Twelve South HiRise 2 Deluxe Review

I’ve been using the Twelve South HiRise 2 Deluxe for a while now, and it’s become a staple of my desk setup. It works perfectly for me, and its limitations, though there are a couple, aren’t deal-breakers, but it’s worth knowing them if you’re shopping for a Qi combo charger.

Out of the box, this device is straightforward to set up. You don’t have to piece anything together; it’s one unit with a USB-C port on the back. Plug the cord into the USB-C adaptor, plug it into power, and you’re good to go.

The Qi charging port at the top is for your phone and charges at 15 kW, the same rate you’d get from most other wireless chargers like this, about a quarter of a battery charge per hour. The charger base delivers 5 kW of power, which is enough for your AirPods. This selection works nearly perfectly for me, as it’s only missing a spot for my Apple Watch (though the HiRise 3 Deluxe adds space to charge it).

It enables me to empty my pockets either way, with my iPhone and AirPods charging. If you have more devices, you may need to check the model. If you have two phones, or a partner/family member who wants to charge their phone at the same time, be aware that although the 5kW charging slot will work, it won’t charge particularly fast.

With the unit combined into a single piece, it’s ergonomic and looks great on my desk, fitting Apple’s design aesthetic well. However, that also means I wouldn’t recommend it for travel. It also doesn’t let you get really into specific positions when your phone is displayed. You can tilt your phone up or down for a better view, especially when Display Mode is active and the phone is held horizontally. But if you want to bend its main arm back and then tilt it to suit your desk or viewing angle, beware: this isn’t the device for you, since you won’t have much control over the phone’s position. You can also adjust the phone’s height, but you can’t do that either.

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