Which AUKEY charger deserves to grace your gear bag?

There's nothing worse than getting halfway through the day, mind ablaze with ideas and fingers itching to type — only to see that your laptop is about to die, and your Android phone is following it down. After using many a USB-C charger with my Google Pixelbook, various smartphones, headphones, and the odd power bank, and these are the best bolt for your buck.

AUKEY 60W Desktop Charging Station

Triple threat

$50 at Amazon

Pros

• Charge laptops/tablets at up to 20V/3A via USB-C
• Charge all your gear at once
• Detachable power cable fits in tighter spaces

Cons

• Two-piece charger more cumbersome to pack
• USB-A ports limited to 5V/2.4A charging

This three-port charger is perfect for the 21st century office: literally anywhere with a chair and an electrical outlet. Recharge your laptop, phone, and your headphones/camera/power bank/world domination device in a flash with 60W Power Delivery 3.0 charging via the USB-C port.

AUKEY 46W USB-C Wall Charger

Wide wall hugger

$35 at Amazon

Pros

• Two ports let you charge your laptop and phone quickly
• 46W USB-C port allows for fast laptop charging

Cons

• Hard to fit in crowded surge protectors, tight spaces
• USB-A port limited to 5V/2.1A charging

This wall charger is a bit harder to maneuver in tight places and amongst packed plugs, and it only has two ports instead of three. That said, this charger is 30% cheaper than the Desktop Charging Station and doesn't clutter your desk another USB hub.

Double down on a triple threat

These chargers may look similar in their product listings, but don't be deceived: these are two very different chargers. The 60W charger uses a 3-ft detachable AC power cable to plug into the power grid, allowing it to skirt behind hotel room nightstands and squeeze in alongside charger after power brick on a crowded power strip — after all, not everyone has a swiveling surge protector. Meanwhile, the 46W wall charger has to find a way to squeeze its wide footprint into free space by a plug.

I had to rearrange my normal charging powerstrip or the first time in months to make room for the wall charger, whereas for the Desktop Charging Station, I plugged the AC cord in, plugged in my USB-C and USB-C cables, snuck the charger itself under my end table at home (or kept it inside my backpack when using it at Starbucks), and plugged in my toys to charge.

	AUKEY 60W Desktop Charging Station	AUKEY 46W USB-C Wall Charger
USB-C ports	1, 60W maximum output	1, 46W maximum output
USB-A ports	2, 5V/2.4A max output each	1, 5V/2.1A max output
Total power output	72W	56.5W
Charging standards	Power Delivery 3.0, AiPower	Power Delivery 3.0
Power Delivery output	5V — 3A, 9V — 3A, 12V — 3A, 15V — 3A, 20V — 3A	5V — 3A, 9V — 3A, 12V — 3A, 15V — 3A, 20V — 2.3A
AC plug design	Detachable power cord	Fold-out AC plug
Weight	218g / 7.7 oz	136g / 4.8 oz

Despite the differences you see in the table here, both of these chargers will charge up a laptop or tablet quite quickly if they're rated for USB Power Delivery 3.0 (or 2.0, since both chargers are backwards compatible). The 5V/2.1A port on the wall charger will be a little slower than the adaptive-charging AiPower 5V/2.4A ports on the Desktop Charging Station, but it's still enough to give your phone a quick top-off during a 90-minute class period or a layover at the airport bar.

AUKEY's Desktop Charging Station is $15 more than the wall charger for an extra 14W of USB-C Power Delivery charging and an extra USB-A charger. That seems like more than a reasonable upgrade to me, especially when considering how much easier the Desktop Charging Station is to use in crowded areas on the go where outlets can be hard to come by, and outlets with three inches of spare room besides them are even less so.

AUKEY 60W Desktop Charging Station

Triple threat

$50 at Amazon

For easy charging at home and especially for easy charging on the go

This may be called a Desktop Charging Station, but don't go thinking you need to chain it to your desk at work. This charger will get your gear going quickly whether you're using it in a cafe, cafeteria, airport, or at your humble abode.

AUKEY 46W USB-C Wall Charger

Wide wall hugger

When bulk isn't a problem, this wall charger will get your dynamic duo charged

$35 at Amazon

While it needs a bit more room to get plugged in and situated, this charger is slightly more affordable and will charge two devices almost as fast as the Desktop Charging Station. If you don't need $50 of charging power, this two-port model should suit you well.