3-in-1 charging stations capable of wirelessly powering up an iPhone, an Apple Watch, and AirPods have been popular for years now, although most of them involve relatively straightforward and utilitarian designs. Accessory brand Journey is looking to bring a bit more design flair to the category with its new NOVA 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station, which will begin shipping next Monday, October 28.

journey nova charger parts
The NOVA charging station is available in Wood Grain and Sparkle Grey color options, and I've been testing out a Wood Grain model for a few days to see how it looks and performs.

Overall it features a compact footprint with a vertically oriented design rather than a "tree-style" design used on some competing 3-in-1 chargers. The entire body is made of plastic, but the faux wood grain front can help it fit in depending on your decor. A pair of non-slip strips on the bottom of the charger help keep it in place and protect your surfaces from damage.

journey nova charger devices
At a little over 400 grams (0.9 pounds), the NOVA is hefty enough to remain stable with an ‌iPhone‌ mounted on it, yet it remains somewhat portable so it can be easily transported. It measures around 15 cm high (though an attached ‌iPhone‌ will raise the total height by a few centimeters) and has a footprint of around 8 cm by 9 cm.

The NOVA is topped with an elevated angled surface hiding a Qi2 charging pad, allowing an ‌iPhone‌ to magnetically attach and charge at up to 15 watts depending on your ‌iPhone‌ model. The MagSafe-compatible Qi2 standard has only recently started making its way into a broad array of products, and while Apple has already one-upped Qi2 with its new 25-watt MagSafe charging on the latest iPhone 16 models, Qi2 should still be plenty sufficient for most users.

The phone charging surface is plain plastic with no distinct pad or graphics indicating where to place the device. Magnetic alignment makes it easy to find the right spot even without those features, so it allows for a very clean look when there's no phone on the charger.

journey nova charger rear
The rear of the station includes a flip-up Apple Watch charging puck that delivers fast charging on supported Apple Watch models. The flip-up feature lets you hide the puck away while not in use and protect it if you choose to toss the charging station in a bag for travel.

The rear-mounted Apple Watch puck design means your watch won't be visible while charging on a nightstand, end table, or desk, but if you're also charging a phone in either horizontal StandBy or vertical orientation, that's likely a better option for viewing the time and other information.

Finally, a hollow opening oriented toward the front of the charging station serves as a spot to drop a compatible AirPods case for charging. The AirPods charging spot has a grippy pad to help keep the AirPods in position, but it doesn't include magnets to help with aligning AirPods cases with that feature. Still, the placement seems fairly forgiving to me, and I didn't have any issues getting my AirPods Pro to consistently charge.

journey nova charger light
A touch-activated light inside the opening can help you find the AirPods charging spot in the dark or even just provide a bit of light in a dark room for any other needs.

The NOVA charging station comes with a 1.5-meter USB-C to USB-C cable to power the unit, although you'll have to provide your own power adapter. I always prefer that a power adapter be included in the box, especially for more premium priced accessories, so that's a bit of a downside here. Allowing you to provide your own adapter does offer more flexibility if you prefer to power it from a multi-port charger, a flat charger for tucking behind furniture, or other options, so just be aware of that potential additional cost. You'll want at least a 30-watt charger to be able to charge everything at full speed.

Journey also includes an adhesive magnetic ring and alignment guide in the box, which allows you to add magnetic capabilities to older iPhones and other smartphone models that support wireless charging but not ‌MagSafe‌/Qi2.

The NOVA 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station is normally priced at $139.99, but there's currently a 20% off pre-order discount that brings the price down to $112.00. Many other 3-in-1 chargers from reputable brands with ‌MagSafe‌/Qi2 and Made for Apple Watch certification are in the $120–$150 range, so this is in the same ballpark. Remember that you do have to provide your own power adapter though, but the current pre-order discount brings things down enough to keep pricing competitive even with that possible additional cost.

