Review: Mophie's Max Charging Stand for AirPods Max is Pricey but Good

Last month, Mophie announced the motorboat of its Max Charging Stand. Aimed squarely astatine those with aggregate sets of Apple's headphones, it tin complaint AirPods Max headphones positive a brace of AirPods oregon AirPods Pro astatine the aforesaid time.


Priced astatine $150, it instantly garnered disapproval successful our forum, mostly implicit its terms constituent compared to its functionality. But is it really worthy it? I've spent a fewer weeks with it to see.

Design and Build

The charging basal is aluminum lined with creaseless silicone on each aboveground that comes into interaction with your devices. The bottommost besides has a ample rectangular pad of this aforesaid silicone truthful that it doesn't descent easy connected your desk. The Mophie logo is subtly stamped connected the apical conscionable nether the quadrate indentation that shows you wherever to spot your AirPods (or different Qi-enabled device) for charging.

At 15.7 ounces (445 g) connected my room scale, it's weighty capable to clasp my ‌AirPods Max‌ without wobbling. But much connected this later...

It comes with a decently agelong 5-foot USB-C cablegram coated with the aforesaid silicone that covers the stand, a 20W partition adapter, 2 magnetic charging dongles, and a pass-through adapter.


To usage the stand, you insert 1 of the magnetic dongles into the USB-C larboard of the ‌AirPods Max‌. This dongle past connects automatically to the charging larboard successful the basal acknowledgment to its magnetism. The 2nd magnetic dongle included is simply a spare which is simply a bully touch, particularly astatine this terms point.

The pass-through adapter allows you to permission a charging dongle successful the Max's charging larboard astatine each times truthful you tin inactive complaint it with a modular USB-C cable, avoiding deterioration and teardrop connected the larboard with predominant removals and insertions. But connected the different hand, this is different adapter to transportation astir and debar losing. The pro extremity present is to conscionable permission this dongle attached to a USB-C cablegram you usage to complaint the headphones erstwhile you're distant from home.


The charging dongle does not walk done audio, truthful if you usage your ‌AirPods Max‌ with a cablegram for lossless audio oregon to link to a 3.5mm analog device, you'll person to region the dongle each time.

The magnetic dongle is the cardinal diagnostic of the basal and it isn't a caller concept—charging stands that marque usage of a magnetic dongle person been released by smaller companies implicit the years (e.g., the Max Stand a fewer years ago) and Mophie's is simply a premium introduction by 1 of the larger Apple accessory makers.

How It Works

When you spot the ‌AirPods Max‌ connected the stand, the achromatic LED connected the beforehand of the basal illuminates for a fewer seconds and past turns off. Since you can't spot the presumption airy adjacent to the USB-C larboard connected the headphones themselves to verify charging portion it's successful the stand, it's a spot frustrating to not beryllium capable to spot charging presumption aft the stand's airy turns off.

Additionally, since the basal places the headphones successful slumber mode utilizing magnets built into the receptor cupful holders, you can't adjacent spot its complaint level connected different Apple instrumentality successful Control Center oregon the Battery widget unless you region it from the stand. I'd alternatively this airy enactment connected oregon pulse portion the headphones are charging.


Removing the ‌AirPods Max‌ requires 2 hands since the stand, portion weighing successful astatine astir a pound, is not dense capable to flooded the magnetic unit from the charging dongle. You indispensable besides usage 2 hands to spot the headphones into the basal since the receptor cupful holders are placed acold capable isolated that you request to agelong the headband wider.

This receptor cupful holder placement does, however, let the basal to accommodate AirPods oregon different Qi-enabled instrumentality successful the center. I'd been utilizing a elemental 3D-printed ‌AirPods Max‌ basal with nary charging capableness wherever the receptor cupful holders are adjacent capable unneurotic that it's casual to driblet successful and region the ‌AirPods Max‌ with 1 hand, truthful this was an accommodation for me.

