Twelve South’s Forté for iPhone 12 deserves a spot on your desktop

Twelve South’s US$39.99 Forté for iPhone is an attractive, practical wireless charging stand made exclusively for the iPhone 12 and the Apple MagSafe Charger. The terms “attractive” and “practical” don’t exactly scream “sexy,” but the latest accessory from Twelve South is a very good-looking product.

Apple says that MagSafe “improves wireless charging for a better, more efficient experience and introduces an ecosystem of easy-to-attach accessories that beautifully complement iPhone 12 Pro models.” It features an array of magnets around the wireless charging coil that connect to the iPhone  and provide up to 15W of power while still accommodating existing Qi-enabled devices.

To use the Forté, you snap your MagSafe Charger into the accessory and — voila! — you have a dock for your Apple smartphone that also charges an iPhone 12 at  15 Watts. Alas, you’ll have to buy the MagSafe Charger separately if you don’t have one, and it will set you back $39.

The Twelve South peripheral magnetically holds your phone vertically or horizontally for hands-free use. This is handy for watching videos, making a FaceTime call, etc. And the MagSafe Charger can easily be removed when you’re hitting the road with your iPhone.

What’s more, the platform tilts up to 70 degrees so you can adjust the viewing angle for your iPhone. Finally, the Forté can be used as a pedestal charger for AirPods and AirPods Pro. Just set your earbuds atop the dock/charger and the wireless charging magnet does its job.