Effortlessly Power and Chill Your Apple Gadgets with the New Multi-Functional MagSafe Station – Exclusive Review on ZDNet

Stay Powered and Cool with the All-In-One MagSafe Charging Station for Apple Gadgets - The Latest

The ESR HaloLock 3-in-1 for MagSafe Charging Station with CryoBoost.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

I’ve not had much success with charging stations that are supposed to handle an iPhone , AirPods , and Apple Watch . Having tried many, I’ve always come away feeling that most are poorly made or just inconvenient to use. Also, as summer approaches and temperatures rise, I know that charging my iPhone on a wireless charger is going to become a hit or miss.

Given how good I’ve found ESR charging devices to be, I decided to give the HaloLock 3-in-1 for MagSafe Charging Station with CryoBoost a try. After a few weeks of use, I have to say that I’m very pleased with this charging station.

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If you don’t own an Apple Watch, ESR also makes a 2-in-1 charging station that offers similar features, except no Apple Watch charger.

ZDNET RECOMMENDS ESR HaloLock 3-in-1 for MagSafe Charging Station with CryoBoost This is a three-in-one charging station that handles your iPhone, AirPods Pro, and Apple Watch. The MagSafe charger has a built-in cooling fan to prevent overheating, and magnets hold all your devices in place for optimal charging. View at Amazon

ESR HaloLock 3-in-1 for MagSafe Charging Station with CryoBoost features

Works with all iPhone 12 , 13 , and 14 models (also compatible with MagSafe and HaloLock cases, and the HaloLock Universal Ring), the second and third-generation AirPods , AirPods Pro , as well as all Apple Watch models
Supports 7.5W fast wireless charging of iPhone
Phone-cooling fan and heat-dissipating design unlock truly fast MagSafe charging
Sleep-friendly feature allows fan and lights to be turned off
Power adapter with 1.5m (5 feet) cable included

The ESR HaloLock 3-in-1 is the best charging station I’ve tested.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Let me explain a couple of terms ESR uses.

The first is “HaloLock”, which is ESR’s word for the magnetic “MagSafe-like” system to hold the Phone. I’ve tested this previously on ESR’s in-car iPhone charger , and it works really well. If the iPhone isn’t going to fall off inside a truck bouncing across rough roads, it’s not going to fall off on your nightstand.

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The other word is “CryoBoost”. There’s a fan built into the wireless charging head to keep it cool in use. Again, this is the same charging head that I tested in my truck in the hot sun , and it did an amazing job of keeping my iPhone cool while charging.

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I appreciate that this kit comes with a charger. Quite a few of the others I’ve tried require you to buy your own, which isn’t a huge problem. But having everything you need in the box is a nice touch and prevents confusion on the owner’s part.

Charger included.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Before you can charge your Apple Watch you will need to find your Apple Watch charger, as you’ll need to attach this to the charging station.

Now, previous ones I’ve tested have needed a USB-A version of the Apple Watch charger. I spent a good half hour looking for one before realizing that this charging station can accommodate both USB-A and USB-C flavors of the Apple Watch charging cable.

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To fit the Apple Watch charging cable, you need to unclip the base and thread the charging cable into the slot cut in the base. And I have to say, I’m impressed by the precision of this slot.

I mean, take a look at it.

The precision of the slot of the Apple Watch charging cable is impressive.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Another feature that I appreciate is the sleep mode feature. Too many nightstand charging stations are a Christmas tree of eye-piercing LED lights. A single button on this charging station turns off the LEDs and the fan, ensuring that you have a good night’s sleep.

As I said earlier, I’ve been using this charging station for several weeks now, and I’ve had no problem at all. The charger unit is sturdy and made very well, the magnets do a fine job of holding the iPhone and AirPods Pro in place, and the unit charges everything just as you’d expect. Oh, and night mode means you don’t have to try to sleep next to a pile of glowing LEDs.

Also: The best MagSafe accessories for your iPhone (and how MagSafe works)

For $60, the ESR HaloLock 3-in-1 for MagSafe Charging Station with CryoBoost is the best charging station I’ve used, and it’s so good that I plan to continue using it as opposed to going back to my old mess of chargers and cables.