will hold a usb-c charger with two ports and two cables for apple devices. Then of course everything else needed for non-apple devices.
I love when someone like yourself, Sowelu, comes up with an easy simple better solution like the Anker plug. I never thought too much about the quality of the plug and USB C to USB C cable. Anker is a fantastic plug that can charge two other items at the same time. Thank you so much. I just purchased one these plugs.I purchased this Mophie 3-in-1 MagSafe Travel Charger. It's a great throw-in-bag and go item knowing you'll be able to charge your iPhone, Watch and AirPods without having to think about which cables/charges to pack/bring.
I agree that the included cable and wall charger are cheap looking and feeling, so I tossed them and upgraded/replaced the two with Anker products:
This replaces the wall charger, it has a nice solid feel to it, fits in the Mophie charger pocket perfectly, and thanks to the added ports and power, you can charge other devices while charging your 3-in-1 devices:
And this is a nicer, better made, braided USB C cable:
Both of these replacement items upgrade this charging system nicely and completes this grab and go charging system, in my opinion. It's way overpriced, but the 3-in-1 charger alone has a nice quality feel to it and is made very well.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
No prob! It's a brand I've used and trusted for years. Reliable and good build quality.
Anker GaNPrime™️ | Our Best Multi-Device Fast Charging Lineup
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Anker just launched a new line of chargers, up to 140W.
I am quite distracted that the price has yet to come down on Apple's web. I see $50 and lower alternatives some of which are mentioned upthread.
Mophie in January introduced the 3-in-1 MagSafe Travel Charger, an official MagSafe accessory that directly competes with Apple's MagSafe Duo. Unlike the MagSafe Duo, Mophie's Travel Charger can charge three devices at once rather than two, plus it comes with an included power adapter, USB-C cable, and carrying case.
Priced at $150, or $20 more than the $130 MagSafe Duo, the 3-in-1 Travel Charger features a simple tri-fold design. It includes a pop-up Apple Watch charger that supports Nightstand Mode, a MagSafe charging puck, and a Qi charger for wirelessly charging AirPods.
Each of the three chargers has black plastic bases, but two of the actual charging pucks are Apple components. Belkin used to be the only company that had access to Apple's official MagSafe charging hardware, but now other third-party companies can get the components. Mophie's charger is using Made for iPhone certified Apple Watch and MagSafe charging hardware, while the Qi charger is a standard coil underneath the plastic base.
I'm not a fan of the black plastic that's being used for the bases of the chargers and for the single Qi charger because it feel like cheap, low-quality plastic, but it probably keeps costs down and it's also lightweight so the entire charging trio is fairly light. The outer casing features a heather gray/black fabric, and the chargers fold over one another into a compact square-shaped package.
The folded-up Travel Charger fits inside a felt travel pouch that also houses a USB-C charging cable for power purposes and a 30W power adapter that offers enough juice to charge an iPhone at 15W (12W for iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini), an Apple Watch, and the AirPods at 5W. The Apple Watch charger is not able to charge the Series 7 models at the faster charging rate as it is not a fast charger.
Everything included is basic and no-frills, but it's not unattractive and I appreciate that Mophie has included all of the components that you need to use the charger in one easy to carry package.
When unfolded, it's just over three inches wide and 12 inches long, and when folded up, it's about an inch and a half thick and about three and a half inches wide. The carrying case that it goes into is about seven inches long and four and a half inches wide, so when in the case, it is a good bit larger. You can carry it without the case if you want, but the case is handy to have for the cable and the power adapter.
For travel purposes, I think Mophie's 3-in-1 Travel Charger is ideal. Everything packs up into one neat case, and it's easy to get the components in and out when needed. I travel fairly often and have been using the MagSafe Duo, but I like that the Mophie charger has an extra spot for AirPods.
The MagSafe charger included with the Mophie accessory is essentially identical to Apple's own MagSafe charger. In my testing, it was able to charge an iPhone 12 that was dead to 33 percent in a half hour, which is about the same result that I see with a standard MagSafe charging cable.
Though designed for AirPods, the 5W Qi charging base of the 3-in-1 Travel Charger can be used with an iPhone as well, though charging will obviously be slower. The MagSafe charging spot can charge non-MagSafe phones (with no magnetic alignment) and it can also be used for AirPods, so those two spots have some versatility depending on the mix of devices you need to charge up.
