Final month, Apple started promoting a new 3-in-1 Dice with MagSafe from Anker, which is a compact charging accent able to charging an iPhone, and Apple Watch, and AirPods concurrently. I’ve spent the previous couple of weeks testing it out, and it is rapidly turn into my favourite multi-device charger.

The Dice is Anker’s first formally licensed MagSafe product, which suggests it helps full 15-watt wi-fi charging on suitable ‌iPhone‌ fashions. It additionally helps Apple Watch quick charging on Sequence 7, Sequence 8, and Extremely, a big enchancment over normal charging speeds. Mix these options with a charging floor for AirPods, and you have got your whole machine charging wants lined with the very best potential specs.

Anker has additionally included some improvements on the design entrance with the 3-in-1 Dice, as the entire thing collapses all the way down to a roughly 2.5-inch dice, which is nice for a smaller nightstand or desk space and for portability. This can be a important enchancment over another choices like Belkin’s 3-in-1 stand with fastened arms that make it fairly cumbersome for delivery and on a regular basis use, by no means thoughts making an attempt to journey with it.

At round 14.5 ounces, Anker’s Dice is pretty weighty, which does hamper portability a bit if you happen to’re seeking to toss it in a journey bag, however that tradeoff is critical to offer stability in counterbalancing a telephone caught to the ‌MagSafe‌ charging floor.

The ‌MagSafe‌ telephone charging floor on Anker’s Dice is a platform hinged on the entrance, and it swings up with sufficient resistance that you would be able to place it throughout a spread of angles for optimum comfort whereas additionally revealing the AirPods charging floor beneath.

That is additionally the primary third-party ‌MagSafe‌ charger I’ve seen that does not use the standard Apple-style white charging floor, as a substitute utilizing a darkish grey floor that blends in with the remainder of the Dice’s physique whereas together with a stylized charging image and a hoop of markings to offer a refined visible illustration of the ‌MagSafe‌ magnets. I fairly just like the distinction to the Apple’s daring white ‌MagSafe‌ surfaces, and hopefully it is a signal of extra visually distinctive designs for MagSafe-certified merchandise going ahead.

In my testing with the telephone charger, I discovered strong charging speeds on par with different third-party MagSafe-certified chargers. For some cause, not one of the third-party 15-watt chargers I’ve tried are capable of cost fairly as rapidly as Apple’s personal ‌MagSafe‌ Charger, however they arrive fairly shut and are undoubtedly quicker than you will get with an unofficial “MagSafe-compatible” charger that Apple limits to 7.5 watts.

The Apple Watch charging puck on the Dice additionally incorporates a intelligent design that may retract into the physique of the Dice, which is helpful whereas touring or when it is in any other case not wanted. A fast press on the spring-loaded charger pops it in or out, although my unit tends to wish a further tug after deploying it with a view to guarantee it is totally prolonged.

As I famous above, the Apple Watch charger helps quick charging, which is known as a must-have for individuals like me who wish to put on their Apple Watch as a lot as potential. Anker says it could actually cost an Apple Watch Sequence 7 or 8 from empty to 75% in simply 45 minutes, and my expertise has been according to these numbers. Actually, my testing confirmed it charging my Apple Watch Extremely even barely quicker than Apple’s personal quick charging Apple Watch USB-C cable.

One potential draw back of the compact design of the Dice and its Apple Watch charger crops up if you happen to’re a fan of cumbersome Apple Watch bands. I exploit the ‌Apple Watch Extremely‌’s Ocean Band as my on a regular basis band and I do must be a little bit bit cautious with how I set the watch on the charger to make sure the band would not intervene with the positioning because it droops down onto the desk or desk beneath. It is actually not a deal-breaker and it really works simply effective, however thinner, extra versatile bands are much less prone to be finicky.

One other consideration is that the Apple Watch charging floor is oriented horizontally, so it isn’t significantly handy to make use of with Nightstand mode on the Apple Watch in comparison with another options with angled charging pucks. As a multi-device charger, nonetheless, you are in all probability going to even have your ‌iPhone‌ sitting on the angled ‌MagSafe‌ charger which you should use to verify the time throughout the night time if wanted.

The AirPods charging floor is only a easy platform with the identical stylized charging image as on the ‌MagSafe‌ charger, and it is fairly hidden behind the telephone charger. The AirPods charger is not actually usable until the ‌MagSafe‌ charging floor has been rotated as far upright as potential, however that is not a big subject for me as I favor my telephone in that orientation anyway.

As for the remainder of the design of Anker’s Dice, I just like the uniform darkish grey plastic that helps it mix in to most environments, and the one seen branding is a barely debossed Anker emblem on the entrance in the identical darkish grey coloration, so it is fairly refined. The one factor I am not an enormous fan of is that the hinge is a shiny, virtually mirrored materials that readily exhibits fingerprints. The again facet of the ‌MagSafe‌ charging floor is made from the identical materials, however it’s not very seen given its location and the utmost angle of the charging floor.

The underside of the Dice features a rubber-like materials that helps guarantee it would not slide round or injury the desk or desk it is sitting on, and there is a small white energy LED on the rear of the Dice. It briefly comes on whenever you plug it in and in any other case shines solely whereas AirPods are charging, and its location means it would not shine disruptively at you throughout the night time.

Along with the Dice itself, Anker features a primary 30-watt USB-C energy adapter with folding prongs, in addition to a 1.5-meter (5-foot) USB-C to USB-C cable that I’ve discovered to be lengthy sufficient for the a number of places the place I’ve examined the Dice.

Seemingly the most important downside to the Anker 3-in-1 Dice is its price ticket, coming in at $149.95. That is according to different premium officially-certified 3-in-1 chargers like Belkin’s, however undoubtedly a little bit of sticker shock for purchasers used to Anker’s merchandise being of fantastic high quality however at good worth. The excessive price ticket on the Dice can virtually actually be attributed to the ‌MagSafe‌ and Apple Watch quick charging help, with Anker needing to work instantly with Apple to acquire premium-priced parts and certification for the product.

The three-in-1 Dice with ‌MagSafe‌ undoubtedly seems to be proving in style with clients, and sadly it could already be too late to order if you happen to’re seeking to give one as a vacation reward. Apple is at the moment quoting a supply estimate of December 13 to December 28 even with expedited delivery, whereas Anker itself is saying new orders will not ship till not less than Christmas and possibly not till early January.

Be aware: Anker offered MacRumors with the 3-in-1 Dice for the aim of this overview. No different compensation was obtained. MacRumors is an affiliate accomplice with Anker. Once you click on a hyperlink and make a purchase order, we might obtain a small fee, which helps us hold the positioning operating.