Twelve South ButterFly 2-in-1 Charger Review: MagSafe For Traveling

Twelve South doesn’t label its new ButterFly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger as a travel accessory, and you can use it at home, but it is, in fact, a device meant to pack away and travel with. It’s great because the petite iPhone and Apple Watch charger bends, tilts, and snaps together, all in the name of functional portability.

The ButterFly 2-in-1 Charger Is Perfectly Small

Out of the box, the ButterFly charger looks, and nearly feels, like a yo-yo. It’s close enough in size, and the circular shape with the two halves gives it the impression of that toy. If not a yo-yo, it looks like a pocket watch or macaroon. Of course, its matte metal finish keeps it from appearing too much like food.

The metal exterior is a premium touch. The vegan leather strap holding the two parts together and the faux leather interior finishes also raise the elegance of the accessory.

At first glance, the surrounding metal appears obvious, but the moment the device is flipped around and the two metal pieces touch, it’s debatable whether it is the smartest choice. Make no mistake, the two parts are meant to touch, too. There are instructions for using the ButterFly in multiple orientations and there are magnets that join the metal parts together.

When the metal touches, however, the premium allusion dissipates. It’s not quite nails on a chalkboard, but the sound and feel aren’t ideal. This leads to one of my minor complaints that neither the interior magnet nor the one on the back is quite strong enough.

The outside magnet can stick the two pieces together, but they still slide around easily. The inside one doesn’t seem strong enough or precisely positioned enough to get the two circles aligned perfectly when closing the ButterFly.

All of this is a bit nitpicky, of course, but its $129.95 retail price demands more scrutiny.

To help offset some of the cost, the ButterFly charger comes with a 30W USB-C charger, a braided USB-C cable, and international wall adapters. It’s certainly a nice touch, but I’ll only be adding the cable to my collection. The power adapter isn’t huge, but it is still nearly the same volume as the ButterFly itself. And the international adapters seem like a waste all around. (Anyone willing to buy a $130 charger probably already has an international plug solution.)

Practical For Packing Compared to Other Products

The ButterFly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger is an obvious coup to take over the void left by Apple’s discontinued MagSafe Duo. It’s not uncommon for Apple to release charging accessories mid-cycle, however, so whether Apple will revive the old Duo with a USB-C port is still up in the air.

As it stands, if you already have and use a MagSafe Duo, I probably wouldn’t trade it in for this ButterFly charger. Apple’s charger is just so thin and well-constructed. Twelve South’s charger does fast-charge an Apple Watch and uses USB-C, which I liked, but those aren’t absolutely critical for this type of nightstand product.

The ButterFly charger does get my recommendation over the Mophie 3-in-1 charger. In this case, Twelve South’s product is smaller and less expensive. It doesn’t have a third charging spot, but I’m not convinced it’s needed.

AirPods can be powered on the iPhone spot or, if you have AirPods Pro 2, can be charged on the Apple Watch charger.

The leather-like strap connecting the two halves allows the charger to be folded and used in four specific ways: flat with two devices, watch only, phone only, or iPhone horizontal for StandBy mode.

When each device is charging by itself, the other side is folded underneath, facedown. I can’t think of times when I would only want to charge my watch, but using it for an iPhone without having the watch portion spread out is a nice touch.

Using the ButterFly horizontally for StandBy mode felt like a little bit of a hack, especially because the watch charger on the back is much less ideal. Still, I like that it’s even a possibility.

Price and Availability

The ButterFly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger is available now, directly from Twelve South and Apple. It has been back ordered at Apple until early February, but more supply should be available in 2024.

Should You Buy the Twelve South ButterFly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger?

I love finding ways to keep all my devices powered on the road while keeping a minimally packed bag. The Twelve South ButterFly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger is a worthy travel accessory for this reason.

It’s cleverly designed to accommodate an iPhone and Apple Watch in multiple positions. It has some quirks, but its primary drawback is its $129.95 price tag. The cost seems to cause most people to flinch and question whether they need the device to travel with.

I agree that the value is not ideal here. Other options can accomplish similar things for much cheaper. But the product itself performs well with only minor cosmetic distractions. So, if your budget is flexible or you travel enough to justify it, then the ButterFly is a solid product.

Twelve South Butterfly 2-in-1 USB-C MagSafe Wireless Charger

Charge your iPhone and Apple Watch together with ButterFly, the world’s smallest 2-in-1 USB-C MagSafe charger.

Speed

15W/5W

Dimensions

0.9 x 2.4 x 2.4in (2.35 x 6 x 6mm)

Weight

4.2oz (119g)

Adapter included

30W