Twelve South HiRise 3 Wireless Charging Stand 2022 REVIEW

The HiRise 3 is a stunning 3-in-1 charging stand for iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods

It’s no secret that Twelve South has been one of my favorite companies for years. I’ve always appreciated their attention to detail and that they are Mac only. Everything from their packaging to user experience exudes quality and Twelve South has always been a “go-to” company for me whenever I want an accessory for one of my Apple devices.

The company was started in 2009 by husband and wife team, Leigh Ann and Andrew Green, with the mission to provide “thoughtfully designed accessories, worthy of the iconic products they accompany (Kiplinger’s Magazine “How to Make a Million” – Reposted on Twelve South Blog).” Some of the first products we reviewed here on Mac Sources were from Twelve South and many of those products are still in use today.

For a while, I’ve been using the Belkin 3-in-1 Wireless Charger with MagSafe as the primary charger on my desk. It works just fine, but I really wanted something with a sleeker, more streamlined design to clean up the look of my desktop. Fortunately, Twelve South just released a 3-in-1 charger of their own – the HiRise 3 Wireless Charging Stand.

About HiRise 3 Wireless Charging Stand

If you are a fan of Twelve South, you will no doubt recognize the name “HiRise” as it’s been a part of the nomenclature of at least eight of Twelve South’s products in the past 10 years. The first of these products was the HiRise for iMac which was launched in September 2012. The HiRise 3 joins the HiRise Pro (for iMac, iMac Pro, or external displays) and HiRise for MacBook in the current HiRise product lineup.

HiRise 3 is aptly named because it’s a 3-in-1 charger. The stand can simultaneously charge the iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch. It has a compact profile and its design has the charging elements line up perfectly so that all you see is the phone. HiRise 3 features an elevated magnetic stand that holds MagSafe-compatible iPhones upright for easy viewing.

Twelve South recommends using a 20W power adapter (minimum) that is USB-C compatible (not included) and states that all three devices can be charged from 0 to 100% in approximately 150 minutes (based on iPhone 13 Pro, Apple Watch Series 7, and AirPods Pro). Twelve South states that the iPhone will charge with the thin shell cases on the wireless charging base, but that a MagSafe case will need to be used on a MagSafe iPhone in order to charge on the magnetic charging pad.

Main Features

• Compact Footprint – HiRise 3 only uses one cable and one outlet. Plus, it has a slim design so it instantly cleans up and clears off your cluttered nightstand or desktop.
• Sleek, Beautiful Design – The stand features a graphic-free, minimalist design so that it virtually disappears and the focus is on the devices and the function of the charger.
• Vertical Phone Support – The front pad that holds the phone is 82% larger than puck chargers. So, the iPhone is well-supported and it’s easy to tap the screen, view notifications, or hit snooze while it’s charging.
• Multi-purpose Base Charger – While the wireless base is marketed as a spot for the AirPods to charge, this base charger can charge any Qi-enabled device. That means you can charge a second iPhone there if you wish.

Specs

• Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.8 x 3.4 inches (H x D x W)
• Weight: 0.7 lb.
• Cable Length: 59 inches

Compatibility

• HiRise 3 Magnetic Wireless charger (10w): ALL iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models (incl mini/Pro/Pro Max); AirPods Pro with MagSafe Charging Case
• HiRise 3 Base wireless charger (5w): AirPods Pro / AirPods 3 / AirPods with Wireless Charging Case; ALL iPhones and smartphones with wireless charging capability
• Apple Watch wireless charger (3w): All Apple Watch models (incl Series 1-7 and SE)

What’s in the Box

• HiRise 3, 3-in-1 Wireless Charger
• 5-foot/1.5m USB-C Power Cable
• Owner’s Manual

UNBOXING – USER EXPERIENCE

As always, the packaging from Twelve South stands out. It is well-made, protects the product and if you were to see it on a shelf, you would know what you are getting on the inside. The box of the HiRise 3 has all the details of the product included in order for someone to make an informed buying decision.

When I first unboxed the HiRise 3 I noticed it did not come with a power brick. This was disappointing to me because I feel that any product that requires a specific power adapter to achieve its full charging rate should come equipped with it. The specs suggest using at least a 20W power adapter so that each of the charging areas gets its full charge.

The Magnetic Wireless Charger can charge an iPhone up to 10W as long as it’s connected with a 20W power adapter. If you don’t use a 20W charger, you won’t get the full charging rate for any of the connected devices. So, if you don’t already have a 20W power adapter, you’ll have to purchase one.

On the other hand, I do appreciate Twelve South eliminating a power brick from their package. Apple has done this as well in an effort to reduce digital waste. It’s a catch-22 in my opinion. It’s good for the environment but a hassle and added expense if you don’t already have a power adapter available.

The next thing I noticed was the color of the HiRise 3. It’s mainly white with some light gray accents. The color combo reminds me of the White iPad Pro-Magic Keyboard case. The soft lining on that case is a light gray just like the accent color on the stand. So, I think the color contrast on the stand is perfect. It makes the white AirPods straight up stand out on the stand.

Speaking of the AirPods, I noticed that there is no indentation on the stand base like many 3-in-1 chargers have. I typically like that this indentation is included because it lets you know exactly where the AirPod case needs to rest to charge. In this case, however, Twelve South purposely left this feature off so that the charging base can be used for iPhones as well. Fortunately, the Twelve South logo points out the spot where the AirPods charging area is.

I did run a set of charge testing with the stand. Over the course of 30 minutes, I charged an iPhone 12 Pro, AirPods Pro, and a Series 6 Apple Watch. The results are shown in the table below.

The stand is extremely well-built and the curved bottom of the base helps it to blend into my desk setup perfectly. The magnet that holds the iPhone in place is super strong and in fact, I find pulling my iPhone 13 Pro off the stand sometimes causes me to move the stand. I would have liked to see the base be a bit heavier to keep the stand in place when removing the phone.

CONCLUSION

You can’t go wrong when picking up the HiRise 3 from Twelve South. It’s an elegant charging stand that hides the Apple Watch when charging and keeps your desk looking tidy. It’s priced competitively against other 3-in-1 chargers and is actually under $100 whereas many other name-brand chargers with similar features are well over that price point.

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