Nomad’s new MagSafe-compatible stand and base charge slower but cost less
Want a nice charger for your MagSafe-compatible iPhone, but don’t want to pay such a high premium price? Nomad offers a new pair of chargers that do just that, and the key is to get rid of Apple’s true MagSafe compatibility and the Made for iPhone load requirement.
The $70 Nomadic base and $80 Nomads stand launching today are almost identical to the existing Base One and Stand One, but unlike those models, these new chargers are not officially “Made for MagSafe”. Instead, they’re just wireless Qi with magnets for alignment, and they top out at 7.5W rather than the 15W of true MagSafe, but the compromise on charging speed is made for the sake of your wallet.
Physically, the new base and standard chargers are the spitting image of their more expensive MagSafe counterparts, except the white models are now all white (not silver and white) and the black models have a blacked-out charging pad instead of the contrasting white on real MagSafe chargers. Does it matter in use? Not at all, but if you’re paying Nomad money, then you want a premium fit and finish – and these black-on-black obelisks look great. It’s a pretty small thing, but the black base and stand look a lot sleeker this way, and after trying them both out for a short while, I prefer them over their MagSafe-equipped “One” versions.
Pretty much everything else about the new Stand One and Base One is now in the new Stand and Base, including the same CNC-machined aluminum and glass construction, the built-in two-meter USB-C cable (which I still wish they were detachable), and the lack of an included USB-C power adapter. (You’ll need to re-provision your own output with at least 20W.) But the $30 discount on these is substantial enough to forgive their single-use purpose and enjoy them more for their fine build quality and construction.
If you’re paying $100 or $110, it’s hard to ignore that these single-device chargers approach the price of two-in-one and three-in-one alternatives. While these new $80 and $70 chargers still don’t come cheap, they don’t seem like such a reckless outlay — especially since regularly charging your phone overnight doesn’t exactly require 15W MagSafe speeds.
In addition, the all-black model is a nice upgrade in terms of appearance. If I’m going to spend $80 on a charger that trades some functionality for aesthetics, let’s go all out with the aesthetics. Saving money in the process is an even nicer benefit.