Kuxiu foldable magnetic wireless chargers review: excellent compact travel chargers

Kuxiu foldable travel chargers

Travel chargers need to be small, but charge your essential devices like iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods at once. Kuxiu's options are competitively priced and designed to look great with your Apple products.

We've been testing the X40, X55, and X58 charging stands. The X40 and X55 are basically identical 3-in-1 chargers, but the X40 is made with more premium materials.

The X58 is an even more compact 2-in-1 charger for those looking for the most minimalist option.

Like with the Kuxiu foldable iPad stand we reviewed, these travel chargers take existing concepts and improve on them with Apple-like designs. There's likely a perfect option for every customer between the three charger types.

Kuxiu foldable magnetic wireless chargers review: X40 design and features

The X40 is made using aluminum alloy with CNC machining. It is available in black, gray, or silver.

Folded up, the X40 is only 23 millimeters thick, or less than one inch. Unfolded, it's about 130 millimeters or 5.12 inches tall.

The X40 weighs 188 grams or 6.6 ounces.

The aluminum material covers most of the device, while rubber pads cover the charging surfaces and bottom portions. There are only two hinges in total.

The joints are stiff but easy to open and close. Once the stand is set up, it won't sag or fold shut under the phone's weight.

The iPhone pad aligns with the magnets used for MagSafe accessories. It isn't certified MagSafe, so it will only charge the iPhone at 7.5W.

The Apple Watch charger is white plastic and rated at 5W. That means any Apple Watch Series 7 or newer (excluding Apple Watch SE) can charge to 80% in 45 minutes.

The X40's base has a Qi charging pad capable of wirelessly charging AirPods. It outputs 5W.

Get the Kuxiu X40

Kuxiu foldable magnetic wireless chargers review: X55 design and features

The X55 is built with lightweight, eco-friendly plastic. It is available in black, gray, or white.

Folded up, the X55 is 30 millimeters thick, or about 1.18 inches. Unfolded, it's about 135 millimeters or 5.31 inches tall.

The X55 weighs 145 grams or 5.1 ounces.

It is primarily plastic with rubbery material on the bottom portions. There is a hinge on each plate, which means there's a total of four hinges.

The lighter material and higher number of hinges make the X55 easy to maneuver. When positioned correctly, it won't easily topple.

The X55 has identical specs to the X40. Magnets align and charge the iPhone at 7.5W, the Apple Watch gets a 5W fast charge, and AirPods get 5W.

Unlike the X40, which has its USB-C port and LED in the rear, the X55 has them on the side.

Get the Kuxiu X55

Kuxiu foldable magnetic wireless chargers review: X58 design and features

The X58 is a smaller 2-in-1 charger made from CNC-machined aluminum alloy. It is available in silver and gray.

Folded up, the X58 is 18 millimeters thick, or about 0.71 inches. It has a standing-up mode, which is about 70 millimeters or 2.76 inches.

The X58 weighs 180 grams or 6.35 ounces.

It is mostly aluminum with a rubbery pad where the iPhone goes, plus a rubber bottom on each piece. It's primarily designed to be used open and flat but can charge one device while folded.

There is a hinge on either side so that it can be positioned easily. If used for StandBy mode, the USB-C charger is in the air instead of on the ground where the Apple Watch charger is.

The X58 has specs identical to the other chargers but without the AirPods pad. Magnets align and charge the iPhone at 7.5W, and the Apple Watch gets a 5W fast charger.

There are a lot of oddities with this charger, but more on that later.

Get the Kuxiu X58

Using the Kuxiu foldable magnetic wireless chargers

The X40 and X55 chargers operate identically — there's just a difference in materials and USB-C port positioning. Customers have a simple choice between more expensive with better materials or cheaper with more maneuverability.

The X40 has stiffer joints with fewer positioning options since it only has two hinges. However, getting the right angle for either charger to stand properly can be trial and error.

The middle portion of the body isn't meant to stand straight. Instead, it needs to be angled enough to counterbalance the iPhone's weight while leaving space for the AirPods to sit below.

