I focused on getting better sleep over the last year, and optimizing my bedroom for a better night’s rest has delivered the comfort I needed to ease into slumber. While smartphone usage at bedtime is looked down upon, I’ll admit that my iPhone 15 Pro Max plays a significant role, as it helps me fall asleep by setting either white noise or dry podcasts on 20-minute sleep timers. But as I learned from many years of charging my phone with a cable, plugging can get a little too finicky. And that’s where my must-have bedside accessory comes in handy.
This didn’t start with sleep. This all began when Apple announced StandBy mode for iOS 17, which gives your iPhone a series of smart display options including clocks, widgets and slideshows. Then, I found out that Apple accessory maker Twelve South had made the perfect accessory for this: the HiRise 3 Deluxe. While I first thought of it as the perfect desk accessory, it’s also become a must-have for my bedside that I pack for trips.
This 3-in-1 charging stand is the slickest Apple device charging stand yet, with vegan leather on both the MagSafe phone charger and base. It’s also got fast charging for the Apple Watch Series 7 and later.
Why I love it
A lot of 3-in-1 MagSafe chargers are the same, built to refuel a trio of Apple-branded devices: your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods. I value a charging solution for all three at my bedside because those accessories also tie into my rest and the morning thereafter. I use my Apple Watch to track my sleep, so I always charge it here to make it easy to find at bedtime, and I need the AirPods Pro in the morning for the gym. The HiRise 3 Deluxe earns its spot by my bed and its “deluxe” title, though, because it’s the best of the field. You’ll notice that from the second you touch it. With a metallic body that’s covered in vegan leather on its base and the MagSafe iPhone charging pad, it feels less like a charger and more like a piece of furniture.
That iPhone charging pad isn’t just nice to touch; its hinge lets you adjust your phone to the angle of your choice. This way, I’ve got it at the perfect angle when I roll over to see what time it is. And that display is perfect at bedtime, as its text turns a particularly easy-on-the-eyes shade of red that practically lulls me to sleep. Plus, its Apple Watch charger supports fast charging. Oh, and if you have a friend who also needs their phone recharged? The flat rear section, meant for the AirPods, can also charge phones.
One thing you wouldn’t notice about the HiRise 3 Deluxe, had you not compared it to the field? The decision to go for a vertical design is better than the many horizontal setups you see out there. This form allows it to fit in an increasingly crowded desk next to your keyboard, mouse and microphone, or at my smaller bedside table in my menagerie of a water glass, books and Kleenex.
In terms of the 3-in-1 wireless chargers, it beats out competitors for a few reasons.
- Otterbox’s is less expensive, but not as elegant, and its 7.5W MagSafe charger is half as strong as the HiRise 3 Deluxe’s 15W charger.
- Otterbox also makes a 15W version that is comparable, but missing the ability to tilt your phone up and down.
- Anker’s adorable little cube 3-in-1 charger is also nice, but it’s a short king in a situation where I want to elevate my screens.
- I’ve previously used the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 charging station, but it’s simply too wide to fit alongside my desk’s keyboard, mouse, microphone and headphone stand.
- The Nomad Stand One Max doesn’t allow for Apple Watch charging and Standby mode.
But if you just want a regular iPhone stand for your bedside usage? This Nomad Stand is worth a look.
What it’s replacing
For about a year, I was getting annoyed by how the Amazon Echo Show 5 felt increasingly out of my control. Full disclosure, I didn’t pay for this thing; it was a freebie from Amazon at a press event.
Even though I’m not into the smart home lifestyle, I set it up because it was essentially a digital clock, something I’ve wanted for my desk (why I ignore the upper right corner of my monitor and the watch on my wrist is unclear). And for a while, it was just a digital clock. Then the spam came rolling in.
One moment it’s a screen promoting some digital version of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?”, the next it’s telling me to use Alexa to do stuff I have no interest in ever doing, like playing a “Jeopardy” game and something called Song Quiz. Those, as well as “Question of the Day” are all ads, and just so … worthless.
Far from the Black Mirror episode where the protagonist was surrounded by the ads from hell, this was just a modest series of annoyances. And one I was waiting to replace. But I didn’t really want to buy a standalone digital clock.
Enter the HiRise 3 Deluxe. Most of the time, I use the clock or Photos album mode, which gives you just the content you select. If I’m using it at my desk, I’ll open the widgets view, so I can see a clock in one half and my upcoming appointments in the other.
Outlook
At the end of the day,?the TwelveSouth HiRise 3 Deluxe’s $150 price may be a lot to spend on something that charges your phone at home, especially when you probably have other means to do that already. But if you bought an iPhone 15 Pro, I wouldn’t be shocked if you’re OK splurging for the finer things. You don’t need a dock like this to enable StandBy mode, but it does keep your phone upright, horizontal and charged, so you’re not relying on some alternative means.
Those who don’t need a 3-in-1 solution may want to check out Twelve South’s Forté stand, a $40 MagSafe charger that works with StandBy mode. Or if a kickstand with MagSafe is good enough, Belkin’s Portable Wireless Charger Pad is $30 right now. But I gotta say I adore the HiRise 3 Deluxe. So much so that I’ll admit I have two, one at my desk and one at my bed. And I always pack the deskside one when I go on trips, because I literally don’t want to sleep without it.
