Jiří Filip If Apple has been criticized by its fans for many years, it is the absence of classic wireless chargers in its offer. However, the truth is that in the current offer of wireless chargers nowadays you can find pieces that are very close to Apple's design language. The MagPowerstation ALU from the workshop of the Czech company FIXED is exactly like that. And since this charger recently arrived for me to test, it's time to introduce it to you.
Technical specifications, processing and design
As you already know from the title, FIXED MagPowerstation ALU is a triple aluminum wireless charger with magnetic elements for compatibility with newer iPhones and their MagSafe, thus with Apple Watch and also their magnetic charging system. The total power of the charger is up to 20W, with 2,5W reserved for Apple Watch, 3,5W for AirPods and 15W for smartphones. In one breath, however, it should be added that the charger is not certified in the Made for MagSafe program, so it will charge your iPhone "only" at 7,5W - i.e. the standard for wireless charging of iPhones. While this fact may not be very pleasing, multiple protection with foreign object detection will certainly do the trick.
The charger consists of an aluminum body in a space gray color variant with integrated charging surfaces for AirPods, smartphones and Apple Watch. The place for AirPods is located in the base of the charger, you charge the smartphone through the magnetic plate on the upright arm, and the Apple Watch through the magnetic puck located at the top of the arm, which is located parallel to the base. In general, it can be said that in terms of design, the charger is, without any exaggeration, created almost as if it was created by Apple itself. In a way, it reminds, for example, of earlier stands for iMacs. However, the charger is close to the Californian giant, for example, in terms of the material used and, of course, the color. It will therefore fit perfectly into your Apple world, thanks to the first-class processing, which, however, is already a matter of course for products from the FIXED workshop.
Testing
As a person who has been writing practically non-stop for years about Apple, and at the same time a big fan, I am a prime example of the user for whom this charger is made. I am able to install a compatible device in every place on it and then charge it thanks to it. And that's what I've been doing, logically, for the last few weeks to try out the charger as much as possible.
Since the charger is primarily a stand, I placed it on my work desk so that I could keep an eye on the phone's display while charging due to incoming notifications, phone calls, and the like. It's great that the slope of the charging surface is exactly such that the phone's display is easy to read and at the same time easy to control when it is magnetized to the charger. If the charging surface were, for example, perpendicular to the base, the stability of the charger would be worse, but mainly the controllability of the phone would be almost unpleasant, because the display would be in a relatively unnatural position. In addition, I personally like the fact that the magnetic circle used for charging the phone is slightly raised above the body of the charger, thanks to which the manufacturer managed to eliminate potential jams of the phone's camera from the aluminum base in the event that a person needs to occasionally turn the phone from a horizontal to a vertical position and vice versa. Especially now with the idle mode from iOS 17, which displays, for example, widgets or a lot of preset information on the phone's Lock Screen, horizontal positioning of the phone on the charger will be very common among many Apple users.
As for the other charging surfaces – i.e. those for AirPods and Apple Watch, there is actually not much to complain about either. There is a very good approach to both and both work exactly as they should. I can imagine the use of a material other than plastic for the AirPods surface, but on the other hand, I have to add in one breath that I don't have a very good experience with rubberized surfaces on chargers, as they get quite dirty and are not easy to clean. Sometimes it happens that they are completely uncleanable, because the dirt is "etched" into the surface and thus de facto damages it. The plastic of the MagPowerstation does not have to flatter the soul in terms of design, but it is definitely more practical than the rubber coating.
And how does the triple charger actually manage what it was created for? Almost 100%. Charging as such takes place without a single problem in all three places. Its start is absolutely lightning fast, the heating of the device's body during charging is minimal and, in short, everything works exactly as it should. If you are asking why the charger "only" works at almost 100%, then I am referring to the absence of Made for MagSafe certification, which is why you will enjoy "only" 7,5W charging with a smartphone pad. It should be added, however, that you won't find many chargers on the market that have this certification, and that, especially with wireless charging, it probably doesn't make much sense to deal with the charging speed anyway, since it will always be slower compared to a cable. After all, even if FIXED obtained certification for its charger and thus enabled iPhones to be charged at 15W, you can charge newer iPhones with a cable of up to 27W - that is, almost twice as much. So it's probably clear that when a person is in a hurry and needs to "feed" the battery as quickly as possible, he reaches for wireless more in an emergency than for the first option.
Summary
The FIXED MagPowerstation ALU charger is, in my opinion, one of the most stylish triple charging stations today. Aluminum as a material for the body in combination with black plastic accessories was a hit and the charger is not bad at all in terms of performance. So if you are looking for a piece that will look great on your desk or bedside table, the MagPowerstation ALU is a very good choice. You just need to keep in mind that you won't get a power adapter in its package, so if necessary, you'll need to buy one along with the charger so that you can use it to the full from the first moment.
