Review: Twelve South PowerPic—a 5×7 picture frame that wirelessly charges your iPhone

You but arrived habitation afterwards a long twenty-four hr catamenia as well as your iPhone could utilisation but about recharging. And when a guy needs but about juice, what improve way to juice upwards your iPhone than drib it on an elegant motion-picture present frame that’s sitting on the table? That’s right, Twelve South has created an amazing gadget that looks as well as behaves similar a regular 5×7 motion-picture present frame but besides happens to wirelessly accuse your telephone speedily because there’s a 10-watt Qi charger hidden within the frame.

A motion-picture present frame alongside a secret

This has got to live on 1 of the most unusual gadgets I’ve seen in, well, quite a while.

Twelve South is a well-known hollo inwards the premium accessory market. They direct maintain been making but about of the best cases, stands, chargers as well as other gadgets for your Apple devices.

The PowerPic motion-picture present frame-slash-Qi charger comes inwards dark or white

They’re calling this matter PowerPic as well as it’s existence advertised every bit “a motion-picture present perfect way to wirelessly accuse your phone.” As nosotros mentioned, it’s a regular motion-picture present frame that doubles every bit a Qi-compatible wireless charger that supports fast charging at upwards to 10 watts of power.

This wallpaper is perfect for the winter-themed frame photograph on my PowerPic

iPhone supports faster charging at 7.5 watts of power, but many Android handsets, including Galaxies, back upwards fast 10-watt wireless charging hence it’s prissy you’re covered on both fronts.

The matter looks perfectly natural inwards your habitation or office. The contemporary frame is made of New Zealand Pine as well as holds whatsoever touchstone 5×7 photo. When you lot demand but about juice, drib your Qi-enabled telephone on the 17mm inner lip of the frame as well as it instantly starts charging.

Say, what’s your telephone doing on that motion-picture present frame?

It ships alongside a frame photo, but you lot tin give the sack impress as well as utilisation your ain 5×7 favorite photo. Twelve South fifty-fifty made particular iPhone backgrounds to “complete” the stock image.

Setting up

My PowerPic arrived inwards Twelve South’s commons packaging that included the device itself, the printed manual, a Twelve South sticker as well as but about additional frame images. If you lot always bought a Twelve South product, you lot direct maintain a skillful thought of how their products are packaged as well as shipped.

Twelve South has gone experimental alongside this unusual charger

The contemporary frame is made of New Zealand Pine as well as holds whatsoever 5” x 7” photo. To larn started alongside PowerPic, insert the included back upwards arm into the dorsum of the frame. The back upwards arm doubles every bit a cable management of sorts hence you lot don’t run across much of the mightiness cable.

This is what arrived inwards my PowerPic box

Plug the USB-C side of the mightiness cable into the raise port of your PowerPic accessory as well as the USB Type H5N1 side into your notebook, monitor or a USB telephone charger as well as you’re skillful to go. Simply house your iPhone against the motion-picture present frame to laid out charging.

The back upwards arm incorporates a cutout to accommodate as well as cover the mightiness cable

Using personal photos

As an added bonus, Twelve South is offering but about gratis downloads of iPhone backgrounds that stand upwards for the frame photographs, creating a seamless hold off betwixt your iPhone’s Lock covert wallpaper as well as the frame photograph to “complete” the image.

Downloadable Twelve South backdrops “complete” the image

After downloading the gratis backgrounds, select a wallpaper that matches your frame photo.

To business upwards the wallpaper perfectly, but pinch inwards the covert 1 time the wallpaper is shown inwards the preferences to allow the total epitome to live on seen, every bit demonstrated past times a covert capture below.

Adding a personal photograph to the frame couldn’t live on easier.

Rotate the clips on the dorsum to larn to the charging plate

First, flip the frame over as well as rotate the clips running across the outer edges of the frame to liberate the charging plate. Next, elevator the charging plate out of the frame, hence house your favorite 5×7 photograph into the frame on top of glass. As the concluding step, reinstall the charging plate into the frame as well as secure alongside clips.

Twelve South was sort plenty to post a few frame photos

The condition light

PowerPic has a handy condition calorie-free on its back.

With but a glance, you lot larn to know the charging condition of your device. Blue calorie-free indicates the telephone is charging, light-green calorie-free denotes the device is fully charged as well as blinking bluish calorie-free agency that a unusual object was detected against the frame.

Avoid putting unusual objects similar metallic element cards or magnets betwixt your telephone as well as PowerPic every bit doing hence could impact charging. This is of import because emitting unnecessary powering oestrus could harm the phone, drive overheating or interfere alongside charging.

My entirely gripe alongside the condition calorie-free is its location—being on the dorsum makes it slowly to forget it’s there, defeating its purpose. I asked Twelve South why PowerPic doesn’t send alongside its ain charger as well as was told that they’ll presently sell a novel $9.99 USB block every bit a compatible accessory.

Coming soon: a $9.99 USB brick from Twelve South

It goes without maxim that you lot won’t live on plugging your PowerPic to your iPhone charger (5W) or older USB ports because you’re going to demand a 10W root of mightiness to brand the most from fast 10W wireless charging.

Conclusion: a unique gadget

Twelve South says PowerPic is “the best looking wireless telephone charger that you’ll never see” as well as the description is on point. This is a unique accessory, there’s no inquiry most it. I could live on wrong, but I don’t hollo upwards I’ve always seen a wireless charger disguised every bit a motion-picture present frame.

Most wireless chargers are single-function devices that hold off similar pucks or vertical stands without offering additional functionality. I didn’t hollo upwards this would live on a thing, but I’ll live on showtime to acknowledge that having an elegant motion-picture present frame that sports a hidden wireless charger behind your favorite photograph is innovative as well as functional, non gimmicky.

PowerPic fifty-fifty industrial plant alongside telephone cases upwards to 3mm thick

Everyone who saw this at my habitation was taken aback, positively. You should direct maintain seen the hold off on people’s faces when I rested my telephone against encompass drinking glass as well as it at nowadays sounded a chime as well as began charging. And if the charging plate always breaks or stops working, you lot tin give the sack snuff it on using the motion-picture present frame as, well, a motion-picture present frame.

In fact, the user manual proposes 12 cool ways to reuse your PowerPic box!

Again, this is a regular Qi charger supporting upwards to 10 watts of mightiness that industrial plant non entirely alongside iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max as well as iPhone XR but alongside whatsoever Qi-enabled phone.

Twelve South told me they’ll live on refreshing downloadable backgrounds alongside particular vacation options. Man, this is gonna live on a pop gadget to pick upwards this vacation season!

PowerPic: technical specifications

• Input connector: USB Type C


• Cable: 1.5m USB Type C to USB Type A


• Input: 5V/2A, 9V/1.67A


• Output: 5V/1A, 6V/1.25A, 9V/1.1A


• Operation frequency: 100-250KHz


• Modulation type: ASK


• Antenna type: Coil


• Charging efficiency: 2-8mm; 2mm max → =75% / 8mm max → =72%

Pros as well as cons

Here’s what I liked as well as disliked most this unique wireless charging dock.

Pros

• Qi-certified fast charger delivers upwards to 10W wireless power.


• Personalization features via downloadable wallpapers as well as ain frame photo.


• Supports charging through most cases upwards to 3mm thick.

Cons

• USB charging brick non included.


• The condition calorie-free is on the back.

Pricing as well as availability

PowerPic is available inwards Black or White to stand upwards for whatsoever decor, habitation or business office style.

It’s offered at an introductory cost of $79.99 through the vacation season. After that, PowerPic volition retail at $89.99. You tin give the sack buy yours through the Twelve South webstore starting today.

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