The halfway charger fits an AirPods Pro lawsuit easy and the indentation makes it casual to people wherever it should go. It's adjacent ample capable to accommodate the ample lawsuit screen I usage connected mine. It besides charged my iPhone 17 Pro though it takes a fewer seconds to enactment it up successful the close spot.

The halfway charger is bully to person but seems similar an summation meant to adhd worth to the basal to warrant the price. I'd similar to spot a mentation astatine a little terms constituent without this halfway charger that would besides let a narrower placement of the holders for the receptor cups.


In my charging tests, I saw nary important differences betwixt charging my ‌AirPods Max‌ straight with Apple's USB-C cablegram to a 20W partition adapter, utilizing the Max Stand, oregon utilizing the USB-C cablegram with the pass-through adapter that Mophie includes. Apple states that a 5-minute complaint adds 1.5 hours of listening but does not assertion immoderate fast-charging features beyond this, nor does Apple specifically urge utilizing a high-wattage partition adapter.

Per iFixit, the USB-C ‌AirPods Max‌ has the aforesaid artillery cells arsenic the archetypal exemplary released successful 2020 with a full capableness of 664 mAh. ‌AirPods Max‌ automatically limits the magnitude of powerfulness drawn during charging and utilizing a higher-wattage partition adapter doesn't summation charging speeds.

With this basal connected my desk, I noticed that I was nary longer ultra-careful astir taking each accidental to enactment my headphones into slumber mode to debar draining the battery. I started leaving my ‌AirPods Max‌ astir the location willy-nilly without a charging attraction successful the satellite since I knew I could easy popular them connected the basal for a speedy complaint anytime. Using a USB-C cablegram to complaint them is not hard of course, but it takes much steps than conscionable dropping the headphones into a stand.

The Big Question

Will Mophie connection a Lightning dongle that volition let the basal to enactment with older ‌AirPods Max‌ models that person Lightning ports? It seems similar this would beryllium an casual happening to bash since the basal is lone handling debased powerfulness to the headphones and nary data, and it would unfastened up the user basal greatly for Mophie to merchantability much of these. This is the astir commonly-asked question connected the stand's merchandise leafage and there's nary authoritative reply from Mophie determination astatine the clip of this review, though determination is idiosyncratic who claims that Mophie responded to them straight and said no. We asked Mophie straight and they did not respond anterior to work of this review.


We presume that the authoritative reply to this question is no. While disappointing, it's apt a licensing contented that's preventing a Lightning dongle. The Lightning connector is simply a proprietary 1 and Apple offers licensing of its usage done its MFi program, portion USB-C is not proprietary. If Mophie has done the mathematics here, it indispensable beryllium that licensing a Lightning dongle is much costly than offering it, adjacent if it means missing retired connected a perchance ample idiosyncratic basal of Lightning ‌AirPods Max‌ owners.

Who It's For

You usage your ‌AirPods Max‌ often passim the time astatine oregon adjacent a table and privation an casual and speedy mode to complaint them. Or you are retired and astir each time and privation to driblet your ‌AirPods Max‌ successful a dock adjacent the doorway erstwhile you get location to complaint afloat overnight earlier you drawback them and spell successful the morning. And you person $150 to burn.

I was salty astir the terms erstwhile this was archetypal announced, but I person appreciated this dock much and much and adjacent find myself utilizing my ‌AirPods Max‌ much due to the fact that of it. Like overmuch successful life, making thing easier has a ample interaction connected however often it's utilized oregon done. So is it worthy it? For me, the reply is yes.

Pros:

• Solid, prime build


• Aesthetically pleasing


• Can complaint 2 devices astatine once


• Easy and convenient charging

Cons:

• No at-a-glance charging presumption indicator


• Need 2 hands to spot and region headphones


• Stretches headband


• Pass-through adapter is different happening to lose


• Price

Note: Mophie provided MacRumors with a Max Stand for the intent of this review. No different compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate spouse with Mophie. When you click a nexus and marque a purchase, we whitethorn person a tiny payment, which helps america support the tract running.
This article, "Review: Mophie's Max Charging Stand for AirPods Max is Pricey but Good" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com

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