HiRise Wireless charger is a useful work of art [Review]

The HiRise Wireless manages a rare feat: it’s both useful and attractive. This charger holds your iPhone up at an angle where the screen can be easily seen. And a removable core allows this accessory to be used while traveling. Just as importantly, the base unit would look at home on any CEO’s desk.

Find out if this is the wireless charger you’ve been looking for in our hands-on review — and bag yours for 20% less in the Cult of Mac Store’s Black Friday sale.

Twelve South HiRise Wireless review

Too many wireless chargers are lumpish flat plates that would add nothing to the decor of your office. This one’s different. If a phone charger can be sexy, then the HiRise Wireless is sexy.

The edges of this accessory have the same curved, dark chrome look of a Space Grey iPhone XS. The corners all match an Apple handset as well. All in all, this wireless charger looks like something Jony Ive made.

The base is 3.75 inches square. Rising above this is backstand that’s 4.75 in. tall and 2.5 in. at its widest. Most of the base and backstand are metal, in some places overlaid with black plastic.

HiRise Wireless weighs in at 1 pound so it provides a firm stand to hold your iPhone (or Android). The backstand leans at a 105 degree angle, which is apparently just right — in our testing, an iPhone XS Max never slid off.

With the phone’s screen held upright, it’s available to check messages, screen calls, whatever you need. The handset is far more useful than when lying flat. But you’ll need to be careful that the phone is really resting flat against the backstand. Otherwise it won’t charge.

As useful as this accessory is, it has a significant limitation. HiRise Wireless can only charge handsets in portrait mode. If an iPhone or other device is in landscape mode and set against the stand, the charging coils won’t line up.

There’s a USB Type-C port on one end of the central charging disc. Twelve South provides a USB-C to USB-A cable but not a wall adapter. Be sure to get a powerful one, as Apple’s dinky 5W adapter won’t give this charger the current it needs to perform at its best.

Travel mode

The Qi-compatible charging disc normally held in the HiRise Wireless’ backstand is removable, converting it into a travel wireless charger. It pops out easily, and goes back in without much hassle.

Obviously, on the road it has to lie flat. But it’s nice to not have to give up wireless charging on trips.

Alternatively, the charger can be taken out of the stand to power up the new Wireless Charging Case for AirPods. That said, taking the charging disc out of its angled stand then putting it back in again later isn’t so easy that you’ll want it to be the only option to charge your AirPods.

HiRise Wireless performance

Twelve South designed this charger to provide up to 10W of wireless charging. Apple limits its device to 7.5W, though.

In our tests, the HiRise Wireless was able to give an iPhone XS Max a roughly 10% charge in 20 minutes. Testing with a variety of chargers in the past has shown that this is the standard rate for a 7.5W charger.

Wireless power transfer works fine through relatively thin cases.

Twelve South HiRise Wireless final thoughts

The HiRise Wireless is both beautiful and professional looking — that’s a lot to say for something that just sits on a desk, but Twelve South pulled it off. This iPhone charger is also quite useful, both at home and on the road.

It’s limited to charging handsets when they’re in portrait mode, however.

Pricing

The official price for HiRise Wireless is $79.99. That’s a lot more than typical wireless chargers, but this is a premium product. And for a limited time only, you can bag yours from the Cult of Mac Store for just $63.99.

Competitors

For comparison,the Logitech Powered Wireless Charger uses a similar design but is able send power to a handset in portrait  or landscape mode. This rival doesn’t look anywhere near a stylish though. It sells for $69.99.

The Satechi Wireless Charger V2 is a flat desktop charger that also looks stylish — it goes for $44.99. Or there’s the Choetech Dual Wireless Fast Charger, which can charge two devices at once for $42.49.

Twelve South provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out more stuff we recommend.