Name a worse feeling than waking up in the morning and realising your phone charger wasn’t plugged in. Go on, we’ll wait.
As much as we’d like to think we could go about our day without the need for a fully charged smartphone, 21st-century living requires us to be hyper-connected. From paying for tube fare and decluttering your inbox on the way to work, to googling the directions for a lunchtime meeting, we can guarantee that you’ll run into an immediate obstacle which requires a technological solution before the clock strikes midday.
For tech heads and desk jockeys, smartphones are just one piece of the gadgetry puzzle. Smartwatches, tablets, styluses and wireless headphones make up the rest of our daily technological needs. Yet with limited plug sockets dotted around our flats, and bulky adapters threatening to rip the plug sockets out of the wall, we’re left having to pick and choose which devices we’d like to be fully charged on any given day.
Enter: multitasking multi-chargers. These nifty devices are often realised in the form of magnetic charging tablets, but also exist as space-saving stands or even as handy multi-port charging stations.
What to consider before investing in a multi-use charger
- Space: Consider the size of your bedside table before investing in a bulky, multi-use charger. Stands which have multiple levels are great for those with smaller surface areas, while flat MagSafe tablets tend to work better for larger spaces.
- Portability: Rather than purchasing one multi-use charger for home, one for the office, and one for travelling abroad – go for an option that can slot into any backpack with ease. Some multi-use chargers can fold up into small discs, while others are slim and flat tablets that take up little to no extra space while on the move.
We’ve curated a selection of the best multitasking multi-chargers for tech heads and gadget wizards below.
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Best multichargers at a glance
- Best for fast wireless charging: Belkin BOOST CHARGE PRO 3-in-1 Wireless Charger - £139.99, John Lewis
- Best for various charging ports: SATECHI Dock5 Multi-Device Charging Station with Wireless Charging - £44, Amazon
- Best for Samsung fans: LK Wireless Charger for Samsung 3 in 1 - £35.99, Amazon
- Best for bulk charging on a budget: Maplin 6 Port USB Charger - £24.99, Maplin
- Best for neat and tidy charging: Belkin 3-in-1 Slim MagSafe Wireless Charger - £139.99, Amazon
- Best for portability: Twelve South ButterFly 2-in-1 USB-C MagSafe Charger - £129.99, Amazon
- Best for stackable build: Zens 4-in-1 Modular Wireless Charger with iPad Charging Stand - £209.94, Amazon
- Best for ultra-organised desks: ALTI Wireless Charging Desk Mat - £69.99, eBuyer
Belkin BOOST CHARGE PRO 3-in-1 Wireless Charger
Best for: fast wireless charging
Beyond being a chic answer to your wireless charging needs thanks to slick, stainless steel accents, those in possession of an Apple device for every technological need can benefit from faster wireless charging thanks to Belkin’s rapid 15-watt charging stations. Handling three devices at once – the Belkin BOOST CHARGE PRO is primed for docking iPhones in portrait or landscape, as well as Apple Watches and Airpods.
While LED lights that differentiate between white and amber ensure there’s no questioning whether your gadgets are charging or not, it’s worth noting that if you protect your devices with cases (always advisable), then they’ll need to be MagSafe compatible to make seamless use of magnetic docking.
Buy now £139.99, John Lewis
SATECHI Dock5 Multi-Device Charging Station with Wireless Charging
Best for: various charging ports
A healthy mix of USB-A fast charging ports, 20W USB-C PD ports and a Qi wireless charging slot means Satechi’s Dock5 Multi-Device Charging Station has everything you could request from a charging station in this day and age. It keeps devices well organised with its case-friendly 2cm-wide docking stations and thanks to its slick aluminium design it won’t be an eyesore on your desktop, either.
Charging is fast and, thanks to over-temperature protection, it’s extra safe, too. Just keep in mind that the short charging cables pictured aren’t included, so you’ll need to factor in buying these separately in the overall cost.
Buy now £44.00, Amazon
LK Wireless Charger for Samsung 3 in 1
Best for: Samsung fans
Loyal Samsung devotees may often feel left out of the charging station offering with most designs compatible solely with Apple devices.
The good news? LK's 3 in 1 stand is specifically designed for the brand's products, and can charge the Fold, Flip, Note or Ultra, as well as a Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Buds, all at once. Welcome to the fold, Samsung-ites.
Buy now £35.99, Amazon
Maplin 6 Port USB Charger
Best for: bulk charging on a budget
At the more affordable end of the charging station spectrum, Maplin’s six-port charger comprises four USB-A and two USB-C charging ports to support fast charging for a wide range of devices.
Compact and convenient, this charger is a cheap solution to saving wall socket space, but do bear in mind that you’ll have to use your own connector cables to hook up phones, tablets et al, which could end up looking messy if using full-sized cables. Smaller cables can of course be purchased separately, as can adaptors that can diversify your range of input ports.
Buy now £24.99, Maplin
Belkin 3-in-1 Slim MagSafe Wireless Charger
Best for: neat and tidy charging
Available in black and white, we love the fact that this simple tablet charging station offers compact and stylish charging wherever you roam. Thanks to MagSafe compatibility, this charging station delivers seamless alignment every time, so you won’t have to triple-check that your phone is sitting in the perfect spot for wireless overnight charging.
Buy now £139.99, Amazon
Twelve South ButterFly 2-in-1 USB-C MagSafe Charger
Best for: portability
This brilliant little multi-charger folds up to the size of an AirPods Pro case, hence the fact that it’s named the ‘ButterFly’. It includes a USB-C cable, USB-C power adapter, four international plug adapters, and a travel bag to make charging your devices while on the move easier than ever. It even morphs into a hands-free display stand for iPhones to make watching your favourite content while multitasking an absolute breeze.
Buy now £129.99, Amazon
Zens 4-in-1 Modular Wireless Charger with iPad Charging Stand
Best for: stackable build
This fantastic modular charging stand is perfect for those with a bustling collection of MagSafe-compatible tech. While on the pricier end of the spectrum, keeping multitudes of devices charged at any given moment has never been easier than with this four-in-one stand.
Sleek, attractive and complete with an extra-long cable to ensure that it can sit comfortably on any surface, the main station charges your iPhone, iPad and AirPods while the modular Apple Watch station will magnetically clip onto the main station if and when you need it.
Buy now £209.94, Amazon
ALTI Wireless Charging Desk Mat
Best for: Ultra-organised desks
So militant about office minimalism that even the thought of a charging dock taking up room on your desk is triggering your inner-Marie Kondo? Introducing the wireless charging desk mat.
A flat pad that offers dedicated spots for your keyboard and mouse while also providing a magnetic panel to fast-charge compatible smartphones and earbuds, the ALTI Wireless Charging Desk Mat goes the extra mile to provide discreet organisation solutions.
Between its two luxurious surfaces – one being an easily-cleaned premium vegan leather for smooth mouse gliding and the other a plush felt – you can also store any paper notes to hide away unnecessary clutter.
Buy now £69.99, eBuyer
