review – Luxury accessories for your favorite gadgets can be fun (albeit expensive) when style is important to you. Today I want to show you the Nomad Base One Max MagSafe Wireless Charger. It is divided into luxury and expensive categories. Is this fancy wireless charger worth the price? Let’s find out.
What is it?
The Nomad Base One Max MagSafe Wireless Charger is a 15W Qi charger designed to charge your Apple Watch and iPhone at the same time (but can charge other Qi-enabled devices).
What’s in the box?
- Nomad Base One Max MagSafe Charger
- USB-C to USB-C Braided Cable
Design and Features
First, it’s gorgeous, or as gorgeous as a Qi charger. The Nomad Base One Max MagSafe Wireless Charger looks like it was designed by Apple. Actually, I take this back. I think this charger is better than anything Apple has designed (so far).
This wireless charger is available in two colors. There is a carbine (black) version and a silver version. I received the silver version which has a white top and a silver metal base.
The Base One Max has a base that measures 7.5 x 5.5 inches and comes with a built-in Apple Watch charger (no, it doesn’t require you to use your existing Apple charger) and a built-in MagSafe magnetic charger that attaches to the glass panel.
There are no buttons or LEDs on this charger (can I get one?!). This means no annoying lights that can interfere with your sleep patterns. There is only one USB-C port on the back.
There is a rubber base on the bottom of the charger to help prevent the charger from sliding around.
But honestly, I don’t think sliding will be an issue since the Nomad Base One Max MagSafe Wireless Charger weighs 2 pounds! It’s a big guy! But that’s not a bad thing.
Charge your device with the Nomad Base One Max MagSafe Wireless Charger
I own both an Apple Watch and an iPhone 13 Pro Max, so I was excited to test this high-quality wireless charger with my device. I was a little disappointed when I unpacked and didn’t find the 30W power adapter needed to use this charger.
According to Nomad, they don’t include an AC adapter because they think most people have multiple chargers and it would be a waste. Hmm…I don’t check the power adapter very often, so I had to rummage in the drawer of the Gadgeteer HQ until I found something that worked…and that thing was just a 20W Anker PowerPort III Nano adapter. It only charges my Apple Watch, but when I put my iPhone on the MagSafe charger, nothing happens. So I went back to my drawer and found an Anker PowerPort III 2-port 6oW USB-C adapter. success!
With a 30W power adapter, you can quickly charge 2 devices. You’ll notice that the Apple Watch charger orients the watch into nightstand mode, turning the watch into a small bedside clock. It only shows the time and charging status for a few seconds, then the screen goes off. However, if you tap the charger or even the desk it’s on, it will wake the watch and show the time.
I have to tell you that if you have a newer iPhone and prefer to use a wireless charger, then you should use a MagSafe-style charger like the Nomad Base One Max. MagSafe chargers are much better than non-MagSafe chargers because you don’t have to do a swipe dance to position your phone in the best position to start wireless charging. With the MagSafe Wireless Charger, everything falls into place with ease by the magic of magnets. The magnets on the Base One Max are strong, even when your iPhone is in a case.
Since the built-in MagSafe charger sits above the glass panel, your phone is very easy to remove as your fingers can be curled under it for easy removal.
what do I like
- good workmanship
- No annoying LEDs
- No problem with iPhone positioning thanks to MagSafe
- Fast wireless charging if you supply your own 30W charger
what would i change
- A 30W charger is included with purchase
final thoughts
When it comes to how it’s built, how it looks, and how it performs, the Nomad Base One Max MagSafe Wireless Charger easily wins all of these categories. But with that comes the price. $150 is a super cheap price for a wireless charger. Then you add the fact that it doesn’t even come with the necessary 30W charging adapter, which makes buying one difficult to accept. As much as I’ve really enjoyed using this charger for the past few weeks, I can’t say I’ll buy one for myself. But maybe I’m just a straitjacket. What do you think? Even though it might be the best MagSafe charger on the market right now, would you pay that much for a charger?
price: $149.95
where to buy: nomadic goods
source: Samples for this review provided by nomadic goods.
