REVIEW – Every night before going to sleep, my wife recharges her iPhone and her Apple Watch. She reaches over to her nightstand, finds the lightning cable and connects it to her phone, and then finds the magnetic charging cable and connects it to the watch. It seems like there should be an easier way to charge them—admittedly a first-world problem—and there is! The solution is to use a wireless charging stand, like the HiRise 3 from Twelve South.
What is it?
The Twelve South HiRise 3 is a wireless charging stand that can simultaneously and wirelessly charge an iPhone, an Apple Watch, and a set of AirPods. It comes in a slim form factor that is ideal for limited space locations, such as a nightstand. 12 South is a small American company based in South Carolina that “has been designing beautiful Apple-inspired accessories since 2009.”
What’s in the box?
- Twelve South HiRise 3 charging stand
- USB-C to USB-C cable
- Owner’s guide
The Twelve South HiRise 3 charging stand requires a 20-watt power adapter, which is not included. For this review, Twelve South sent me a PlugBug Slim, an ultra-thin USB-C wall charger. It’s the perfect companion for the HiRise 3, if you don’t already have a spare adapter.
Hardware specs
- Dimensions: 6.5 inches high x 3.4 wide x 4.8 deep
- Weight: 0.7 lbs
- USB cable length: 59 inches
- Required power adapter: 20 watts
- Phone charger: 10 watts, supports iPhone 12 and 13
- Base charger: 5 watts, supports AirPods Pro, AirPods 3, and AirPods in the wireless charging case, also supports any phone with wireless charging
- Watch charger: 3 watts, supports all Apple Watches
- Time to charge: 3 devices from 0 to 100% is approximately 150 minutes, depending upon the exact models
- Colors: Matte white or black
- Wireless charging: Supports MagSafe or non-MagSafe
Design and features
At a basic level, the design of the Twelve South HiRise 3 charging stand is similar to other 3-in-1 wireless charging stands. It’s a three-dimensional construct with places for an iPhone, an Apple Watch, and an AirPods case to all charge wirelessly. The HiRise 3 is distinctive, however, in having a slim footprint that takes up a minimal amount of space and a very slick yet austere appearance that looks as if it could have been designed by Apple. As an Apple fan, I appreciate the design.
Installation and setup
The Twelve South HiRise 3 charging stand arrived in a sturdy box and was well-protected with custom inserts. There’s not much to set up except for removing everything from its packaging and plugging in the cable.
This stand requires a 20-watt adapter, so I used the PlugBug Slim that 12 South graciously included. If you don’t already have a spare adapter, I recommend this adapter to you, as its aesthetics match the HiRise 3, and its slim form factor easily fits behind a nightstand or a dresser.
Performance
The Twelve South HiRise 3 charging stand is elevated above the base and sits at an angle. It’s intended to make it easy to see notifications at a glance. The surface is magnetic, but we found that it wasn’t powerful enough to hold our phones in place while they were in their cases.
The secret to using this charger is to have a MagSafe-compatible case, so we promptly went to Amazon and purchased this new case for my wife’s iPhone 13. This has an inner case that’s just for the phone and an outer case that includes slots for credit cards. The inner case is held in place with magnets, so it can be pulled out of the outer case and used on its own, and this inner case is held firmly in place by the HiRes 3 and charged perfectly.
The base charger is built into the horizontal base of the stand. It’s intended to work with AirPods, but we don’t have any AirPods in our house. My wife could use this to charge her iPhone in a non-MagSafe compatible case, or she could use it to charge a second iPhone, like mine, if she wanted. I appreciate this extra flexibility that 12 South has added to their charging stand.
The watch charger sits behind the phone charger. It’s intended to work with all Apple Watches, and it works great with my wife’s Series 6.
After testing the Twelve South HiRise 3 charging stand for a few weeks, we have nothing but praise for it. It does one thing, charge Apple devices, and it does it very well.
What I like
- Small footprint
- Simple, clean design
- Charges an iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch simultaneously
What I’d change
- Nothing
Final thoughts
The Twelve South HiRise 3 charging stand is a 3-in-1 wireless charging stand for iPhones, AirPods, and Apple Watches. Its slim form is perfect on a nightstand or anywhere else with limited space, and its look-and-feel is Apple-ish. We found that it worked perfectly for my wife’s iPhone 13, after we bought it a MagSafe-compatible case, and her Series 6 Apple Watch. Both of us like this gadget, and we heartily recommend it to you. (And if you need an adapter, since one doesn’t come with the HiRise 3, we also recommend the PlugBug Slim as well.)
Price: $99.99 for the stand, and $24.99 for the adapter
Where to buy: Amazon or Twelve South’s online store (and the adapter)
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Twelve South.
