Tag Archives: IPhone

This $39 MagSafe Charger is like Apple’s AirPower Mat on performance-enhancing steroids…

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If anything, the AirPower Mat did manage to achieve one remarkable thing – it pushed the idea of having one wireless charging solution for all of Apple’s devices. The AirPower Mat may have failed in this particular venture, but it did lead to multiple third-party manufacturers making their own version of a 3-in-1 charger. Now, INVZI is showing that there’s a way to make them even better. With a shapeshifting design and a MagSafe feature to align your phone, the INVZI MagFree Transform is easily the most impressive 3-in-1 charger I’ve seen. Use it flat like a charging mat, or swivel its halves to turn it into a charging dock. The MagFree Transform also routes more power to your devices than traditional chargers, juicing their batteries faster… and the kicker, its $39 price tag makes it a whopping $110 cheaper than the Belkin BOOST↑CHARGE™ PRO 3-in-1 charger that’s available on Apple’s own website.

Designer: INVZI

Click Here to Buy Now: $39 $69 (44% off) Hurry! Only 41 hours left.

The two simple ways to look at the MagFree Transform are as A. a flat charger that’s easy to carry, and B. a shapeshifting versatile charger that juices your iPhone, Watch, and AirPods simultaneously. Individually, those are great features. Together, however, they make a formidable combination that sets the MagFree Transform apart as a perfect pick for charging both at your table as well as on the go.

Perhaps the most noteworthy part of the MagFree Transform’s design is the swiveling detail that allows it to go from mat to stand in under a second. Relying on an angular cut and a swivel joint, the MagFree Transform gets its name from its ability to literally shapeshift between one of two formats. In the mat-shaped format, the charger lets you easily rest all your gadgets down on its horizontal surface, but swivel it into a dock and it puts your smartphone on display, allowing it to snap into place thanks to a MagSafe detail in the charging ring. Meanwhile, the AirPods and Watch charge at the back, away from your view. The MagSafe ring supports both vertical and horizontal docking methods (with the latter activating the iPhone’s StandBy always-on screen.

Convenience aside, the MagFree Transform also outputs a total of 23W across all its charging zones, helping ‘rapidly’ juice all your devices. The primary charging coil outputs 15W to charge your iPhone faster than traditional 7.5W or 10W wireless chargers, while the coil for the Apple Watch maxes out at 5W, and the AirPods coil at 3W. Sure, this doesn’t compare to the kind of fast-charging speeds offered by wired chargers, but for a sleek wireless charger, the MagFree Transform sits at the top of its ladder.

It can simultaneously charge three devices at the same time, whether in mat or standing mode. A USB-C port on the back lets you hook your MagFree Transform to any power source (like an outlet or a power bank) so you can charge anywhere, whether it’s on your workspace or at your bedside. Heck, at that $39 price point, I’d probably buy multiple units just to keep in different parts of my house. The only thing missing is a USB-C out that would allow you to connect your charger to an iPad or any other device for wired charging too. However, the MagFree Transform focuses strictly on wireless charging, which is a kind of commitment that I can respect.

 

The MagFree Transform supports Apple’s StandBy feature during charging.

Measuring 8 inches in length, 3.2 inches wide, and 0.59 inches thick, the MagFree Transform is just marginally bigger than a Plus/Max iPhone. It weighs a paltry 100 grams, making it incredibly easy to slip right into your bag or backpack to carry around with you, and comes in two color choices – white or black, with the ability to attach (and even swap) vegan leather veneers on top to cushion your gadgets and give the MagFree Transform a classy and distinct look.

Each MagFree Transform charger starts at a discounted $39, and also includes a 30W GaN charging brick along with a 3.3ft USB-C cable in the box. An additional $10 will either get you a soft-shell case to carry your charger and its accessories, or a set of those aforementioned vegan leather covers to customize your gadget. The MagFree Transform ships globally starting April 2024.

Click Here to Buy Now: $39 $69 (44% off) Hurry! Only 41 hours left.

Click Here to Buy Now: $39 $69 (44% off) Hurry! Only 41 hours left.

The post This $39 MagSafe Charger is like Apple’s AirPower Mat on performance-enhancing steroids… first appeared on Yanko Design.

mophie Juice Pack for iPhone 15 revives long-forgotten battery case design

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Power banks might be so common and boring these days, but there was a time when people thought they were more trouble than they were worth. Having to fumble around for a battery pack and cable to quickly plug in a phone may sound like too much of a hassle, so mophie, one of the oldest players in this game, came up with an alternative solution a long, long time ago. The battery case was the answer to that problem, making the iPhone “wear” its extra battery at all times. That design, however, hasn’t been seen for years, making you think battery cases have gone extinct. That was almost the case, pardon the pun, until the recent announcement that the mophie Juice Pack is making a comeback, but apparently only for three out of four iPhone 15 models.

Designer: mophie (ZAGG)

When you first hear about it, battery cases sound like the best of both worlds. You get an extra battery to make sure your phone never runs empty, but you also don’t have to juggle with a separate pack like with a normal power bank. That’s theoretically true until you realize just how much that extra power will cost you in other aspects. Especially when you consider that batteries from five years ago were pretty thick despite having low capacities.

With significant improvements in this area, mophie thought it was time to bring its juice pack back to life, offering a battery case for the current generation of iPhones. The basic concept remains the same, with the battery “hiding” inside the sizable case that wraps around the iPhone like a very thick bumper. Of course, it also functions as a protective case, so that rugged and bulky appearance isn’t without its merits.

