The MagSafe Charger, on its own, allows you to charge your iPhone with a simple magnetic snap. But unless you’re holding it, the charger, a silver magnetic disk-shaped dock, needs to lay flat on a surface. Meaning you don’t have the best viewing angle of your iPhone screen – at all.
Twelve South has designed a simple yet effective dock that allows your Apple MagSafe charger to snap in place. Transforming the MagSafe Charger into something so much more. And it’s called the Forté for iPhone.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been using my iPhone 12 Pro on the Forté for iPhone stand by Twelve South. I wanted to share a few thoughts on it and how I have found it beneficial.
The Stand
Forté for iPhone is a simple, modern and sleek-looking accessory. It has a solid base and a MagSafe holder that you screw in place. Snap your Apple MagSafe charging disk in, and it’s ready to go. iPhone, once placed on magnetically, starts charging, floating above the base.
One of the first things I did notice was the weight of the product. It is much heavier than I expected – at 0.4Kg. But I have come to learn that is a good thing for two distinct reasons.
One is the quality of the product. It is made from metal and not plastic. And the second being, because of its weight, it makes it more manageable to remove your iPhone from the dock.
And while there is some weight to the product, it is still light enough to pack in a bag for travelling. However, if you didn’t want to bring it, it’s possible to remove the MagSafe charger out. That flexibility is not something you get with most other docks.
At the back of the MagSafe holder is a slot for the cable to hide. I thought that was a good design idea by Twelve South.
Viewing Angles
Adjusting the angle of the iPhone is, in my opinion, the highlight of the accessory. Because it means I can see my notifications coming through my iPhone. Or I can have it in front of me, angled towards my face during a FaceTime call or Zoom meeting. Other times I have moved the dock to the kitchen so I can play a movie while cooking.
All of this is possible because the angle of the dock can be adjusted, from horizontal to 70-degrees. And the iPhone itself can rotate horizontally or vertically. And when completely horizontal the stand offers another option – the ability to place your AirPods on. So yes, the Forté can charge your AirPods – nice!
Last thoughts
I think Twelve South has done a great job at bringing a lot of extra benefits to the MagSafe charging experience. It is a great accessory to have by the bedside, at work, or even in the kitchen. But it won’t do much for you if you don’t own the official MagSafe charger by Apple.
Forté for iPhone is priced, in Australia, at a recommended retail price of A$64.95. However, the MagSafe Charger, priced at A$65, bringing the total cost to A$129.95. And that isn’t including the cost of a USB-C charger.
At A$129.95, it is close to the cost of another product Twelve South have called the HiRise Wireless Dock. It’s a wireless charging pad for AirPods or iPhone and a USB-C portable wireless charger for travel. All in one chrome and leather design. It’s priced only A$10 more at A$139.95. But there are some benefits to the Forté – including faster charging (15 watts vs 10), the MagSafe magnetic experience, adjustable angles, and the ability to rotate iPhone.
Therefore, I still think Forté is a fantastic product, despite having to purchase a MagSafe charger separately. And as MagSafe only began with the current-generation iPhones, there is no doubt it’s here for a while. So you should expect the Forté to be compatible with many future generation iPhone models to come.