Bottom Line
If you travel a lot and hate dealing with cables, Mophie's 3-in-1 Travel Charger is convenient, and it's also the best portable MagSafe charger on the market. I much prefer it to Apple's own MagSafe Duo because it has an extra charging spot and comes with the charging cable and USB-C power adapter that I need to charge at full speed.
It's not the best looking charger, but it's perfectly serviceable and worked well in my testing. On the downside, it's expensive at $150, but it is priced competitively with other multi-device MagSafe charging solutions that are on the market and worth considering for those who have a need that it meets.
How to Buy
The 3-in-1 Travel Charger from Mophie is an Apple exclusive and can be purchased on Apple's website for $150.
Article Link: Review: Mophie's 3-in-1 MagSafe Charger is Great for Travel
I routinely take international trips where one segment can range from 8 to 15 hours. This folding 3-1 charging device would simply my issues in part because there are times I use my AirPods with an adaptor rather than regular headphones.
If I am going to climb this step hill, is there any assurance that my Apple devices (latest iPhone, iW, Airpods) are most safe with this product over others that lack sticker shock?
PS I need the electrical adaptor because Delta Airlines offers only USB-C ports and this is most often true of Marriott hotels in and out of the USA.
One more note. So Apple says Mophie is their exclusive, but Zagg has it and one can get at least 20% off at Zagg.
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Great reviews. Just ordered this for $122 a couple weeks ago and just received last night. Now i see it priced at $97. LOL. Looking forward to using it.
Hi all. Do not buy this charger.
It has a very annoying defect where sometimes it will just stop charging until it is unplugged and plugged back in again. This has led me to wake up to a dead phone on numerous occasions.
I contacted Mophie and they sent me a replacement, which exhibited the same issue. When I reached out to them again, they told me that this was how the charger is supposed to work, and that it was only intended for travel use.
I think that's a bit ridiculous. Every other charger I've ever owned has just… charged the device when it's plugged in. And it's not like this is a rare occurrence. Sometimes it will go for a week without issues, other times I will need to unplug it multiple times in a 48 hour span.
It's hard to track down customer reviews for this model because it's only sold through Apple. But Mophie also sells a non-MagSafe version, which currently has 2.8 stars on Amazon with multiple reviewers reporting the same issue. It's pretty clear to me that these products are defective, and I will be returning mine.
It has a very annoying defect where sometimes it will just stop charging until it is unplugged and plugged back in again. This has led me to wake up to a dead phone on numerous occasions.
I contacted Mophie and they sent me a replacement, which exhibited the same issue. When I reached out to them again, they told me that this was how the charger is supposed to work, and that it was only intended for travel use.
I think that's a bit ridiculous. Every other charger I've ever owned has just… charged the device when it's plugged in. And it's not like this is a rare occurrence. Sometimes it will go for a week without issues, other times I will need to unplug it multiple times in a 48 hour span.
It's hard to track down customer reviews for this model because it's only sold through Apple. But Mophie also sells a non-MagSafe version, which currently has 2.8 stars on Amazon with multiple reviewers reporting the same issue. It's pretty clear to me that these products are defective, and I will be returning mine.
I’ve noticed that issue too, but haven’t been super bothered with it. I can understand why some would return it though.
It actually is also sold on Zagg / Mophie’s own site. Apple Exclusive only means Apple is the exclusive third party store, but generally you can find the exclusives on the manufacturer’s store too.
Late to the game, but what is the difference, if any, between the “only at Apple” on the Apple website, and the much cheaper listing on Amazon???
Just be careful of the Amazon one. As this post stated, there are 2 versions. There is a newer one out that I have. Apple sells it but I got it cheaper at Zagg for 20% or something when signing up. The older one you have to add the apple watch charger and I'm not sure how well it charges 3 devices. The newer version is easier and better. One was called 3-in-1 and maybe the other is called snap charger or something by Mophie
I bought this direct from ZAGG on sale at the end of May and during my very first trip the Watch charger continuously reconnects after only two days use. There’s a warranty however requesting a replacement produces “This product is no longer available. Please contact customer care for options.” Good stuff!
Same. I’m filing a chargeback with my credit card company since it doesn’t work, they won’t replace it, you can’t contact support for warranty replacements because of “call volume”, etc.
Zagg closed my case and sent me a survey asking if I was satisfied with the outcome (I still have a broken charger). In the last update to my case they said there would be an update soon and they thanked me for my patience. Quite a debacle. I will avoid jumping on these third party product deals in future.
I’m gonna stick with Belkin. Never had an issue with their 3-in-one MagSafe charger.