Nomad is course-correcting from a small design blunder last year on its three-in-one MagSafe charging stand. Like its predecessor, the new Stand One Max for 2024 is a wireless multi-charger for a compatible iPhone, Apple Watch, and set of AirPods. However, now you can charge all of those devices with your phone in landscape orientation, allowing you to use Apple’s nifty StandBy mode for glanceable information like the time and weather. The new stand is also Qi2-compatible, and at $150, it’s actually $30 cheaper than the original’s launch price, which I love to see.
Other than that, the new Stand One Max (which Nomad calls “third-gen” to align with other models in its lineup, even though it’s only the second version) has a lot in common with the original. It comes in silver or black, includes a color-matched 6.6-foot / 2-meter detachable USB-C cable (but not the required 30W power adapter), fast-charges compatible Apple Watches, and is made from metal and glass. The new model weighs just a touch more at 1.9 pounds (versus the original’s 1.8 pounds), and that’s likely due to the base being about 0.75 inches longer to accommodate the watch charger’s new location, clearing the path for a horizontally mounted phone up top.
Qi2 may not be commonplace on phones just yet, with only one phone supporting it so far and some imminently launching flagships notably lacking it. But the dream is that one day, in a (hopefully) near future, chargers like the Stand One Max will enable equally fast charging of up to 15W on both Androids and iPhones — all with the convenience of magnets that lock your phone in place. Chargers that support Qi2 are already becoming pretty prevalent from a variety of brands, so if you’re going to spend some significant coin on one of Nomad’s fancy home multi-chargers, it’s nice that it’s also Qi2-capable.