If you’re like most Apple fans, you probably have multiple devices to keep juiced up. ESR’s new 6-in-1 stand take care of that and keep your iPhone cool, too.
If you’re like most Apple fans, you probably have multiple devices you need to keep powered up on a near-daily basis. From your iPhone 15 Pro, Apple Watch Series 9, and AirPods Pro to a MacBook Pro, there’s always something calling for some extra juice.
At one time, keeping all of your device’s power requirements satisfied required an octopus-like collection of cables at your desk. Thankfully, wired charging has changed the game, helping to reduce some of that by letting you dock your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods more conveniently to charging pads and stands.
Nevertheless, some things still need wires, and Apple’s higher-end MacBooks crave more power. The good news is that companies have created unique ways to provide everything your Apple devices need in one simple and elegant package, such as ESR’s new 6-in-1 Charging Station.
ESR’s 100W 6-in-1 charger began its life as a Kickstarter project during the summer. The company sent me an early-release unit in August, which I’ve used daily since then. Here’s what I’ve found over the past four months.Power to spare for six devices
Thanks to modern gallium nitride (GaN) technology, ESR has created a MagSafe charging stand that can deliver a staggering amount of power in a package compact enough to fit comfortably on your desk or bedside table.
ESR’s new charger looks remarkably similar to most 3-in-1 charging stands you’ll find on the market, and it has the usual spots for a MagSafe-capable iPhone, an Apple Watch, and a set of AirPods or other wireless-charge capable earbuds. However, as the name implies, ESR’s 6-in-1 charger is designed to handle up to three more devices, and it can deliver up to 100 watts of juice to do so.
That’s substantially more than you’ll get from most other multi-device Apple chargers, which are typically built to deliver around 20 to 30 watts. That’s more than enough to meet the needs of an iPhone (15W), Apple Watch (5W), and AirPods (less than 5W), but even when those chargers offer an extra USB port, there’s rarely enough there to charge even the smallest MacBook Air.
The most noticeable visual distinction between ESR’s 100W 6-in-1 charger and its less powerful models is the more prominent bump beneath the Apple Watch charging stand. This is where the GaN technology lives, which provides enough power to deliver up to 100W to a MacBook or other USB-powered device. As a bonus, since all the circuitry is in the stand, there’s no blocky power brick to deal with; ESR’s charger uses a standard AC power cable with an IEC 320 C7 connector on the stand and a standard two-prong plug on the other end that should easily fit into any outlet.
On the side, a pair of USB-C Power Delivery (USB-PD) ports can each deliver up to 100 watts. A third USB-A port can supply standard 5-watt USB charging to another lower-power wired device, such as a Magic Trackpad or a set of earbuds that don’t support wireless charging.
As with most chargers, this 100W of power is shared between all the devices you connect, but ESR has designed its charger to intelligently distribute power to where it’s needed.
For example, when I plugged in a 14-inch MacBook Pro while charging my iPhone, the charger delivered the maximum 15W of MagSafe power to the phone, with the remaining 85W going to the MacBook Pro via the USB-C port.
