Juice up 4 Apple devices with this modular charging station [Review]

Keep your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and AirPods all powered up with the Zens 4-in-1 Modular Charging Station. This one multi-device can take on all the Apple computers and accessories you carry around every day.

I put the charging station in my home office where it replaced the octopus of cables normally required by these devices. And there are built-in stands for iPhone and Apple Watch.

Zens 4-in-1 Modular Charging Station review

Almost any collection of Apple devices requires multiple cables: USB-C for iPad, Lightning for iPhone and AirPods, and then there’s the special Apple Watch charger. The result is mess of cables on your desk or counter.

But the Zens 4-in-1 Modular Charging Station merges chargers for all these devices into a single unit with just one cord. And it needs only a single wall socket.

Its slot to hold an iPad sets itself apart from run-of-the-mill iPhone charging stands. They don’t have a way to hold something so large.

“Modular” is in the name because you can buy it with or without the Apple Watch charger, which you can simply attach magnetically. And there are other add-on modules available, too.

• Four Apple device chargers in one
• iPhone stand
• iPad slot
• AirPods charging mat
• Apple Watch module
• More modules
• Zens 4-in-1 Modular Charging Station final thoughts
• Pricing

Four Apple device chargers in one

The best description I can give of the overall look of the Zens 4-in-1 Modular Charging Station is rugged industrial. The only color option is charcoal with white specs, and the exterior most reminds me of very protective car mats — which is odd for something designed to go in an office.

It doesn’t take up a huge amount of space on your desktop or nightstand. The primary unit is 6.4 by 3.5 inches. Add the Apple Watch charger and the width expands to 6.3 inches. Of course, you need a lot more room if you put a 12.9-inch iPad Pro into the tablet slot.

iPhone stand

The first thing you see when you look at the accessory is the iPhone stand. This uses MagSafe to hold up the handset so you can see the screen.

It’s on a swivel so you can point the display toward your eyes when watching video. Or use it to point the iPhone’s front camera at your face during video calls.

Because the iPhone is held to the stand magnetically, you can easily rotate screen between landscape and portrait modes.

The charging mat built into the stand is fully MagSafe compliant, which means it holds the handset securely, and charges an iPhone at up to 15 watts.

In my tests, it raised the battery level on my iPhone 14 Plus just as fast as other MagSafe-compatible chargers. For this handset, that’s over 20% in half an hour.

iPad slot

Along the back of Zens’ multi-device charger is a slot to hold an iPad while its charging. This securely handles my 12.9-inch iPad Pro so it won’t have problems with smaller models.

Unlike so many other Apple products, iPads don’t support wireless charging. To juice up a tablet with this accessory, you need to plug in a USB-C cable. The necessary port is built into the side of the accessory, and Zens includes a nice-looking 15.7-inch braided charging cable.

Zens says it can handle 30W. I put that to the test with a USB-C multimeter, and the accessory delivers all that’s promised. That means it can raise the battery level on my new 12.9-inch iPad Pro just under 30% in half an hour.

AirPods charging mat

Directly in front of and below the iPhone stand is a charging mat designed for an AirPods case. Of course, the case itself must support wireless charging.

These can take in 5 watts at most, and the Zens 4-in-1 Modular Charging Station seems to provide that. My AirPods 3 charge as quickly on this accessory as they do anywhere else.

Although the charging mat is intended for AirPods, it can be used for other devices in a pinch – even a second iPhone. Just remember that 5W is a slow charging speed for a handset.

Apple Watch module

This product is also sold as the Zens 3-in-1 Modular Charging Station without the unit needed to power an Apple Watch. That’s because this module is removable.

It magnetically attaches to the primary unit and electricity flows through the connection so no second power cable is needed.

The Apple Watch is held up so you can take advantage of the wearable’s excellent nightstand mode. The stand is not adjustable. Still, the Watch is help up at a bit past vertical: a useful angle.

In tests, my Apple Watch charged at the same speed as the standard charger. That said, my older model doesn’t offer the faster charging of newer ones, so I can’t test that feature with Zens’ accessory.

More modules

The Apple Watch add-on isn’t the only one in Zens’ product lineup. You can add modules to the primary unit if you or your family need them.

Zens sells the Apple Watch extension separately, plus there’s a Single Wireless Charger extension and a USB-hub extension. I don’t have review units for those others so I can’t test them.

Zens 4-in-1 Modular Charging Station final thoughts

You don’t want a snake nest of cables on your desk, counter or nightstand – it’s messy and inconvenient. Zens’ multidevice charger juices up four of your devices at the same time without all the clutter.

It gets high points for functionality, and the design is excellent, but I have mixed feeling about the look.

★★★★☆

Pricing

Apple now sells the charger in various configurations. As a 4-in-1 it’s $179.95, as a 3-in-1 it’s $149.99. The Apple Watch charger attachment alone is $49.99 if you want to buy it from Zens and add it later.

Buy from: Apple

Zens provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out other in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.