Zens 4-in-1 MagSafe + Watch Wireless Charging Station: A Well-Made Charging Stand with a Bulky Power Supply

Zens 4-in-1 MagSafe + Watch Wireless Charging Station Review

The one thing I know about a product with a name like this is my SEO tool is not going to like it at all. As a product, however, the Zens 4-in-1 MagSafe + Watch Wireless Charging Station is good. While well-made with quality materials, the Zens 4-in-1 MagSafe + Watch Wireless Charging Station is one of the priciest chargers on the market at $189.99 list. Buyers will need to determine the tradeoffs between the Zens products and the wide variety of alternatives.

What we like

Pros

• Solid. Well-made.
• Charges up to 4 devices simultaneously
• International adaptors

The $189.99 Zens 4-in-1 MagSafe + Watch Wireless Charging Station is well-made. At that price, it needs to be. Unlike some chargers, it does not require owners to bring their own Apple Watch and MagSafe chargers. They are all installed and integrated.

The 4-in-1 MagSafe + Watch Wireless Charging Station charges four devices at the same time. It quickly charges iPhone 12 and later models using its 15W MagSafe charger. All models of Apple Watches can charge quickly, too, with the 5W charger. Additionally, there’s a 5W charging area for AirPods or any devices that support wireless charging. The stand includes an 18W USB-C port on the side for charging another device, like an iPad. The MagSafe charging stand is MiFi and Qi-certified.

The international adaptors make the device compatible across the US, Europe and the United Kingdom.

The unit is attractive and well-made of zinc alloy and other materials. Zens stands behind it with a 3-year warranty.

The paper-based packaging materials are good, though the box took a beating as I removed the interior box from the retail wrap.

What could be improved

Cons

• Price
• Marketing
• Alignment of stand elements
• Power Supply

$189.99 is a lot for a charger, any charger. Many of them run less than $40, some much less. Some even include a GaN charger in the base and charge laptops along with smaller devices.

Zens needs to spend some time rationalizing their marketing. I had a hard time finding this product on their website, as the product packaging reflects branding choices that are not included on the website. The box, for instance, says Aluminum in big letters. The product is not aluminum at all. It is part of an Aluminum series; however, typing “aluminum” into the Zens search engine returns no results.

Some users may be annoyed that this stand was designed before Apple shipped StandBy Mode (also known as the Nightstand Mode) feature for iPhones. The Zens 4-in-1 MagSafe + Watch Wireless Charging Station works well with Apple Watch’s nightstand feature and an iPhone in vertical orientation. However, place the iPhone in a horizontal orientation, and it obscures the Apple Watch.

Owners may end up only wanting one “nightstand” enabled device, but that should be a choice by them, not one thrust upon them by engineers. The arm on the iPhone MagSafe part of the stand needs to be extended. The weight of the base should accommodate the change in the center of gravity. Perhaps a telescoping arm would be possible, though anything with movement complicates design and introduces potential failure points.

The other issue, as noted in our Zens iPad Charging Stand review, Zens ships products with very large power supplies. Sure, they come with international adaptors, but few will likely use those—and if needed as part of the product differentiation, they are just as easily available for smaller GaN power supplies than for the bulky ones that Zens sources. Some products like this ship without power supplies, as many users already own GaN chargers that can charge multiple devices simultaneously. Of course, that introduces a performance variable. Regardless, Zens just needs to find a supplier with smaller power supplies.

Zens 4-in-1 MagSafe + Watch Wireless Charging Station: The bottom line

From a quality standpoint, it’s easy to recommend the Zens 4-in-1 MagSafe + Watch Wireless Charging Station. However, the combination of high price and bulky power supply casts a shadow on that recommendation. Buyers will need to decide if the Zens brands and 3-year warranty are worth the almost $190 premium compared to much lower-cost alternatives that may not have been designed in The Netherlands but are made in the same Chinese assembly plants that make the Zens products.

Zens provided the 4-in-1 MagSafe + Watch Wireless Charging Station for review. Images courtesy of Zens unless otherwise noted.

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