Once positioned correctly, gentle taps and swipes won't topple either charger. However, the base really should have been made heavier to prevent the chance of toppling.

We'd love to see snapping points in the hinges in future models. That would take the guesswork out of positioning each segment to prevent toppling.

The X55 is cheaper and made from plastic but has a less desirable USB-C port position. The cable juts out of the side, which leaves a less clean look than the X45.

Beyond those nitpicky details, these travel chargers are excellent. They are compact when folded and create a great StandBy-compatible stand when in use.

X58 and odd design choices

Then there's the X58. This oddball charger has many compromising design decisions we're not sure about.

First, the charger is great if you just unfold it and use it as a flat-lay charger. Set the iPhone or AirPods on one charger and the Apple Watch on the other. Simple.

However, Kuxiu suggests other charging options. If the X58 is used for StandBy mode, the charging cable is plugged into the portion sticking into the air and the Apple Watch charger is left unusable face down.

Ignoring the StandBy use case for X58, it's a decent minimalist stand. It's the smallest of the three and can charge all three devices, though just two at a time.

We could easily see using the 5W Apple Watch fast charger for a quick top-up before bed, with AirPods on the other side. Then, since we sleep with the Apple Watch on, flip the charger over into StandBy mode and set the iPhone down.

The X58 would be our go-to option if it weren't for the odd USB-C port placement.

What's in the box

We rarely discuss what comes in the box, especially for products like these, because it's usually uninteresting or obvious. If you're lucky, it's usually a cable and maybe a power adapter.

However, Kuxiu included something else. For some reason, these chargers come with a rubber, hard-shell zipper case.

These zipper cases are small and barely have space to hold the included stand, power adapter, and cable. Customers aren't going to use them for anything else.

These cases feel like wasted space that undermines the entire point of the product. We will stuff the X40 or others into a small pouch in our backpack, not put it inside a bespoke case that's giant by comparison at six inches by four inches.

This might seem silly to be hung up about, but Kuxiu shipping near-useless cases that people will likely just lose or discard seems wasteful. It also adds bulk and weight to the packaging, reducing the number that can be shipped per volume.

It's not a ding on the product itself, just an odd choice. If Apple is pushing for more green packaging, fans will likely gravitate towards accessory makers that do the same.

Fold-up travel power

Regardless of which you choose, the Kuxiu travel chargers are all great options. However, we'd recommend waiting on X58 to get an update to see if the design quirks are addressed.

The X40 and X55 chargers fold small to fit in a bag and expand into great StandBy-ready chargers. We're definitely going to be taking the X40 with us on future trips.

Kuxiu foldable magnetic wireless chargers - Pros

• Foldable, compact
• Good tradeoffs between models, like price or materials
• StandBy in a travel charger
• Apple Watch fast charging

Kuxiu foldable magnetic wireless chargers - Cons

• Needs more weight in the bottom of X40 and X55
• Hinges could use snap-in positions for easy setup
• X58 is a design oddball with USB-C port placement and upside-down Apple Watch charger in StandBy mode
• Giant carrying case is unnecessary for travel chargers

Rating: 4 out of 5 (overall)

We're confident in giving all three chargers a 4 since they fit that score for their individual use case and price points. Customers have three great chargers to choose from that get the job done.

The X40 is the closest to a 4.5 or better. If it had snap-to positions in the hinges, was certified MagSafe, and didn't topple easily, we'd score it higher.

The X58 is closer to a 3.5 because of its odd design decisions. However, it's still a good option if those aren't an issue and you fit the use case we described above.

Where to buy the Kuxiu foldable magnetic wireless chargers

Don't forget, use the code APPLEINSIDER on the Kuxiu website to get 10% off.

The X40 is available from the Kuxiu website for $89.99, discounted to $59.95 for Black Friday. It is also on Amazon for $55.98.

The X55 is available from the Kuxiu website for $59.99, discounted to $39.99 for Black Friday. It is also on Amazon for $39.99.

The X58 is available from the Kuxiu website for $59.99, discounted to $45.99 for Black Friday.