Mophie adds wireless charging to the AirPods Max with a clever new stand

Mophie has announced a new wireless charger for Apple’s AirPods Max called the Max Headphones Charging Stand. The AirPods Max don’t support wireless charging, so Mophie’s new stand relies on a small dongle that stays connected to the headphones’ USB-C port at all times. When docked in the stand, the dongle magnetically aligns and connects to charging pins that deliver power to the battery while additional magnets in the cradle put the headphones into sleep mode.

The Max Headphones Charging Stand is available now through Mophie’s online store for $150, and includes a dongle compatible with the USB-C version of the AirPods Max that Apple introduced a year ago. The company currently has no plans to introduce a Lightning connector version of the dongle that would make the stand compatible with older versions of the AirPods Max.

The stand features a weighted base made from anodized aluminum, while the cradle that supports the AirPods Max earcups is made from soft-touch silicone so it won’t scratch the headphones’ finish.

Although it’s a more convenient way to keep the AirPods Max charged when not in use (they only go into their battery-saving sleep mode when placed in their case) the stand is another accessory demanding precious desktop real estate. To help further justify the splurge, Mophie includes a second Qi-compatible pad on the base for wirelessly charging your AirPods earbuds or a smartphone, but there’s no mention of Qi2.2 or even Qi2 support, so don’t expect fast charging speeds or the convenience of magnets there.