Review: AirTrio & AirQuad Wireless Charging Dock

By Todd Bernhard Updated 12/02/2019

I am always on the lookout for the ideal way to charge all of my gear, which is typically made by Apple. The folks at Pitaka may have the answer. Their upcoming AirTrio and AirQuad (starting at $119) is currently a bargain on Kickstarter; and while crowdfunded projects don't always come to fruition, Pitaka is an established manufacturer and I've reviewed its other items before. The company sent me an AirQuad to review, so I can confirm that it's real. And it's really nice.

Like Pitaka's other products, the AirQuad sports a beautiful design with lots of shiny chrome-plated zinc combined with carbon fiber styling, called "Aramid fiber." It looks like it belongs in a museum, so you'll be proud to display it on your nightstand or desk. But it's more than a pretty face. The AirQuad and AirTrio have three distinct Qi coils to charge your phone without having to worry about exact placement. If you're a loyal Apple customer, you probably have an Apple Watch, so the dock includes a flip-up Apple Watch charger in the center of the dock, and it can lay flat for certain Apple watchbands or flip up at the press of a button on the right side to accommodate closed loop watchbands, like I typically use. This also allows for Nightstand mode.

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The AirQuad adds a separate Qi coil for AirPods to the left of the Apple Watch charger. Keep in mind that when the Apple Watch charger is flat, the AirPods charger may be obstructed by your watchband, so you may want to leave the Apple Watch charger flipped up regardless of band type.

Finally, there is a height-adjustable Lightning (or USB-C) port with a flip-up back support so you can charge an iPad or iPhone. There's a jog dial on the right side that raises or lowers the port to accommodate a variety of devices, with or without a case. If you have an iPad Pro, be sure to specify the USB-C version.

Pros

Beautiful design with chrome and carbon fiber styling
Three Qi coils for phone
Optional separate Qi coil for AirPods
Flip-up Apple Watch charger
Height-adjustable Lightning port for iPad or iPhone, with or without a case

Cons

Deal price only via Kickstarter
When Apple Watch charger is flat, the AirPods charger may be obstructed

Final Verdict

The AirQuad from Pitaka may be the perfect charging dock for Apple enthusiasts.

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Author Details

Todd Bernhard

Todd Bernhard is a bestselling (6+ million downloads) award-winning (AARP, About.com, BestAppEver.com, Digital Hollywood, and Verizon) developer and founder of NoTie.NET, an app developer specializing in Talking Ringtone apps including AutoRingtone. And his profile photo is of the last known sighting of Mr. Bernhard wearing a tie, circa 2007!

An iPhone is almost always attached to his hip or in his pocket, but over the years, Mr. Bernhard has owned an Apple Newton, a Motorola Marco, an HP 95LX, a Compaq iPaq, a Palm Treo, and a Nokia e62. In addition to writing for iPhone Life, Mr. Bernhard has written for its sister publications, PocketPC Magazine and The HP Palmtop Paper.

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