Twelve South Launches 'Forte' MagSafe Charger Stand

[Scipster]

So cool! Now this is what I imagine the future of MagSafe will look like! A stand/charger that stays put as you pull the iPhone away. Hoping they make an integrated stand/charger in the future.

 

[Zimmy68]

The vast majority use phone in a case which makes all these accessories near worthless as the magnets though the case are not strong enough.

Except for MagSafe compatible Apple cases of course.

 

[ryanasimov]

I have to ask again, why is this preferable to a stand/easel type of charger? The issue of needing magnets to properly align the phone to the charger is a non-issue in the 3 years I've owned an Anker charging stand; I can place and lift the phone with one hand and don't need to perform any gyrations to get the phone to disengage.

 

[Rocko99991]

Except for MagSafe compatible Apple cases of course.

Not strong enough still.

 

[gaximus]

Lucky for them, that is not their problem. Cable management is the user's issue.
What a country!

What does that have to do with the country? There are plenty of products with good cable management.

 

[macdisciple]

Now if Apple could finally release a MagSafe charger with a longer cable, then we could actually put all these nice stands into the places we would like to put them. 😤

I'd like a shorter cable!

 

[The Barron]

You will love it trust me I have a few and it’s great

Did you get them for free due to testing or writing a review? Full disclosure here, please. TIA

 

[JosephAW]

Valdi Aabev, more life?
Reminds me of music by Nigel Stanford

 

[bluespark]

The brilliant part about qi is that the charger doesn't have to be heavy because there no mechanical adherence.

Qi is superior for a charging stand. The Magsafe puck is cool if you need to charge and talk on the phone. A magsafe stand makes no sense to me.

Qi charges much slower and with much more power loss. The main point of MagSafe was to address those issues.

 

[usagora]

I've been using these, and they work GREAT and look and feel like something Apple would design:

Also, this is a really nice car air vent magnetic mount that attaches very securely (unlike some others with a vertical clamping design) (no, it doesn't glow blue like shown in the pic and there's no integrated charging).

 

[rafark]

That’s super cool!

 

[TheWatchfulOne]

yep $40 sounds too much for a stand.

Luke: $40??? We could almost buy our own ship for that!
Han: But who's gonna fly it, kid? You?
Luke: You bet I could, I'm not such a bad pilot...

 

[visualseed]

I like the fact that more companies are realizing that with MagSafe, it’s more functional to have a stand than it is a flat desk puck-style charger, whether it’s for desk use or bedside table. But as others have noted, the pricing for this 12 South stand is ridiculous. I understand that they have to build in multiple layers of margin in order to be able to sell these things into wholesale and retail, but they’re going to disappoint both consumers and retailers when people find knock-off versions for half the price.

For the price of this, I can buy an official Apple MagSafe charger and a cheap stand that looks better and is probably functionally on par with the 12 South stand. I'm not saying they don't make a quality product, it's just not an area that requires a premium-priced product with negligible benefits over cheaper ones. 12 South isn't exactly a luxury brand, anyway. If this were a Porsche Design or first party Apple product, then maybe paying a premium would be acceptable.

 

[DeepIn2U]

I got something exactly the same from amazon in stainless steel for £15.99 so this is not worth the money

But you’re still paying extra for the MagSafe itself. Both to me kills the point

 

[sdz]

Wow, that's LOUD.

stupid "happy" music.

 

[jmgregory1]

For the price of this, I can buy an official Apple MagSafe charger and a cheap stand that looks better and is probably functionally on par with the 12 South stand. I'm not saying they don't make a quality product, it's just not an area that requires a premium-priced product with negligible benefits over cheaper ones. 12 South isn't exactly a luxury brand, anyway. If this were a Porsche Design or first party Apple product, then maybe paying a premium would be acceptable.

Totally agree. It would be great to see some higher end MagSafe stands designed with unique metals, woods or engineering, instead of the typical desktop class stuff that everyone seems focused on.

 

[jwhite9185]

Funnily enough, I made something similar from a 12South Apple Watch stand that I was no longer using. Works reasonably well.

 

[james948]

In the first one posted that has the video (the Amazon one) you can see it wobble in the video when she puts it down.

also at no point can you see them pick it up I assume bc the stand comes with it.
Id pay for the 12 south one if it was heavy.

 

[Jay42]

Qi charges much slower and with much more power loss. The main point of MagSafe was to address those issues.

True, but I'd rather charge via Qi at 7.5 watts and not have to rip my phone off the stand every time I respond to a text message.

I think magsafe's true purpose in life is prepare for an eventual port-less iPhone. I just hope they keep the Qi standard charging ability.

 

[Kylo83]

In the first one posted that has the video (the Amazon one) you can see it wobble in the video when she puts it down.

also at no point can you see them pick it up I assume bc the stand comes with it.
Id pay for the 12 south one if it was heavy.

I use double sided tape and it doesn’t move they are all gonna move a bit but it’s easy to fix it

 

[bluespark]

True, but I'd rather charge via Qi at 7.5 watts and not have to rip my phone off the stand every time I respond to a text message.

I think magsafe's true purpose in life is prepare for an eventual port-less iPhone. I just hope they keep the Qi standard charging ability.

Fair enough. My comments were addressed to your earlier statement that "Qi is superior for a charging stand."

 

[iSayuSay]

Another useless piece of plastic junk that requires you to buy the puck separately. For $40 they really could include the Magsafe, and the USB-C brick. What’s with accessory maker selling halfway products?

What’s next? They may sell you a Lightning cable without the Lightning tip?

 

[MedRed]

I bought this one. Compact, hides the cable, and I can change the height and angle of how it holds the iPhone. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NVZ4M15?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

 

[ZipZap]

I just wanted to say that I was stupid enough to buy one of the 12 South stands. They are junk. Almost no thought put into cable management. The neck and platform are cheap plastic. The base is enamel coat something. Can't even rotate. For $40, they are worse then what you can find on Amazon. Back they go.

 

[b11051973]

Expensive, but I ordered one. I have a Magsafe charger, that I don't really use. It is slightly annoying putting the charger on and off. I think I'll like it a lot more on this stand.

Just got mine delivered from Apple's online store.

Comes with a very heavy base plate. I like that, because the thing feels solid, and hopefully won't slide all over my desk.

Also, it is a very tight fit getting the Magsafe charger into the thing. This too I think is good, because you're not going to pull the charger out of the stand from just pulling the phone off the charger.

Played around with the swivel, and that feels solid too. We'll have to see how that holds up with time.

Only complaint is you have to screw the arm to the base plate, and I wasn't very confident I was doing it right. Wish it had come pre-assembled, but I understand that would mean a bigger box.

I know people were pooping on the price, but I'm not sure you could make something like this for $10.