AUKEY 60W Desktop Charging Station vs. AUKEY 46W USB-C Wall Charger: Which should you buy?

AUKEY 60W Desktop Charging Station

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 60W Desktop Charging Station

Triple threat

Reasons to buy

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

Reasons to avoid

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

AUKEY 46W USB-C Wall Charger

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.

AUKEY 46W USB-C Wall Charger

Wide wall hugger

Reasons to buy

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

Reasons to avoid

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

Double down on a triple threat

Plug up, even in a tight spot

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.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Header Cell - Column 0 AUKEY 60W Desktop Charging StationAUKEY 46W USB-C Wall Charger
USB-C ports1, 60W maximum output1, 46W maximum output
USB-A ports2, 5V/2.4A max output each1, 5V/2.1A max output
Total power output72W56.5W
Charging standardsPower Delivery 3.0, AiPowerPower Delivery 3.0
Power Delivery output5V — 3A, 9V — 3A, 12V — 3A, 15V — 3A, 20V — 3A5V — 3A, 9V — 3A, 12V — 3A, 15V — 3A, 20V — 2.3A
AC plug designDetachable power cordFold-out AC plug
Weight218g / 7.7 oz136g / 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.

Ara Wagoner

Ara Wagoner was a staff writer at Android Central. She themes phones and pokes YouTube Music with a stick. When she's not writing about cases, Chromebooks, or customization, she's wandering around Walt Disney World. If you see her without headphones, RUN. You can follow her on Twitter at @arawagco.