3-in-1 magnetic wireless chargers can hoist even the iPhone Pro Max aloft but most would buckle and fall over if you introduced even an iPad mini into the action. The iPad requires a different charging connection, so we’ll stop a moment to explain the options.
How do you wirelessly charge an iPad?
As it doesn’t come with built-in MagSafe charging coils, you can’t simply place an iPad on wireless chargers like you do with an iPhone. The closest you’ll get is the Kuxiu M30 magnetic smart connector charger that brings a MagSafe-like charging experience to compatible iPads by snapping magnetically to the back of the tablet and drawing power through a 3-pogo-pin Smart Connector. Because iPads with these pins have them in different configurations, you need a size-specific charger for select iPad Pro and iPad Air models—it’s a neat solution but nowhere near as convenient as MagSafe/Qi2.
There are several reasons why iPads don’t do MagSafe. iPads have larger batteries than iPhones (19-40Wh vs 12-20Wh), and these generate too much heat to be safe if charged wirelessly. Also, most iPads use aluminum on their back shells compared to iPhone’s glass, and this interferes with the magnetic fields used in wireless charging.
Simon Jary
Zens offers a simple 4-in-1 solution
The Zens 4-1 Wireless Charger looks like a standard sleek 3-in-1 iPhone charging stand made from zinc alloy but has a bar at the back to prop up an iPad, with a powerful USB-C port on one side to connect it.
It’s a good-looking stand, with Apple’s badge of approval as it is one of few available at the Apple Store.
At the front there’s an elevated iPhone charging pad that’s tilt-adjustable up and down, but not side to side. This is a Qi2 charger and so maxes power output to the iPhone at 15W rather than the latest and greatest 25W Qi2.2. The difference is about 15 minutes (45 vs 30 minutes) in the time it takes to wirelessly charge an iPhone from 0-50%. Compatible newer iPhones can charge faster with a suitable higher-powered wireless charger, but if you charge your devices overnight, the Zens stand’s 15W limit shouldn’t bother you.
