Keeping all your devices charged never gets easier. That said, with a quality charging station, it can at least get simpler. TheAnker MagGo Magnetic Charging Station (8-in-1)offers wired and wireless charging, plus some good old-fashioned AC outlets, letting you plug everything into one place.
Anker MagGo Magnetic Charging Station (8-in-1)
With Qi2 wireless charging, up yo 67W of power through its USB-C and USB-A ports, and built-in surge protection with three AC outlets, the Anker MagGo Magnetic Charging Station (8-in-1) has all of your power needs covered, even if it takes some reaching to plug everything in.
Price and Availability
The Anker MagGo 8-in-1 is available in two colors. I was sent the version with a white finish, and this is likely what many people planning on using the charger with Apple devices will choose. That said, it’s also available in black if that will blend in better with your decor or devices.
Regardless of the color you choose, the Anker MagGo retails for $99.99. That’s not cheap for a charger, but considering what you get here, it’s certainly not a bad deal.
Design: A Desktop or Nightstand Companion
The design of the Anker MagGo 8-in-1 may seem familiar if you’re a fan of the company’s chargers. This is basically an upgraded model of the company’s olderAnker 637 Magnetic Charging Station, upgraded with slightly higher wattage output and Qi2 wireless charging.
As for the actual look, take a sphere, then cut three flat sections into it, and you have the MagGo. One flat section makes the bottom of the device that sits on your desk or table, another is where the wireless charging pad is located, and the final one is where the wired charging ports are.
The overall look of the design is striking, though at first you may be confused as to which side is meant to face you. Most people will want the wireless charging pad to be the most prominent face of the charger, though you can always turn it around if you’re mainly using the charger for wired charging.
One nice touch comes in the built-in power cable. Unlike a standard power cable which faces straight out from an outlet, the cable here lies flush with the outlet. Even better, a tilted design lets the cable come out of one side corner of the plug, meaning it won’t get in the way of other outlets.
Ports and Connectivity: Things Can Get a Little Messy
The 8-in-1 in the name comes from a combination of functionality: the single wireless charging pad, two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, and three AC outlets, for a total of eight charging points. This is certainly handy, but I can’t help but wonder if a better layout would have made this an even more usable product.
The location of the USB ports isn’t bad, at least on its own. There is a line of ports on the wired charging side with a pair of USB-A ports in the middle, flanked by a USB-C port on either side. This would be fine if it wasn’t for the location of the AC outlets.
All three of the AC outlets are located above the USB ports. If you’re only plugging in one device into the outlets, this isn’t much of a problem. If you plug two or three cables in, however, they hang over the USB ports, making them more difficult to access.
I never encountered a situation while testing the charger where a cable plugged into an AC outlet knocked a USB cable out of its slot, but I could imagine it happening. This layout also means that there is no easy way to reach around behind the device without looking to plug anything in. You may have luck with a USB-C cable, but even that will take some hunting.
The only surefire way to plug something in where you mean to is to turn the charger around so the wired charging points are facing you. This isn’t the end of the world, but it isn’t very convenient.
Wired Charging: Ports Plus Surge Protection
Similar to many chargers, while the MagGo has several ports on the front, they split the available power between them. This means that while a single USB-C port is capable of delivering up to 67W, that is only the case when it is the only port in use.
Every additional port you plug into will lower the voltage to other ports, and when you have all four ports occupied, you can expect to only get around 15W per port. Still, it’s nice to have enough power to charge a laptop (at least some laptops) from a single USB-C port.
The three AC outlets aren’t just straight passthrough, they also include surge protection. This is a handy feature if you travel with a laptop and want to protect it from badly configured power.
Wireless Charging: Qi2, Not MagSafe, But Who Cares?
Given the magnetic plate beneath the wireless charging pad, you’d be forgiven for assuming the MagGo Charging Station supports MagSafe, but it doesn’t. Don’t worry, this will charging your iPhone just fine, and the magnet will keep it solidly in place, but this is a Qi2 charger.
Of course, the angle and the magnetic nature mean that this charger works best with iPhones. You may be able to make other phones work with it, but keep in mind that this could be tricky. The wireless charging pad delivers up to 15W, so your phone will charge at its full rate.
Attaching an iPhone works in both portrait and landscape orientations. This means that an iPhone’s StandBy mode will work as intended when using this charger.
Should You Buy the Anker MagGo Magnetic Charging Station (8-in-1)?
There is a lot to like about theAnker MagGo Magnetic Charging Station (8-in-1), especially when it comes to the actual functionality. Even though this isn’t an official MagSafe device, you’ll never notice the difference when it comes to keeping your iPhone charged. The speedy wired charging via USB-C is also very useful.
Whether the AC outlets are a help or a hindrance will largely depend on where and how you’re using the MagGo, but I doubt most people will regret them being here. That said, the layout of those outlets can make plugging in your other devices more difficult than it needs to be, and if you have most of them occupied, you can expect the charger to move around on its own.
It’s not perfect, nor is it the ideal solution for everyone, but the MagGo is a solid Swiss Army knife equivalent when it comes to chargers. If you need most or even some of what this charger has to offer, it’s a worthwhile purchase.