Note: Journey provided MacRumors with a NOVA 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Journey. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Tag: Journey

Top Rated Comments

entropys Avatar
15 weeks ago
“Minimalist”
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roar08 Avatar
15 weeks ago
The 3-in-1 category is a black hole of innovation sucking in all kinds of short-lived enterprises inventing problems nobody knows need solving.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antiprotest Avatar
15 weeks ago
Hmm, not quite minimalist I think. And assuming you'd want your phone to be facing you, the watch is always hidden behind the phone. I am also not sure if I'd like that. But, to each their own I guess...

What?! $140. Discounted and still $112!! Are you kidding me?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
3304614 Avatar
15 weeks ago
When did we redefine “minimalist” to mean “awful-looking”? ?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jdclifford Avatar
15 weeks ago
Another 3-in-1 piece of plastic for >$100. Who’s kidding who? There are plenty of adequate chargers out there for<$50 that do the same thing.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tevosn Avatar
15 weeks ago
NGL, that looks kinda ok.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Will Include These New Features for Your iPhone

Wednesday February 5, 2025 7:15 am PST by
iOS 18.3 was released last month, so the first iOS 18.4 beta should be coming soon. iOS 18.4 is expected to be a more substantial update for the iPhone, with several new features and changes related to Apple Intelligence and beyond. Apple's website suggests that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, following beta testing. Below, we outline what to expect from the update so far. Apple...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive an All-New Perk

Thursday February 6, 2025 11:21 am PST by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. iCloud+ is the official name for Apple's paid iCloud storage plans, which range from 50GB for $0.99 per month to 12TB for $59.99 per month in the United States. iCloud+ plans already come with multiple perks for free, such as Hide My Email and HomeKit Secure Video, and now there is another one...
iPhone SE 4 Single Camera Thumb

iPhone SE 4 Launching as Soon as Next Week

Thursday February 6, 2025 3:30 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone SE could debut as soon as next week with a launch to follow later in February, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple isn't expected to hold an event for the iPhone SE 4, and will instead unveil the device through a press release. The iPhone SE 4 is expected to have an iPhone 14-style design, with Apple eliminating the thick bezels and Touch ID Home button of...
iOS 18

iOS 18.3.1 Update Coming Soon for iPhones

Thursday February 6, 2025 7:31 am PST by
Apple is internally testing iOS 18.3.1 for iPhones, according to our website's analytics logs, which have been a consistently reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The software update should be released within the next few weeks. iOS 18.3.1 should be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. Apple Intelligence notification summaries for news and...
maxresdefault

An Apple TV Refresh is Coming in 2025 - Here's What You Should Know

Wednesday February 5, 2025 10:17 am PST by
Apple hasn't refreshed the Apple TV since 2022, but rumors suggest that we're finally going to get an update in 2025. We don't have a full picture of what to expect yet, but we have some hints on what's coming. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Updated A-Series Chip The current Apple TV 4K uses the A15 Bionic chip that was in the iPhone 13 lineup, and it's time for...
iCloud General Feature Redux

Apple Ordered by UK to Create Global iCloud Encryption Backdoor

Friday February 7, 2025 2:37 am PST by
The British government has secretly demanded that Apple give it blanket access to all encrypted user content uploaded to the cloud, reports The Washington Post. The undisclosed order is said to have been issued last month, and requires that Apple creates a back door that allows UK security officials unencumbered access to encrypted user data worldwide – an unprecedented demand not before...
Apple Leak Feature

Apple Leaker Issues Apology: 'Profound and Expensive Mistake'

Friday February 7, 2025 9:21 am PST by
Last year, we reported that Apple sued its former software engineer Andrew Aude for providing journalists with confidential information about the company's future plans, including details about the Journal app, Vision Pro headset, and more. As reported by 9to5Mac, the Superior Court of Santa Clara County on Thursday dismissed the lawsuit after Apple and Aude reached an agreement to resolve...
2007 iPhone

Apple Discontinuing This 18-Year-Old iPhone Feature

Saturday February 8, 2025 3:51 pm PST by
The end of an 18-year era is on the horizon for the iPhone. Apple reportedly plans to announce a new iPhone SE as soon as next week, and the device is expected to feature a full-screen design with Face ID, instead of a Touch ID home button. That means Apple will no longer sell any new iPhone models with a home button, for the first time since the original iPhone launched. The home button...