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Details
- Price $180 at nomadgoods.com
Overview
I remember the time when I proudly claimed “I will never get an Apple Watch. I am a G-Shock man.”, while fondling my GSHOCK GBD-H2000.
While I technically remain true to this statement, I was gifted an Apple Watch Series 1 a long time ago when I helped a friend design a logo for his pop-up restaurant.
At that time, I just accepted it without thinking twice and chucked it into storage. I passed it to my sister along the way, only to recently ask for it back when I wanted to track my MVPA.
The Singapore government has a program that allows you to rake up points for staying active. While they provided a tracker, it sucks so much that even the first version of the Apple Watch was much better.
After a few accessories to blacken the gold frame and strap, it became my go-to watch for cardio days. What I am trying to say with this unnecessarily long-winded story is that—with an Apple Watch, I finally have a chance to review some of NOMAD's beautiful combo desk chargers.
The Stand One Max is a charger that sits on your desk and lets you charge both your MagSafe-compatible iPhone, Apple Watch, and Apple AirPods at the same time.
Style
It is not hard to tell that I am a big fan of NOMAD's aesthetics. Along with Aer and Outlier, they are one of my favorite brands when it comes to design sensibilities.
Many of their products are not just beautifully designed but have that bit of class that brands, like Anker, might lack. The NOMAD Stand One Max is no exception.
It comes in two colorways. While I've built this website by reviewing only black things, this only applies to things that I carry with me like clothing and accessories. The interior of my home skews towards white, so expect to see reviews on white products for interior goods.
On my white desk, an almost-new USM Haller desk from a thrift shop, the silver matches perfectly like it was made for my table.
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Many Apple accessories tend to match Apple's color and the silver on the Stand One Max does the same. While the frame is silver, most of the product is white, blending it in effortlessly.
On the silver, the iPhone charger has a silver frame and white face, while the watch charger has a white MagSafe area and a silver frame and face.
This is a little inconsistent with the black Stand One Max, which has a black face and frame for both the iPhone and watch charger. By the same logic, the face of the iPhone charger on the silver should be silver.
While the entire design is very minimal, there is some flair in the usage of glossy material on the face of the phone charger. I would have preferred it to be matte, but this choice does inject premiumness.
On the silver Stand One Max, it would be much more minimalistic if the face of the watch charger could also be white. But, I am probably being more nitpicky than Gordon Ramsay at the pass.
I love the stainless steel part that connects the iPhone charger to the watch's. It offers a bit of class and reminds me of USM Haller's palette.
Unlike the silver, the black version's MagSafe area is white which is a harsh contrast against the body. It stands out a little more than I like and might work for those trying to make a statement.
Each Stand One Max comes with a 2M USB C to C cable and I love how NOMAD matches the colors of the cable to the Stand One Max; you get a black cable for the black Stand One Max and a white one for the white Stand One Max.
I designed a thing.
I found a 100 year old company that would create these heirloom quality canisters for me. They are handmade and will keep your tea leaves, coffee beans or anything that you need dry for years to come.
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Tech
All Apple Watches can be charged on the Stand One Max, but making sure your iPhone can charge isn't as straightforward.
The Stand One Max offers MFi-certified charging of up to 15W.
The MFi (Made for iPod) label is given to accessories that have been certified to work with Apple products. While you get some assurance, this so-called “Apple tax” gets translated into the cost. So, you are paying for this assurance in the $180.
MagSafe phones are iPhones 12 and up and can charge at the full 15W, except 12 mini and 13 mini which can only charge up to 12W.
I don't have an early iPhone model to test this with, but you can likely charge iPhone 8s and up which have Qi charging. Qi charging and MagSafe are inter-compatible, but speeds will be limited to 7.5W for safety reasons.
While Apple recommends a 20W adapter to charge the full 15W, you'll need at least a 30W adapter for the Stand One Max since it charges your phone, earphones, and watch at the same time. The NOMAD 30W Power Adapter is perfect for this.
You also need to make sure your iPhone case is MagSafe compatible. You won't be able to charge through just any case. NOMAD, of course, has a wide selection of beautiful MagSafe-compatible case that works well for this.
Usage
I struggle to find the words for this section because it is just so straightforward—plug it in and put your devices on it.
Like any MagSafe dock, your phone and watch snap into place and start charging. AirPods don't snap into place but the charging area is pretty generous; you don't have to try to find the sweet spot for it to start charging.
I have an iPhone 14 Pro Max, AirPods Pro, and a 42mm Apple Watch Series 1 and they look pretty good on the Stand One Max.
If you want to watch Korean dramas while it charges, you can place your phone horizontally on the stand. However, it will obstruct the watch charger; your phone won't stay on if your watch is in the way.
I tend to not close up my watch straps when I charge it and the watch straps can obstruct the placing of the AirPods. I don't usually charge my AirPods at home, so this isn't a huge issue for me.
At times, I did notice some trickle charging. This is where you leave your devices on and they charge to full and MagSafe will stop charging, as it should. Then when it gets drained a little, it starts charging again.
This is how MagSafe works and at no fault of NOMAD, but since your devices' screens will activate with the charging symbol, it can get distracting at times.
The Stand itself has a bit of weight and comes with an anti-slip rubber base which makes it very stable; it doesn't move even if you roughly attach your phone to it.
There are faint stains on the white base of the silver version that are too subtle to be captured by my camera. My vigorous scrubbing with wet wipes didn't help. They aren't noticeable unless you look very closely in good light, but can trigger an unsuspecting OCD. I suspect this surface won't do well with stains and suggest not touching it with Cheese Ring coated fingers.
Conclusion
While pricey, the attention to detail, top-end materials, and build quality are worth the price. But you are only going to get full value if you have the trinity of Apple devices to charge.
Despite my obsession with black products, I like the silver version a little more, and goes perfectly with my work desk's palette.
Additional Images
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