Price: $99.99 Editor’s rating: 🌝 🌝 🌝 🌝
Sleek design which saves up space on the table The base charging pad doubles as a smartphone charger Can charge all three devices from 0-100% within 2.5 hours
Not MFi Certified, leading to slower charging speeds The power adaptor is not included in the box
We’ve been reviewing Twelve South products at iGeeksBlog for a while now, and they never disappoint. More often than not, they also solve some design issues that plague Apple products. One such product I remember reviewing is the Twelve South Stone’r which eliminates the hassle of getting the MagSafe charger off your iPhone. I recommend the Stone’r to this day if you want a companion product for your MagSafe charger. However, I have mixed feelings about the HiRise 3 Wireless Charging Stand. It has a subtle yet alluring design which I’m head over heels for, but the charging speeds aren’t as fast as I would like them to be — emphasis on “I” here because not everyone wants super fast charging speeds. Read along to find out if the HiRise 3 Wireless Charging Stand fits your needs and if you should get one.
Build and design
The moment I took the HiRise 3 Wireless Charging Stand out of the box, I fell in love with its design. It comes in a matte black shade which is very subtle, and apart from the rod that holds the floating charging pad, the product has a rubbery texture throughout, which does not shine one bit. An outstanding feature of products that come in a matte finish is that they do not reflect light as much as their glossy counterparts. Apart from the color, what adds to the product’s beauty is its sleek build, as the base only takes 12 x 8 cm of space on the table while charging three devices in one go.
Floating pads
The floating pads house the Apple Watch and the iPhone charging pads. The Apple Watch charging pad protrudes, which helps locate the area you need to rest your Apple Watch. Now, the iPhone charging pad is at a 60-70 degree angle which improves the visibility of the iPhone screen when mounted on the stand. Unlike other magnetic chargers, the HiRise 3 Wireless Charging Stand does not have a magnetic coil. Instead of the standard 55mm coils found on most other magnetic chargers, the HiRise 3 Wireless Charging Stand has a 92 x 33 mm wide magnetic pad. This ensures stability so that you do not accidentally drop your iPhone when trying to hit snooze on the alarm.
Base
The base can not only charge your AirPods, but it also doubles as a wireless charger for any other smartphone or accessory. So, if you use wireless earbuds from some other brand or have a secondary smartphone, you can wirelessly charge them on the same device. There are no markings on the base to highlight the wireless charging pad, which is inconvenient. But there is a Twelve South logo engraved on the base. That is precisely where you need to keep your AirPods to charge them. It acts as a reference point, and I think the designers made this choice to preserve the minimalist design of the product. Lastly, the USB type C power input port is at the back of the base. Four soft feet come with pre-applied glue stickers. Just peel these stickers off and place the stand on your table, and it will sit there firmly and not wobble when you take off your iPhone.
Utility
We unraveled a lot about the design of the HiRise 3 Wireless Charging Stand, but what about its wireless charging abilities? Firstly, as the name suggests, it is a 3-in-1 wireless charger and can charge three devices simultaneously, and here are the wireless charging speeds it offers:
Main iPhone Charger: 10W Base AirPods/Smartphone Charger: 5W Apple Watch charger: 3W
Right off the bat, the first thing you will notice if you’re familiar with Apple accessories is that the HiRise 3 Wireless Charging Stand is not MFi certified. It is both a boon and a bane. Not going for an Apple certification allows companies to design the product as they wish. Hence, the HiRise 3 Wireless Charging Stand sports a sleek design. However, it offers marginally slower speeds than MFi or Made for MagSafe-certified accessories. Based on my tests, I can say that the main iPhone charger performs like most other 7.5W wireless chargers. It will take around 2 to 2.5 hours to charge your device entirely. The initial run to 50% is comparatively fast, after which the speeds gradually slow. Did you notice how I mentioned 7.5W and not 10W? That is because while iOS does support Qi wireless charging (Qi is a universal charging standard), the speeds are limited to 7.5W. Only MagSafe or MFi-certified accessories can offer wireless charging speeds of up to 15W. Also, the Apple Watch charger is limited to 3W, and most of the recent Apple Watches support fast wireless charging of up to 5W. The base charging pad offers a speed of 5W, and I have no complaints about it. The HiRise 3 Wireless Charging Stand is not a slow charger by any means. Furthermore, Twelve South does advertise the device to be your bedside companion. This implies that you will be charging your devices overnight, and when you do that, would charging your device as quickly as possible while you sleep matter? I do not think so.
Should you buy the HiRise 3 Wireless Charging Stand?
I believe most tech products these days are not downright bad. Instead, the portfolio of products is so diversified that the use cases are subjective, and every product caters to a specific audience. If you want something reliable that doesn’t hog all the space on your table, you should get the HiRise Wireless Charging Stand. It will help you get rid of all the cables and their adapters. You don’t need to worry about dropping your iPhone while trying to hit snooze on the alarm or answer a call when attached to the charging pad, as the magnets are super strong. Lastly, if convenience matters more to you than speed, you’ll be pretty happy with HiRise 3 Wireless Charging Stand.
