I’m not a huge fan of wireless chargers. They tend to be slower and bulkier than your typical wall chargers, plus they can’t charge things like my over-ear headphones or a laptop. That’s why I have a ton of USB-C cables and Anker wall chargers at my desk.
A bit of cable clutter does not bother me when I am working — I am a tech reporter, I usually need lots of cables and chargers to do my job. But my bedside is a different story. I’ve been using an Anker charger and two charging cables in my bedside outlet for years. It does the job well, but having two long cables next to my bed isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing thing in the world.
Enter: wireless charging for your bedside.
What is the Hicober 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station?
Hicober 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station
The Hicober wireless charger is designed for Apple devices, with charging pads for your iPhone, Apple Watch and earbuds. It is largely made of plastic and rubber, but the phone charging pad is magnetized and keeps your phone from sliding out of place.
It delivers up to 10W of power for iPhone, 2.5W for an Apple Watch and 3W for a pair of compatible wireless earbuds. The charging pad has a USB-C port on the top that must be plugged into a wall charger to supply power.
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How I use the Hicober 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station
To charge three devices with one cable
The main reason I wanted to try this charging station was to reduce the amount of cables near my bedside. This charging station turned three charging cables into one. If you’re like me and you like to have your phone, smartwatch and wireless earbuds by your bed, this charger seriously reduces cable clutter.
To travel with
There’s a good reason this charging station is one of the best travel accessories on Amazon — it is small, slim and compact. It can also fold in on itself, stacking like three little pancakes, making it compact enough to fit into your weekender bag or luggage.
You can also fold it in such a way that it makes a triangle, turning into a makeshift phone stand in a pinch (though I didn’t use this feature very much).
Things to note
Not for fast charging
Wireless chargers typically don’t charge as fast as wall chargers, and the Hicober is no exception. The bottom of the charging station states plainly that it delivers up to 10W for phones, 2.5W for Apple Watch and 3W for earbuds. None of these are the maximum power delivery available to each device — the iPhone 15 for example can take up to 20W, so you could charge any of them faster with separate dedicated chargers. This slightly slower speed is not an issue for overnight bedside use, though.
The bottom line
This wireless charger is an exercise in minimalism: it gets rid of clutter from my bedside and in my travel bag. It won’t do you any good if you need to charge larger items like tablets, over-ear headphones or laptops, you’ll need a charging block for those devices. But outside of those exceptions, this is a low-cost charger that made my bedside space more comfortable.
Why trust NBC Select?
Harry Rabinowitz is a reporter at NBC Select who covers technology and fitness including reviews for products like the FitBit Charge 6, Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and Apple Watch Series 9. Has has tested hundreds of tech products.
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