Nomad is famous for making some of the best premium accessories you can get for Apple products, from amazing bands for the Apple Watch to high-quality leather cases for the iPhone. But the company’s products don’t stop at adding style and protection to your devices. They’re also happy to juice them back up, which is where the Nomad Stand comes into play.
The Stand, Nomad’s latest magnetic wireless charger for the iPhone, lets you prop your device up while charging it over MagSafe so you can still see and interact with the screen. It’s a cheaper version of the Stand One with one significant difference (which I’ll get to later).
Nomad announced its release just a few weeks ago after iOS 17 debuted, and the timing couldn’t be any more perfect. A certain feature called StandBy in iOS 17 begs for an accessory like this, and while there are plenty of alternatives on the market (most of which are more affordable), this one stands out (no pun intended) if you have $80 lying around and want a good-looking way to charge your iPhone.
Nomad’s $80 Stand is a great wireless charger that’s especially ideal for iOS 17’s upcoming StandBy mode. It’s not the charger to get if you’re looking for the fastest speeds or maximum versatility, but its premium design and craftsmanship makes it one of the nicest chargers on the market.
What we liked about it
Premium design through and through
There’s no question that the Stand is one of the premium wireless chargers around. Like the Stand One, the Stand is made of aluminum with a glass panel on the front. The wireless charger itself sits near the top, while the bottom has a rubber grip so it doesn’t slide around on your desk.
It’s also pretty hefty. At just over a pound, this charging stand isn’t going anywhere. I’ve ripped my iPhone off it many times, and it’s never budged from the spot I placed it in.
Nomad ships it in either black or white, depending on the aesthetic you’re looking for. I received the black model, which looks super sleek on my desk. It pairs nicely with the minimal Space Black finish of my iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The power cable uses a braided finish for durability, which adds to the Stand’s premium nature. It’s also quite long at 6.6 feet, so you shouldn’t have to worry about not reaching the power outlet.
It pairs perfectly with iOS 17’s StandBy mode
The fun starts when you snap your iPhone to it. The Stand has the appropriate wireless charging coils to start juicing up your device when you connect it, and it stays put the entire time. The rubberized finish on the charger has enough grip for your iPhone to hold on to, even when it’s naked.
Of course, the thing that drew me to the Nomad Stand was iOS 17. I’ve been using the beta version of Apple’s next big update for the iPhone since it came out in June, and I’ve been playing with a lot of the cool new features in it. One that’s stood out to me is StandBy, which the Stand only enhances.
With StandBy, your iPhone can turn into a smart display of sorts, complete with a customizable clock and adjustable widgets. You can swipe through different faces for a new look every day, and it’s fully compatible with Siri voice commands. Best of all, it works with every iPhone model, although you’ll need an iPhone 14 Pro if you want the screen to stay on all the time.
Technically speaking, you can plug in your iPhone and turn it sideways to use StandBy. The Nomad Stand isn’t a requirement to use the feature, and that goes for other MagSafe chargers as well. But using one like the Stand makes StandBy a killer feature, one that I’ve been using every day during my testing. Your iPhone sits at just the right angle — 21 degrees, for anyone wondering — that makes it easy to see in both portrait and landscape orientations. It’s been great on my desk while I work, and I’ve also enjoyed using it on my nightstand.
Plenty of other wireless charging stands will do the same thing as the Nomad Stand, but I like what this one offers. The combination of the angle, premium design and lengthy cable makes it a solid accessory for StandBy and simply charging your phone in general. Plus, it’s cheaper than the Stand One, so you’ll be saving money in the process.
What we didn’t like about it
It’s a bit slow, and it can only do one thing
Of course, there’s a reason the Stand is cheaper than the Stand One: Nomad didn’t have it officially certified to work with MagSafe. It’ll still work, mind you, but it won’t be as fast since it’s not using Apple’s official specs for MagSafe charging.
Official MagSafe chargers can charge your iPhone at up to 15W, which is what the Stand One is capable of. Meanwhile, the Stand is locked to 7.5W, so it’ll take roughly twice as long to charge back up. It’s not a huge deal since I don’t use it as my primary charging source, but if you plan to dock your iPhone to it at the end of every day, it’s important to keep this in mind.
The Stand is also limited in the amount of things you can do with it. You can dock your iPhone or AirPods to the magnetic charger and … that’s it. There isn’t a second set of charging coils on the base of it for your headphones or Apple Watch, and there are no extra ports to plug other devices into. If you want your next wireless charger to charge multiple devices at the same time, you won’t find that in the Stand.
How it compares
You’ll get more charging options from something like the Belkin Boost Charge Pro 2-in-1 or Twelve South HiRise 3, while other charging stands like the Mophie Snap+ will give you 15W charging for the same price (if not less). Still, there’s something to appreciate about the simplicity and sophistication of the Nomad Stand, which is enough for me to call myself a fan.
Bottom line
Nomad’s $80 Stand is a great charger to buy if you plan on using Apple’s StandBy when iOS 17 ships later this year. It’s not the charger to get if you’re looking for the fastest speeds or maximum versatility, but its premium design and craftsmanship makes it one of the nicest chargers on the market, which helps to make that price tag a little more manageable.
If you’d like to pick up a Stand for yourself, it’s available from Nomad’s website. You won’t find it at third-party retailers, at least not right now.
