Zens 60W Charging Stand for iPad and MacBook Air
Summary
A solid, utilitarian charging stand that offers fast charging, international adapters and is made from recycled plastics. Buyers need to evaluate the necessity of a dedicated stand for charging versus other less expensive stand solutions that likely do the job.
Zens 60W Charging Stand for iPad and MacBook Air Review
The $79.95 Zens 60W Charging Stand provides a comfortable location for charging iPads and MacBook Airs (or other thin and light laptops). Its recycled material can make buyers feel good about the purchase, but its single focus on a vertical charging solution comes into question for potential buyers who already place their devices in cases. Rather than the iPad, a closed MacBook Air makes more sense as the primary target, reducing desk space while using an external monitor, keyboard and mouse.
What we like
Pros
- Fast charging with 60W of power
- USB-C braided cable included
- Recycled material
- 3-year warranty
- International power adapters included
The Zens 6.45 x 3.66 x 5.11-inch grey freckled monolith of a charging stand is designed for one thing: holding a device in vertical orientation when charging.
The 60W of output from the 65W power supply offers ample juice to resuscitate drained devices, including tablets and many laptops. Despite the MacBook Air inclusion in the product name, the charging stand will charge any laptop that derives power from a USB-C connector. A single USB-C connector supports the included braided cable for charging a single device. A cable management area protrudes from the back of the case to help keep work areas neat.
The now common speckled material announces that the Zens 60W Charging Stand is made of recycled plastics. We encourage and applaud investments in recycled material use.
The 3-year warranty speaks to internal quality control, though it appears to apply only to devices purchased directly from Zens. I would like to see the warranty be more general.
The Zens 60W Charging Stand ships with international adaptors for its power supply (for further thoughts on the power supply, see the analysis in What could be improved).
With the 60W charging stand, Zens has produced a solid charging solution for those who need to keep iPads or lightweight laptops vertical while charging. That singular purpose, however, isn’t unique. Many alternatives exist for charging devices while minimizing device footprint.
What could be improved
Cons
- Very large power supply with a proprietary connector
- No secondary charging port
- Price vs. alternative solutions
The power supply is the main downfall of the Zens 60W Charging Stand. With GaN power supplies so ubiquitous these days, the large, bulky 60W brick that comes with the stand seems archaic. As noted above, it’s nice that it comes with international adapters, but the adapter system adds to the bulk. I would rather see a smaller charger with lightweight adapters or no adapters at all. Some companies now offer configuration options at purchase time. Zens should consider the tradeoffs between the cost of a large power supply with adapters and a smaller power supply with the option of purchasing an adapter (or just a localized power supply).
The power supply also uses a proprietary round connector, which seems like a throwback to the era before USB-C everything. I would like to see the stand take a standard USB-C input, which can easily support its 60W ambitions.
Further, the size of the power supply makes it hard to argue for this stand to become part of a standard travel kit, as many lighter and less involved mobile charging solutions exist. Most of the competitive stands don’t ship with a power supply. Zens should consider a lower-cost USB-C input version where the buyer brings their own power supply.
Given that iPads and other tablets don’t require 60W of power to charge, Zens should also think about adding a secondary USB-C port to make this charging stand more versatile.
At $79.95, potential buyers must ask themselves if they need to buy a dedicated stand for charging when they likely already own a case or keyboard that will prop up their device to make it useful while charging with a power supply. iPad Pro and laptop owners often own USB-C hubs that expand their ports, some of which include stand functionality, like the $100 Satechi Stand and Hub for iPad reviewed here.
Zens 60W Charging Stand for iPad and Macbook Air: The bottom line
Zens doesn’t ask much of its 60W charging stand. It stays stable with a device leaned into it, and it charges a single device. I typically don’t use an iPad charging stand, as my iPad sits available via a case that folds into a stand or atop a keyboard. So, while the Zens charging stand works, adopts good environmental approaches and reflects high-quality manufacturing, I wonder how many people need an $80 stand when there are alternatives, including iPad or tablet stands, that cost much less and are readily available on Amazon and at other retailers.
Zens provided the 60W Charging Stand for iPad and Macbook Air for review. Images courtesy of Zens unless otherwise noted.
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