The Best Charging Stations of 2024

Just Buy This (All Around Best)

Ugreen Nexode Pro 160W USB C Charger

$120 at Amazon View on Walmart View on B&H Photo Video

TL;DR: The Nexode Pro 160 from Ugreen provides the right balance of quality, price, and performance with plenty of headroom to charge most devices.

Why We Recommend This

Ugreen is a reliable player in the charger and accessory space, so it felt natural that an entry from their Nexode Pro line topped my testing.

This simple, four-port charger is a wall-wart device offering three separate USB-C ports and one powerful USB-A. The C1 port, when used alone, can deliver a whopping 140 watts of Power-Delivery-certified juice.

This is plenty to charge devices with heavier needs, like larger-format laptops and even MacBook Pros. The power is also quite reliable and consistent.

Some devices—especially those with internal smart charging tech—won’t always play nice with Apple devices. In this case, the Nexode Pro 160W was reliably the only charger I needed in my backpack.

That reliability is, in large part, thanks to its GaN charger tech. What does that mean? While many traditional, cheaper chargers employ a silicone-based chip architecture, GaN chargers are named for their Gallium Nitride tech.

This means they are more efficient—allowing manufacturers to put more power into smaller form factors and deliver more reliable performance.

That makes the Nexode Pro with its GaNInfinity Chip a truly rock-solid charging platform that consistently delivered predictable performance with my setup of a MacBook Pro with an M2 Max chip, my iPhone 13, my Apple Watch Series 7, and my Bose QC Ultra Headphones.

I never returned to these devices after they had been on the charger only to find they hadn’t charged—and that isn’t something I can say for every wall-wart charger I’ve used.

This device is pretty pricey—though that money clearly shows in the build quality—and some may not like the bulkiness hanging off their wall outlets. I’d also like to see one or two more USB-A ports available in the larger format Nexode Pros. But overall, this sits in an excellent space for most users.

• Who else recommends it? XDA, How-To Geek, and Cult of Mac are all impressed by the Nexode Pro line’s performance in everyday, multi-platform testing.
• What do buyers say? Nearly 150 buyers on Amazon rate the Nexode Pro 160 4.5 stars for its portability and performance.

Best Wireless Station

Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station

$88 at Amazon $93 at Walmart View on B&H Photo Video

TL;DR: Anker’s answer to Apple’s never-released MagSafe charger is reasonably portable, infinitely functional, and an excellent choice for the Apple stalwart.

Why We Recommend This

For years, there was a running "will they/won’t they?" joke that Apple was coming out with a collapsible, portable, multi-device charger for their suite of products.

We've yet to see anything from Apple, so many brands are chasing that market with their take—and that’s where Anker’s MagGo 3-in-1 Charging Station comes into play.

Anker is well known for charging devices, and their smaller-format MagGo devices are well-loved for portability and versatility. I tested the 3-in-1 station because I was looking for a bedside table charging station.

The MagGo 3-in-1 is a single slab with high-quality, pop-out cradles that hold a MagSafe device and your Apple Watch… plus a wireless earbud charging pad in the middle.

Those cradles can flat-pack down to a single pane, which is about the thickness of my iPhone. While this is great for sliding it into my bag, it won’t fold up long enough, so you’ll need a spot long enough for that footprint.

In practice, this was fine for my purposes, but because Anker had to make the charger base stable enough for the ultra-strong MagSafe magnet requirements, it can be a bit heavy in your bag. The chargers themselves are as top-tier as you could hope for.

The MagSafe slot charges with Ankers PowerIQ tech, delivering 15 watts of ultra-fast charging on compatible MagSafe iPhones. The Apple Watch charger is the real standout because it’s one of the few non-Apple chargers on the market to come with Apple’s 5 watts of certified quick charging.

This gave me plenty of charging speed for both of those devices and worked quite well for both overnight charges and quick bumps when I was taking a shower or getting ready for the day.

There are cheaper chargers out there, and certainly more portable ones, but the balance this 3-in-1 station provides fit my use-case to a T.

• Who else recommends it? Many publications have rated Anker’s MagGo line quite well—however, most focus on Anker’s “cube” charger, not this larger-format option.
• What do buyers say? Early Amazon reviews have rated the 3-in-1 station with 4.5 stars out of 5, primarily due to its build and charging quality.

Easiest on the Budget

Acefast Z4 Charger Block

$90 at Amazon

TL;DR: If you’ve never heard of the brand Acefast, you should give it a look—with a cool design and excellent performance for the price, the Z4 is a great choice.

Why We Recommend This

I’ve been aware of Acefast as an overseas accessory brand for a few years now, but I haven’t had the opportunity to test out their products in person until now. After a week or two with the Z4 GaN charger, I’m quite impressed.

This table-top model has three USB-C ports and one USB-A port to charge different devices. What’s nifty about the Z4 is that you can change the mode of these ports to send the 218 watts to the ports in various configurations.

For example, the "A" mode assigns 100 watts to the first USB-C port, 65 watts to the second, 30 to the third, and 18 to the USB-A port. This approach isn’t unique because many GaN chargers automatically shift wattages based on what’s plugged in.

However, thanks to the 1.3-inch LCD screen, the visibility of these configurations was clear and helpful on the Z4.

In practice, I like the Z4 as my primary desktop charging interface because it takes pressure off my main USB dock—so I’m not clogging up ports to charge devices.

Its see-through panel on the front and bright color display make it a beautiful device aesthetically. Anecdotally, it provided plenty of charge for even my main MacBook Pro—though, for some reason, it didn’t charge as fast as the standard Apple charger.

You can usually find the Z4 for about $80, though I recommend looking around for a sale on Amazon because it’s often available for less. This price isn’t the cheapest for a charger, but I’m giving the Z4 the budget nod because, for its wattage and its GaN technology, the price point is a steal.

• Who else recommends it? Many gaming—and tech-oriented publications echoed my positive remarks on the Z4, with Android Central, MakeUseOf, and Pocket Gamer all finding notable success in their tests.
• What do buyers say? While the device is new and has few Amazon reviews, the early results praise the Z4 for build quality and performance.