Now that Apple’s AirPower charging mat has been cancelled, this dual iPhone and Apple Watch charger is perhaps the best alternative.
Like the AirPower, the Dual+Watch Aluminium Wireless Charger can charge three devices simultaneously, including the new wireless AirPods.
Made by respected Dutch company Zens — an expert in wireless charging — the Dual+Watch charging mat fast-charges two iPhones, plus your Apple Watch. And it’s available now from the Cult of Mac Watch Store.
Zens Dual+Watch charger review
Photo: Zens
With 20 watts total power output, the Dual+Watch charger supports fast charging at 7.5 watts — currently the maximum supported by Apple. It will juice up everything from the iPhone 8 through the latest iPhone XS/Max and iPhone XR models. (It works with all Qi-compatible devices, as a matter of fact.)
Made from a single piece of high-grade aluminum, with a stainless steel arm for the Apple Watch, the Dual+Watch charger looks really good next to my bed. Solidly made, it sits tight on the nightstand. A non-slip rubbery covering prevents your iPhones from buzzing themselves off the mat when texts and alerts come in. Two subtle LEDs tell you when the iPhones are positioned correctly and charging, but won’t disturb your sleep.
The Apple Watch charger is Apple MFi-certified and is compatible with the Series 0 through 4. Unlike a lot of third-party Apple Watch chargers, the charging module is built-in. You don’t have to supply your own cable.
A handsome wireless charger for Apple Watch and two iPhones
The Dual+Watch wireless charging mat is a handsome, well-made charging system. It’s perfect for the bedroom — or the living room, kitchen or office, for that matter.
Zens offers a three-year extended warranty on the mat. The Dual+Watch costs $116 and is available from the Cult of Mac Watch Store (with free shipping to the United States and Europe).
Photo: Zens
Leander Kahney is the editor and publisher of Cult of Mac.
Leander is a longtime technology reporter and the author of six acclaimed books about Apple, including two New York Times bestsellers: Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products and Inside Steve’s Brain, a biography of Steve Jobs.
He’s also written a top-selling biography of Apple CEO Tim Cook and authored Cult of Mac and Cult of iPod, which both won prestigious design awards. Most recently, he was co-author of Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition.
Leander has been reporting about Apple and technology for nearly 30 years.
Before founding Cult of Mac as an independent publication, Leander was news editor at Wired.com, where he was responsible for the day-to-day running of the Wired.com website. He headed up a team of six section editors, a dozen reporters and a large pool of freelancers. Together the team produced a daily digest of stories about the impact of science and technology, and won several awards, including several Webby Awards, 2X Knight-Batten Awards for Innovation in Journalism and the 2010 MIN (Magazine Industry Newsletter) award for best blog, among others.
Before being promoted to news editor, Leander was Wired.com’s senior reporter, primarily covering Apple. During that time, Leander published a ton of scoops, including the first in-depth report about the development of the iPod. Leander attended almost every keynote speech and special product launch presented by Steve Jobs, including the historic launches of the iPhone and iPad. He also reported from almost every Macworld Expo in the late ’90s and early ‘2000s, including, sadly, the last shows in Boston, San Francisco and Tokyo. His reporting for Wired.com formed the basis of the first Cult of Mac book, and subsequently this website.
Before joining Wired, Leander was a senior reporter at the legendary MacWeek, the storied and long-running weekly that documented Apple and its community in the 1980s and ’90s.
Leander has written for Wired magazine (including the Issue 16.04 cover story about Steve Jobs’ leadership at Apple, entitled Evil/Genius), Scientific American, The Guardian, The Observer, The San Francisco Chronicle and many other publications.
Leander has a postgrad diploma in artificial intelligence from the University of Aberdeen, and a BSc (Hons) in experimental psychology from the University of Sussex.
He has a diploma in journalism from the UK’s National Council for the Training of Journalists.
Leander lives in San Francisco, California, and is married with four children. He’s an avid biker and has ridden in many long-distance bike events, including California’s legendary Death Ride.
You can find out more about Leander on LinkedIn and Facebook. You can follow him on X at @lkahney or Instagram.
