There are loads of 3-in-1 wireless chargers on the market now, but most of them are aimed squarely at Apple users. If you’ve got an iPhone, an Apple Watch and AirPods, you’re spoilt for choice. The interesting thing about the Belkin Modular Charging Dock with Qi2 25W and the Anker Prime Wireless Charging Station (3-in-1, MagGo, AirCool, Foldable, Qi2 25W) is that they’re both premium foldable chargers designed for travel, but they approach the watch charging side of things very differently.

At first glance, they seem quite similar. They both fold down into a compact form, they both support Qi2 magnetic charging, and they’re both designed to charge your phone, earbuds and watch from a single unit. Once you actually start using them though, the differences become much more obvious.

3 is the Magic Number

The Belkin is all about flexibility and compatibility. Rather than locking you into a built-in watch charger, it allows you to use a range of different watch charging pucks from different manufacturers, and it comes with various rubber grommets so different-sized chargers can be held securely inside the circular watch compartment.

Anker takes the more integrated approach. Everything is built in, including the Apple Watch charger, and it adds features such as AirCool active cooling to keep temperatures under control during charging.

I’ve spent time with both, and I don’t think there’s a clear winner across the board. It really depends on whether you value broader compatibility or a more integrated Apple-focused experience.

Design

One thing both chargers get absolutely right is portability.

Unlike traditional 3-in-1 charging stands that are designed to live permanently on a bedside table, both of these fold down into travel-friendly packages. They’re easy to throw into a backpack or suitcase, and they take up very little room when packed away.

The Belkin modular charging dock has a really clean and understated design. Folded up, it feels compact and well protected, and when opened, it gives you dedicated charging areas for your phone, earbuds and watch. The hinge mechanism feels solid, and it has enough weight that it doesn’t slide around when you remove your phone from the magnetic charging pad.

The standout feature is the watch charging compartment. Instead of using a permanently built-in watch charger, Belkin has designed a circular housing that can hold different watch charging pucks. The supplied rubber grommets allow you to fit different sizes securely, which means it isn’t limited purely to a single watch ecosystem.

Adaptability

That’s a genuinely useful feature. If you’re using a Samsung Galaxy Watch, Google Pixel Watch or another smartwatch with its own charging puck, the Belkin is far more accommodating than most travel chargers. It also means that if you upgrade watches in the future, there’s a good chance the charger can adapt rather than becoming obsolete.

The Anker Prime wireless charging station feels slightly more technical in its design. It has a more angular appearance, and the foldable sections are cleverly integrated so everything packs away neatly. The built-in Apple Watch charger is immediately convenient because there’s nothing to install or swap out.

I do think the Anker has a slightly more refined folding mechanism overall. Everything feels tightly engineered, and it opens and closes with a reassuring amount of resistance.

The other major design difference is the cooling system. The AirCool ventilation is built into the charger itself, and while it doesn’t dominate the design, it does make the Anker feel like a product that has been engineered with charging performance as a priority.

Performance

This is where the comparison becomes much more interesting because both chargers perform very well, but in slightly different ways.

Starting with the Belkin, the Qi2 25W charging performance is excellent. The magnetic connection is strong, alignment is easy, and charging speeds are exactly what you’d expect from a premium Qi2 charger. It consistently delivered reliable charging without any fiddling around to get the phone positioned correctly.

One thing I really liked was the flexibility of the watch charging setup. Because you’re using your own watch charger, you’re getting the charging behaviour that the device was designed for. There’s no compromise in compatibility, and it avoids the common problem of third-party watch chargers sometimes being unreliable with certain smartwatch models.

The watch compartment is also surprisingly well thought out. Once the correct rubber grommet is fitted, the charging puck is held securely in place, and it feels much more integrated than simply threading a cable through a hole.

For anyone who owns multiple watches from different brands, or for a household where people use different ecosystems, the Belkin has a clear advantage. Most 3-in-1 chargers assume everyone is using an Apple Watch, whereas this one is considerably more versatile.

Enter Anker

The Anker Prime’s phone charging performance is equally impressive. 25W Qi2 charging is fast and consistent, and the magnetic attachment is extremely secure in both portrait and landscape orientations.

The feature that really separates it from the Belkin is AirCool. Wireless charging naturally generates heat, especially at higher charging speeds, and excessive heat can reduce charging efficiency over time. Anker actively manages that heat using its built-in cooling system.

In practice, that means the charger maintains performance better during longer charging sessions. If you’re charging multiple devices simultaneously, the Anker remains impressively consistent.

The fan is audible in a quiet room, but it’s relatively subtle at only 19dB. Personally, I didn’t find it distracting, and I’d rather have a charger that keeps temperatures under control than one that slows down because it gets too warm.

The integrated Apple Watch charger is also incredibly convenient. There’s no installation, no swapping components, and no need to provide your own charging puck. If you’re fully invested in Apple’s ecosystem, that simplicity is genuinely appealing.

Choose your ecosystem

Where I think the Belkin pulls ahead is versatility. The Anker is fantastic if you have an iPhone and an Apple Watch. The Belkin is fantastic if you have an iPhone and almost any smartwatch.

That distinction matters more than it might seem. A lot of households now have a mix of devices, and the Belkin is much easier to share between different users.

Another area worth mentioning is cable management. Because the Belkin uses your own watch charger, you do have the initial setup of fitting the puck into the housing. Once it’s installed, though, it feels neat and tidy. The Anker is simpler out of the box because everything is already integrated.

For travel, I’d say they’re surprisingly evenly matched. Both fold down into compact packages, both are easy to pack, and both feel robust enough to survive being carried around regularly.

The Belkin gives you more flexibility when travelling with different devices. The Anker gives you a slightly simpler setup and better thermal management.

Conclusion

After using both of these chargers, I think the decision is much less about portability than I originally expected because both are genuinely travel-friendly.

The Belkin Modular Charging Dock, retailing at £49.99, stands out because of its broader compatibility. The watch charging compartment is an excellent idea, and the included rubber grommets make it easy to securely fit different-sized watch charging pucks from a variety of manufacturers. That makes it one of the few premium travel chargers that doesn’t force you into a single smartwatch ecosystem.

The Anker Prime Wireless Charging Station, retailing at £129.99, stands out because of its integration. Everything is built in, the Apple Watch charging experience is seamless, and the AirCool system helps maintain charging performance by keeping temperatures under control.

Final thoughts

If you’re an Apple user through and through, I’d probably lean towards the Anker because the integrated watch charger and cooling system make it incredibly convenient. If you use a different smartwatch, or you want a charger that can work with multiple watch brands, I’d choose the Belkin every time.

For me, the Belkin is the more versatile product, while the Anker is the more specialised one. Belkin wins on compatibility and flexibility. Anker wins on integration and thermal management.

Both are excellent 25W Qi2 travel chargers, and both feel like genuinely premium accessories rather than generic wireless charging stands. The deciding factor is simple: choose the Belkin if you want freedom across different watch ecosystems, and choose the Anker if you want the most polished Apple-centric charging experience

I give both the Belkin Modular Charging Dock with Qi2 25W and the Anker Prime Wireless Charging Station (3-in-1, MagGo, AirCool, Foldable, Qi2 25W) the Thumb Culture Gold Award!

Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.

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