One of the most significant limitations of MagSafe charging is heat management. As induction coils transfer energy, they generate waste heat, which causes your iPhone to throttle its charging speeds if it gets too hot to protect the battery. You especially see this in the outdoors during the summer. LISEN is attempting to fix the normal thermal bottleneck with its new 3-in-1 MagSafe station. By adding an active cooling fan and the Qi2.2, LISEN claims it can sustain 25-watt charging speeds that really does wired charging. This is my current daily driver on my desk, and I really like it thus far.
Some of my favorite gear Aqara Smart Lock U50 Upgrade your doors with Apple Home Key and the Aqara U50.
MagSafe Monday: Every Monday, Bradley Chambers looks at the latest and greatest in the MagSafe and wireless charging industry to help you get the most out of your Apple devices that support wireless charging.
Active cooling and design
The standout feature on LISEN’s new 3-in-1 desk charger is the active cooling system. We have seen fans in MagSafe car chargers before, but they are less common on desktop units because they aren’t exposed to outdoor weather. The goal is to keep the phone cool enough to maintain the peak 25-watt speed that Qi2.2 allows without throttling it to manage heat. The stand features a control to toggle between “Cool Mode,” where the fan is active, and “Sleep Mode,” where it runs silently. If you plan to place this on a nightstand, the ability to disable the fan is table stakes for me.
The hardware itself feels really nice with a weighted chrome-plated base. It stays planted when you pull your phone off the MagSafe charger, which is a common annoyance with less expensive docks. The main puck supports both portrait and landscape orientations, making it a great option for StandBy mode. LISEN, thankfully, includes a 45-watt power adapter in the box, so you know you’re getting the best output.
Qi2.2 charging speeds
The headline feature of this unit is its 25-watt charging speed, which utilizes the Qi 2.2 standard. LISEN claims this can get an iPhone 17 Pro to 50% battery in about 22 minutes. That is a significant jump over the 15-watt cap you’ll see on a lot of MagSafe chargers. To reach those speeds, however, you need the fan running in “Cool Mode” to manage the heat generated by such high power throughput.
Some of my favorite gear eufyCam 2C Upgrade your home security with wireless cameras that includes HomeKit compatibility.
If you are using this on a nightstand table, you will likely want to switch it to “Sleep Mode.” This turns off the fan for silent operation but effectively removes the active heat dissipation. For overnight charging, the speed reduction doesn’t really matter, but it is a distinction worth noting if you need a quick top-up while you sleep. The base also features a spot for your AirPods and Apple Watch, making it it is incredibly beneficial for all your gear.
... continue reading