Charger

Griffin’s new USB-C power cable brings MagSafe charging to 12-inch MacBook

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

Apple's twelve-inch MacBook is one hell of a laptop in terms of portability, build quality and features, but some people are fretting over its limited expandability. With just one USB-C port, folks who wish to connect more than one accessory to the notebook must buy pricey USB-C adapters.

Sadly, the adoption of USB-C on the one-port MacBook has also meant nixing Apple's tremendously popular MagSafe adapter.

If you're concerned about sending your notebook flying by accidentally tripping over its USB-C charging cable, Griffin has a solution for you in the form of a newly announced charging cable that brings MagSafe-like technology to the new MacBook.

This DC splitter doubles your car charger sockets

Lory Gil ∙ December 16, 2015

Some cars have just one power outlet (aka cigarette lighter) to be shared amongst all gadget-using travelers. There are multi-USB adapters that help spread the wealth, but it would be even better if there were two power outlets.

Bestek makes an adapter that splits into two DC power outlets and provides two USB ports for all your charging needs. If you add something like the EleckeyTM or the reVOLT, then you're talking six charges at a time.

Anker PowerPort 6 is a multi-port USB charger for your iPhone and iPad family

Lory Gil ∙ December 15, 2015

This holiday, Santa may place a few iPhone and iPad handsets under your Christmas tree. You might end up with too many devices that require a high-power charge and not enough plugs in the house for all of them.

Anker's PowerPort 6 produces 60 watts of power at one time so you can charge all of your iOS devices without slowing down the process. Now your wall plugs can be freed up for other electronic gifts that Santa has left for you.

The best iPhone 6s charging docks

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

We've been working hard all year to track down popular and usefull accessories for your iPhone 6s (we started on the iPhone 6). The reason we provide these spotlight posts is to give you a better breadth of knowledge of the types of accessories that are out there for you to choose from.

Today, we've got an accessory roundup of what we think are some of the best charging docks for your iPhone 6s from the products we've spotlighted over the past year. If you don't see your charging dock of choice on our list, please feel free to let us know in the comments.

Apple Pencil ships with extra tip and Lightning-to-Lightning adapter for USB charging

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 20, 2015

Apple's $99 stylus accessory for the iPad Pro, the Apple Pencil, conveniently comes with a spare tip and includes a special Lightning-to-USB adapter to save users from having to precariously charge their Pencils directly from their iPads.

A spare tip is a nice addition as it gives Pencil customers piece of mind knowing that wearing down the tip won't force them to take their accessory for servicing.

Griffin WatchStand Charging Station: a solid two-in-one dock with some trade-offs

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

Earlier this month I reviewed the Belkin Charge Dock, a stylish dock for your iPhone and Apple Watch. I praised it for its classy, minimalistic design and embedded chargers, but knew that its steep $130 price tag would be a turnoff for many potential buyers.

This time around I want to tell you about a more affordable option—the Griffin WatchStand Charging Station. It too offers space for your iPhone and Apple Watch to rest and recharge, at less than half the price, but that savings does come with a few tradeoffs.

First, there's design. I don't think the WatchStand looks bad—in fact, Sebastien called its identical smaller sibling "sleek"—but I also don't think it looks anywhere near as good as the Belkin. Second, there are no cables included, meaning you have to supply your own.

So does the WatchStand's price and functionality offset these shortcomings? Let's find out.

Official Magnetic Charging Dock for Apple Watch launches for $79

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 18, 2015

Following yesterday's leaked packaging of an official Apple-branded dock for the Apple Watch, the Magnetic Charging Dock is going on sale this morning via the Apple Online Store and company-owned retail stores in the United States, Germany and a few other markets.

The accessory is priced at $79 and includes a two-meter Lightning cable that attaches to the base of the dock. The Magnetic Charging Dock supports your watch in either portrait or landscape orientation, which is really handy given the Nightstand mode in watchOS 2.

TravelCard: the ultra-thin charger that fits in your wallet

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Leaving the house knowing your iPhone battery might not make it through the day is something we've all experienced. The easy solution is to bring your charger along, or even an external battery pack. That's great if you're out an about with a backpack or something where you can store the extra accessories. But what if you want to travel light? Enters TravelCard, an ultra-thin charger that will actually fit in your wallet.

How long does it take to fully charge iPad Pro?

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 12, 2015

Despite its notably faster 'A9X' system-on-a-chip and a bigger screen with significantly increased pixel count, the iPad Pro is roughly in line with prior iPad models in terms of battery life.

On the other hand, the jumbo-sized tablet ships with Apple's 12W USB Power Adapter despite having a much larger battery. So, how long does it take to recharge the iPad Pro's battery from dead to full capacity?

Scosche reVOLT car charger packs a 12-watt punch

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

Car chargers can be hit-or-miss when it comes to how fast you can get juiced up before your drive is over. Ideally, a high powered charger will get you up to speed, at least as fast as your stock iPhone 6s wall charger would.

Scosche's reVOLT is a dual port car charger that connects to your vehicle's power accessory outlet (otherwise known as the cigarette lighter). It packs 12 watts of power for 2.4 amps per port, so you can charge your most power hungry devices fast.

Charge up to 10 devices at once with Sabrent’s rapid charger

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

Take a moment right now to think about how many devices you have around the house that require charging via USB. Maybe you have a portable wireless speaker, a smartwatch, a couple of iPhones, some rechargeable toys, and an iPad. It starts to add up. You could probably come up with 10 devices in your household that charge via USB.

Sabrent makes a 10-port rapid charger that supplies enough juice to power up all 10 devices at the same time without getting overworked. Thanks to its smart charge technology, it can supply extra power to devices that need it, like the iPad Air 2, while restricting power to devices that don't need as much, like a first generation iPod touch.

Belkin’s Charge and Sync dock has a small footprint and a large range of compatibility

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

Sure, you can plug your iPhone into any old USB adapter and throw it on the table (or couch arm or floor) and it won't matter what position it is in while charging. But, if you want your iPhone on display while it charges, you'll want to look into a dock.

Belkin makes a minimalist style charging dock that takes up very little space on your desktop while it provides the juice you need to get your battery to 100 percent.