Anker 637 Magnetic Charging Station (MagGo) review: Thunder ball

It’s tough to put too many names in line with Anker when it comes to phone charging accessories. From power banks to wall chargers, the company just seems to get it all right. Now, Anker is delivering a charging powerhouse for your desk that promises support for just about everything you can throw at it. This is our Anker 637 Magnetic Charging Station (MagGo) review, and it’s time to see how much power this ball is packing.

• Anker 637 Magnetic Charging Station (MagGo): $99.99

The 637 Magnetic Charging Station feels like someone at Anker wondered how much they could fit into a charger. It’s about the size of a softball — specifically 112 x 110 x 103mm —  and packs heaps of ports to choose from. Anker tapped a pair of USB-A ports, a couple of USB-C ports, and a trio of AC outlets to join the magnetic charging pad on the front. The latter taps into the MagGo branding, which is Anker’s range of magnetic devices that ape Apple’s MagSafe charging for its latest iPhones.

The Magnetic Charging Station itself is plastic, and it comes with grounded and surge protections built-in. Anker chose an angled wall plug to make it easier to fit your charger anywhere you need it. You’ll also find a side-mounted LED light that indicates your device’s charging status. Solid blue means that it’s charging, but flashing blue means there’s an issue.

Anker’s USB-A ports top out at 12W, while the USB-C options are capable of up to 65W output. Those of you with MagSafe-compatible Apple devices can enjoy up to 7.5W from the charging pad, and the AC outlets are there to handle larger devices like laptops.

Inside the box, you’ll find the 637 Magnetic Charging Station itself, as well as a few pieces of basic paperwork. Anker included some hook and loop straps to manage your charging cables, too, but that’s about it.

Want to pick up an Anker MagGo ball of your very own? You can buy it direct from Anker, or through third-party retailers including Amazon.

If the devil is in the details, then Anker is playing with fire. The 637 Magnetic Charging Station packs all of the ports you could ask for and then some. Chances are good that you’ll never need to charge eight devices at once, but it’s nice to have the option. Anker even varied the direction of the AC outlets so that your other cables don’t get tangled up.

I’m a big fan of the design overall, and it feels reminiscent of Amazon’s Echo speaker redesign. The sphere shape is just large enough, yet it doesn’t feel intrusive on your desk or on a small table. Anker’s small rubber pads on the bottom and on the charging pad help to keep the charging station from shifting, and your wireless charging devices should stay locked in place.

The Anker 637 Magnetic Charging Station isn’t just a pretty face, either. It delivers solid charging speeds overall, even when you’re tapped into multiple USB-C ports at one time. All four USB ports support a form of Anker’s PowerIQ charging, which means you’ll get Quick Charge from the USB-A ports and Power Delivery from the USB-C ports. I was able to achieve top speeds of over 19W on an iPhone 12 Pro, as well as 14.6W speeds on a Samsung Galaxy S21.

You can charge laptops with the Magnetic Charging Station as well, though I’d recommend using an AC outlet rather than one of the USB ports. The AC outlets don’t share power with the other ports, which means you can grab faster overall speeds. The wireless charging pad also works well for iPhones with MagSafe, delivering up to 7.5W charging speeds.

It’s much harder to settle on the not so good aspects of the 637 Wireless Charging Station — this really is an awesome option. That said, there is still room for improvement. My biggest complaint is that Anker doesn’t include a magnetic pad in the box for use with an Android phone. As a result, you’ll probably have to come up with a magnetic solution of your own if you’re not an iPhone owner. Whether it’s a new case or attaching a magnet yourself, it will likely cost you a little extra money.

Also, Anker’s 7.5W wireless charging is good but not great. We’ve already seen power banks available with faster speeds at or above 10W, and plenty of devices can handle speeds well beyond 7.5W. Granted, it’s meant for use with MagSafe, but you can get significantly better speeds with Apple’s official products. Apple’s own MagSafe charging accessories go up to 15W, too, so if you want the fastest wireless charging speeds for newer iPhones, there are better options out there — albeit without all the extras Anker’s MagGo ball provides.

While Anker added Power Delivery to the 637 Magnetic Charging Station in the form of PowerIQ 3, it stopped short of USB Power Delivery PPS. This means that despite the $99 price tag, you will not be able to charge the latest Galaxy S flagships or the Pixel 6 series at their top speeds.

If you’ve been waiting for an all-in-one charging solution, this is just about as good as it gets. The $99 price tag is a bit steep, but it’s tough to beat charging eight devices at a time. Anker’s 637 Magnetic Charging Station is especially good if you have an iPhone with MagSafe or a magnetic charging case. Even if you don’t, the selection of ports and AC outlets makes this a one-stop charging shop. Top speeds of 65W mean that this is a solid option for charging laptops, too.

See also: The best multi-port USB wall chargers

Those of you looking for a solid alternative to the Anker 637 Magnetic Charging Station have an important question to answer: Do you need a wall charger or a power strip? After all, this charging station is the best of both worlds in many ways. Right now, Anker’s PowerPort III 25W ($19.99) is our top wall charger for its USB PD PPS support and affordable price. However, it only offers a single USB-C port.

Anker has several power strips to choose from, too. You can grab one with 12 AC outlets and a trio of USB-A ports for $28.99. It’s not as small or portable as the 637 Magnetic Charging Station, but it still offers robust safety features.