Review: mophie’s telescoping 15W charger proves there’s room for MagSafe in a Qi2 world

February 17, 2024

5 min read

Last fall, mophie launched a MagSafe charger that dared to extend what’s possible from the 3-in-1 form-factor – quite literally. I’ve been using the new mophie Telescoping 15W MagSafe Stand for the past few months, and have fallen for its adjustable design and premium build.

Qi2 is all anyone can talk about in the charging world lately. For good reason, too! A whole lineup of new chargers have been rolling out since the start of the year from all of our favorite brands, offering refreshed tried and true releases as well as entirely new designs. But there’s a few areas where the standard fails to live up to being a full replacement for Apple’s official MagSafe spec.

One of the whole promises for Qi2 is to deliver more affordable chargers, and we’re certainly getting that. But what about premium releases? What about full-metal builds with even more elegant designs that aren’t just more simple stands? I guess we’ll have to stick with MagSafe, for now.

That’s what kept me coming back to the new mophie Telescoping 15W MagSafe Stand. I’ve been doing my best to put quite a few Qi2 chargers through the paces to share coverage on for the site. But every time I wrapped up a review, I found myself going back to the high-end and quicky design from mophie’s latest.

I’ve had this mophie charger on my desk or nightstand on and off through the last few months. When one of Anker’s latest would claim a spot on my bedside table, mophie’s telescoping prowess would make its way to my desk, and vice versa when it came time for another StandBy solution to claim my workstation. But it stayed in the rotation, and now I’ve spent enough time with it to write about.

There’s three main reasons why I’ve enjoyed my time using the mophie Telescoping 15W MagSafe Stand, and why I can ultimately recommend it.

The first is pretty straightforward, but it does in fact have 15W MagSafe. Being able to recharge my iPhone 15 at full speeds is the first bar that any new charging station has to clear, and it does so with flying colors. No issues with overheating or anything like that, just a full 15W of power beamed to my smartphone without having to plug in a cable. It also means that StandBy support is a breeze, too.

Oh, and you can throw in Apple Watch fast charging and an AirPods-ready 5W Qi pad on the base for good measure.

There’s also an incredibly sturdy build behind all of the charging tech. The entire body of the mophie Telescoping 15W MagSafe Stand is wrapped in a premium metal that gives it some nice heft. Its base is more than stable, even when the arm is extended all the way up, and means that the whole design just feels great while you’re using it.

I’ve saved the most unique part of the newest mophie charger for last. Premium 15W chargers are nothing new, but you know what is? An extending mount. It’s what gives the mophie Telescoping 15W MagSafe Stand its name, and ultimately makes it stand above anything else out there – literally.

The main MagSafe pad rests on an extending arm that features three main height positions. The connection between everything is sturdy enough that you can adjust it to whatever height between the shortest 7.5-inch position and the tallest 16-inch height. The secondary 5W Qi pad for earbuds and the Apple Watch fast charger remain locked to the bottom of the base.

Video calls is the use case that instantly called out to me, and the telescoping design of mophie’s latest certainly helps with that. You can position the mount at nearly the perfect angle to make sure you look as dashing as you are in real life thanks to the tiltable MagSafe mount. The up to 16-inch height is also plenty of lift for getting the right position, even for taller girls like myself.

I’ve also enjoyed the extending feature for putting my iPhone by my computer at my desk. I’ve positioned it off to the side as well as right above my MacBook, and it has been great for keeping my iPhone in-view while crunching away with writing throughout the day.

All of that is to say that while Qi2 may be taking the spotlight, there’s still plenty to be excited about in the world of official MagSafe chargers. If you’re looking for the best charger around, or in this case, one of the more unique offerings, then the $150 price tag on the mophie Telescoping 15W MagSafe Stand is easily defendable. I’m not going to sit here and type that it’s the perfect solution for everyone. But when you’ve reviewed as many chargers as I have, it’s refreshing to see something that offers as much utility as mophie’s latest.