Late last month Twelve South released its latest charging accessory – the PowerBug. The wall charger-meets-MagSafe mount is following a few different hybrid charging and tech accessories we have seen releasing over the last year and we have been testing it out for a few weeks now to see if it’s any good, or useful.
Review: Twelve South PowerBug
The new Twelve South PowerBug comes in two colorways: Slate/Black and White/Dune with a $49.99 list price.
PowerBug is a beautifully minimal way to wirelessly charge your iPhone while keeping it visible and in use, perfect for StandBy mode, FaceTime, streaming, and more. Snap your MagSafe or Qi2-compatible phone into place for effortless, hands-free charging. A built-in USB-C port can power a second device, all without the clutter. Sleek enough for your nightstand, kitchen, or vanity, PowerBug brings elegant charging to the places you use most.
Features at a glance:
- Transforms outlet into a charging dock
- USB-C PD port delivers up to 35W of fast charging
- Charge two devices at once: 20W via USB-C + 15W wireless
- Supports iOS StandBy mode, perfect for bedside or desk
- Clean, compact design with foldable prongs
gadgetnewsonline’ Take
Firstly, let’s talk basics: build quality and the base feature set. This is a wall charger with fold-out outlet prongs set within a circular form-factor. It sports a magnetic front panel you can stick your phone right on to to charge up or simply mount it, alongside a secondary USB-C port for typical wall charger action.
It is made of a sort of traditional plastic you would expect from something like this with the super-clean design we have come to love from the brand. There’s nothing overly remarkable to write home about here, but it is of a higher-quality than your typical bargain bin wall chargers, and looks nicer than most of them too.
The 2-in-1 nature of this device really highlights where it shines best. Or perhaps better put, the only time, at least for me, it is truly worth the price of entry.
If you have an outlet at eye level that might also be a handy place to mount an iPhone, then the PowerBug is worth a closer look.
It also should be said that its dual function action can also come in handy on the go as well – I guess you never know when something like this might come in handy, and if you have it waiting in your EDC or travel kit that might just be the case. You could just look at the PowerBug as a typical wall charger to have in your bag that also happens to have magnetic mount and charger included in the package as well.
The point here being that everyone has a wall charger or five already, not to mention a collection of USB-C cables to go along with them – and you can score a more powerful one of those for lot less than $50 any day of the week. But you probably don’t have a wall charger with a MagSafe amount in your kit already, and it does offer the ability to combine your mobile MagSafe stand and wall charger into one more carry-friendly unit.
When it come to home use, it would seem that you can probably already imagine an outlet to use it in before buying it or you can’t, and if you can’t you probably don’t need to buy one. That said I didn’t really think I would need one in the kitchen while watching recipes videos, nor did I think it would be as handy as it was offering up a charging bay of sorts in the hallway or washroom while getting ready.
It’s perhaps a more niche device than some, but it has certainly been put to good use more often than I thought it would when I first laid eyes on it. There’s tons of chargers for less than can deliver more juice, but not very many with a Qi2 MagSafe pad on them, and if you think something like that will come in handy for you, the Twelve South PowerBug is a solid option.
Buy the new Twelve South PowerBug
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