Tested: Hands-on with Journey’s new light-up 15W wood-accented MagSafe charger

The growing number of 15W MagSafe charging stands out there is dizzying. It is becoming harder and harder for brands to differentiate themselves from the pack, but I think Journey has managed to pull this off, even if mostly in an aesthetic way, with its new NOVA 3-in-1 Fast Wireless Charging Station. And now it’s time to go hands-on to see if the price of entry is worth it. 

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Hands-on with the new light-up JourneyNOVA 3-in-1 Fast Wireless Charging Station

The new Journey NOVA 3-in-1 Fast Wireless Charging Station comes in a white/wood grain or white/grey color and carries a $139.99 MSRP. 

Features at a glance:

• Fast charges phone, earbuds, and watch simultaneously.
• Delivers up to 15W fast wireless charging for iPhones (12 and onwards), fast charging for Apple Watches, and AirPods.
• Distinct hollow form and split-material characteristics for a striking décor statement.
• Vertical build (minimises desk footprint). 15cm tall and weighs just 250 grams.
• Weighted base for maximum stability.
• Flip-open Apple Watch charger module discretely tucks in at the rear of the charger.
• LED charging status indicator light automatically turns off after 12 secs.

Gadget News Online’ Take

Today we are taking a hands-on look at the new Journey NOVA 3-in-1 Fast Wireless Charging Station. It in many ways delivers much of the same functionality you’ll find on the other 8 zillion 15W MagSafe chargers out there with 3-in-1 functionality, but it does manage to find a few interesting ways to stand out, for better or worse. 

Clearly this is a somewhat unique form factor with the sort of boxy and yet angular structure here. This is either something you’re into or you’re not. At first glance when the unit debuted I wasn’t quite sold on this design choice at first, but it has since grown on me after unboxing it, setting it up in my home, and giving it a go. 

There’s something sort of domestic and homey about the whole thing. The stark white and, in the case of the unit I have, woodgrain accent that make it feel at home within my decor. Now I happen to have a generally bright white theme running through my space at this time, alongside hits of wood on the desks, stools, and elsewhere…so it sort of really fits in and might very well in your space as well. 

But this form-factor isn’t only for show. It also provide a sort of hollowed out cubby of sorts for your AirPods or other wireless charging earbuds to juice up. The opening isn’t quite small enough to get in the way of the grab and go action, but it’s also not quite as convenient for just quickly scooping up your buds case before you run out the door. 

Having said all of that, this semi-enclosed design makes the whole unit – as opposed to one of those tree-style MagSafe charging stands – look less like it only belongs in an office setting than most of the options out there – I like this. However, it also makes the onboard lighting a little more visually appealing. 

One might argue you wouldn’t need lighting if it wasn’t enclosed, but you don’t really need it here either. It’s really just kind of a gimmicky and neat little feature – you simply tap a small touch control on the inner roof of the cubby to turn it on and off. It can add a nice little glow light on the nightstand, and perhaps useful for folks jumping out of bed while a partner is still sound asleep in the dark, but for me it’s mostly just a gimmicky feature, just one I’m sort of digging.

From there, you can expect the usual 15W MagSafe charging on the front angled panel – this is where your phone rests. There’s is no angle adjustment at all, but it does support horizontal and vertical orientations. It works, and it totally does the trick, but I can’t help thinking the entire unit looks less elegant the second I put my phone on it, which is clearly 1/3 the point here. 

We already covered where you AirPods are supposed to get nestled in to charge up, and the last piece of the puzzle here is the flip-up, magnetic Apple Watch charger around back. I like the positioning here as it keeps the form-factor of the unit in tact, the hinge mechanism feels tight enough that it isn’t going to just stop holding the Apple Watch in place over time, and it gets the job done nicely. No complaints on this front. 

The lighting is cool, it charges and functions perfectly in my testing, and there is definitely a unique look at play here. But you are certainly going to have to want the lighting and particularly love the look to be paying a price like $139.99 shipped. It is well made, with thick hardened plastics and a touch of wood grain, but it is plastic after all and $140 isn’t cheap. The brand does have regular sales that you can take advantage of to score 20% or more off, but it’s all about the look here and you’re going to have to really like it to pay that kind of cash.

Buy the Journey NOVA 3-in-1 Fast Wireless Charging Station

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