Nomad Base One Max review: Elegant wireless charger for your iPhone and Apple Watch | ZDNet

10 years ago, I started using wireless charging with my Nokia smartphones, and since then, I have enjoyed the convenience of wireless charging with charging pads positioned all over my home and office. My favorite is the luxurious Volonic Valet 3, but despite its amazing Aira FreePower technology, it cannot charge up my Apple Watch Series 7.

For the past several days, the new Nomad Base One Max has been charging up my iPhone 13 Pro Max and Apple Watch in style. A couple of months ago, Nomad launched the beautiful Base One charger and built upon that charger with the Base One Max, adding an integrated Apple Watch charger in addition to the floating glass panel for your iPhone.

The Base One Max is available in silver and carbide colors with an MSRP of $149.95. It is MFi certified with Made for MagSafe and Made for Apple Watch logos on the retail package. We tested the silver model.

Also: Best smartwatches: Apple Watch and other top picks

The Nomad Base One Max is a heavy accessory, weighing in at 900g (2lbs), made from metal and glass. The right side is topped by a white glass 15W MagSafe charging stand that holds your iPhone securely in perfect position. It sits just above the metal surface of the stand and looks great.

With many past Apple Watch stands, I’ve had to provide my own Apple Watch charging cable and puck unit that then is secured into a plastic holder. This is not the case with the Nomad Base One Max, where Nomad has an extremely elegant integrated Apple Watch charger with a lovely matte finish brushed metal back standing proudly up near the front third of the charging platform. There are no cables hanging out from the Apple Watch stand as everything is integrated into the base unit behind glass and metal.

A single USB-C port is found on the back of the Base One Max with a long nylon braided USB-C to USB-C cable included in the retail package. The 2-meter long cable is convenient for using the Base One Max in many locations in your office or home. There is no USB-C power adapter included, but you can purchase a 30W Power Adapter from Nomad for $29.95.

Also: Volonic Valet 3 review: Elegant luxury FreePower wireless charging pad

At first, I tested the Base One Max in my office, but with the addition of the Apple Watch charger on the platform, I decided that my nightstand was the best location since I take the Apple Watch off at night. There are no annoying lights keeping me awake at night, which is something I find on other chargers and immediately have to remove them from my bedroom.

The Nomad Base One Max heft is appreciated as you can set the unit down, and rest assured that moving your iPhone or Apple Watch around on the face will not move the charging platform around or require that you use two hands to remove your gear from the charger. The bottom has rubber feet to protect the surface and also prevent it from sliding around.

The perfect magnetic alignment of your iPhone works with iPhone 12 and 13 models. I test and use a variety of MagSafe cases with my iPhone, and so far, they have all worked perfectly with this accessory. When I occasionally switch over to Android devices, it’s good to know that they also charge up just fine on the Qi wireless charger. The Base One Max can also charge up wireless headsets, including compatible AirPods cases.

If you have an Apple Watch and want a rock-solid platform for charging both it and your iPhone, then the Base One Max is clearly something to consider. It’s rather expensive, but it is built to last and is a gorgeous piece of mobile technology to proudly display in your office or home.