My Favorite Hunk of Metal – Geek Review

I bought an Apple MagSafe charger when it was first announced and was quickly disappointed because it wasn’t as effective as a standalone product. However, combine it with Nomad’s MagSafe mounting bracket and all of a sudden it becomes an extremely useful accessory.

A (necessary) accessory for your accessory

On its own, the Apple MagSafe Charger is a wireless charging puck attached to a relatively short 1m long USB-C cable. If you put it on your desk or nightstand, there’s nothing to hold the charger in place, and if you pick up your phone, the drive comes with it, thanks to MagSafe technology.

Nomad rectify these annoyances by adding a piece of metal to the equation. Crafted from a single block of zinc alloy, the MagSafe Mounting Bracket weighs over 1.3 lbs. and has a premium-feel matte black (or silver) paint finish.

The stand won’t add extra length to the charger cable, but you don’t have to worry about the drive sliding around your table. Basically, the Nomad mount is an elegant solution to a product that feels unfinished.

Note: Nomad recommends that you use a case on your iPhone to prevent scratches. Both the MagSafe charger and the MagSafe mounting bracket are made of metal, so it’s possible for either of them to damage the glass back of your iPhone.

Nomad uses micro-suction tape to secure the MagSafe charger to the mount. The company claims this allows you to remove the drive from the mount with ease, but after several months of having the two attachments attached, I had to apply uncomfortable pressure to separate them.

So while you can technically remove the MagSafe charger and take it with you on the go, I recommend that you plan to keep the wireless charger and stay together permanently.

Flip the stand over and you’ll find a rubber pad that prevents the stand from sliding around on your desk or table. Not much to say about this except that it just works. As mentioned, the mount weighs over 1.3 pounds, so you don’t have to worry about the MagSafe mounting bracket moving anywhere when you attach or remove your iPhone.

Limited viewing angles

The biggest “weakness” of the MagSafe Mount Stand is that it doesn’t allow for multiple viewing angles. You can rotate your phone to view photos and videos in portrait or landscape format, but this stand is carved from a block of metal and won’t bend.

Now, I don’t have a protractor handy to give you the exact angle your iPhone will sit at when attached to the mount, but I think it’s good enough. I kept the mount about a foot to a foot and a half away from where I sit, and I had no problem seeing the content on the screen.

But if you’re looking for something with adjustable viewing angles, you’re in luck because there are a ton of MagSafe accessories available to buy.

Possibly the best MagSafe mount available

The Nomad MagSafe Stand Mount gets an instant recommendation from me if you already own an Apple MagSafe Charger. If you don’t, having to buy both accessories can be costly. At a combined price of just under $100, you’ll pay more than some all-in-one solutions.

The most significant benefit of sticking with the Nomad mount and MagSafe charger combination is that you get “fast” wireless charging. Apple’s MagSafe charger can charge your iPhone at 15W, while third-party options are limited to 7.5W. Having twice the power and half the charge time is reason enough to spend a little more.

The MagSafe mounting bracket is available for purchase on the Nomad website for $59.99 in Carbine (pictured above) and Silver.