Like in previous iterations of the juice pack, there are LED dots on the back to indicate just how much charge the case has left. It also supports passthrough USB-C charging, so you don’t have to worry about having to remove the case just to charge the iPhone itself. That said, given the thickness that the battery adds to the back, it shouldn’t be a surprise to learn that it also prevents any sort of MagSafe functionality from working.

The mophie Juice Packs will go for $99.95 for all three iPhone models, though there are different capacities, starting at 2,400 mAh. The iPhone 15 Plus is notably missing from the list, apparently because mophie didn’t want to waste resources on a model that isn’t even selling well. Then again, it remains to be seen how many iPhone users will be willing to bulk up their phones and lose MagSafe compatibility at the same time just for the convenience of not having to plug in a power bank.

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Clicks iPhone Attachment Adds A Physical Keyboard

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Do you miss having a tactile, physical keyboard on your phone? Then set your time machine dial to 2006. Or you can buy Clicks, an iPhone attachment that adds a physical keyboard to the bottom of your phone. In addition to allowing more screen real estate while in use, the keyboard also allows shortcuts and dedicated keys. My productivity is going to skyrocket!

Billed as the first ‘creator’s keyboard’, the Clicks is currently available for iPhone models 14 Pro and 15 Pro ($139), and 15 Pro Max ($159) in two colors: BumbleeBee (yellow) and London Sky (dark grey). The keyboard features a backlight that can be toggled on and off for night use, and appears to make your phone long enough to pass as a handheld metal detector. That alone is worth the price in my opinion.

Make more space for apps and content by moving the keyboard off your screen….Real keys make typing feel so natural, you can tackle more tasks than ever on iPhone. …Fly through tasks with keyboard shortcuts and dedicated keys that give you ultimate control of your phone.

Admittedly, I do miss having a real keyboard on my phone. Of course, I also miss owning a pager. They say technology is cyclical, will both keyboarded phones and pagers make a comeback? I can dream, can’t I?

[via LaughingSquid]

Clicks QWERTY keyboard iPhone case brings back the joy of typing

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Remember the days when you could swiftly type a long response on your phone in just seconds? Even if you didn’t own a BlackBerry, our amazing human brains managed to evolve to adapt to the esoteric T9 input, resulting in a flurry of thumbs hammering out text at mind-blowing speeds. Just like with pen and paper, there are benefits to having physical keys to type with, including muscle memory, accuracy, and sheer satisfaction. Those are the joys that this new case is trying to bring to the iPhone by snapping on a full yet tiny QWERTY keyboard that gives creators the power to turn text into stories, quickly and accurately.

Designers: Michael Fisher and Kevin Michaluk

Although the BlackBerry is now a footnote in history, there was a time when it was the de facto standard of productivity. It’s a bit ironic that its most iconic feature is all but a memory today when text is even more critical in mobile life. From notes to todos to captions to messages, we type plenty of text on our touchscreen smartphones, which painfully drives home the fact that these smooth, flat surfaces have terrible ergonomics and haptics for such an activity. There have been a few attempts at resurrecting the BlackBerry or at least bringing the physical QWERTY keyboard to smartphones, but Clicks is trying to differentiate itself by projecting a fun and creative character that’s more in line with today’s creators.

For one, the cases distance themselves from the drab and serious styles of business-minded BlackBerry clones by embracing colors and curves, whether it’s the yellow Bumblebee or even the gray London Sky. Perhaps to avoid any litigation like its forebears, Clicks adopts circular keys with some spacing in between, giving the keyboard a more whimsical appearance. Regardless of the design, the Clicks QWERTY case has the same mission as all other QWERTY cases before it, bringing a familiar sensation to upgrade the typing experience. Best of all, the keyboard no longer eats up half your screen, leaving room for more content.

Using the case itself is as simple as pie. You slide the iPhone in from the top, carefully align the Lightning or USB-C connector, and snap the top on. The case doesn’t have a battery of its own, which makes it lighter and cheaper, so it draws power from the iPhone itself. It does support pass-through charging so you don’t have to remove the case just to charge the iPhone. The one drawback of its simple design is that MagSafe accessories won’t stick to it, but you can still enjoy wireless charging on a flat horizontal surface.

The Clicks QWERTY keyboard case is compatible only with the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models, though their availability won’t happen all at the same time. The $139 price tag is going to be debatable, especially for those who aren’t yet convinced of the advantages of having a physical keyboard at the cost of making a tall phone even taller. But for creators who find themselves always pecking at their phone’s screen, this quirky accessory is a done deal.

The post Clicks QWERTY keyboard iPhone case brings back the joy of typing first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Flippable MagSafe ID Card Holder is the iPhone Accessory Professionals Need in 2024

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DuoFlip is a new gadget that makes carrying your daily essentials easier. With DuoFlip, you no longer need to search through a messy wallet to find your card or ID. All you need to do is flip it open, and you’re good to go. The design is simple and comfortable, making sure your belongings are secure. It’s the perfect investment for a more organized and stress-free lifestyle. Say goodbye to the hassle of carrying cards and IDs the old-fashioned way.

Designer: Stella Chang Chien of SleekStrip

Click Here to Buy Now: $28 $40 (30% off). Hurry, only 78/150 left!

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The Problem

Carrying multiple items such as a work ID badge, wallet, bag/purse, and phone can be cumbersome and often leads to forgetfulness of crucial IDs or cards when leaving home or the office. Additionally, while contactless card tapping offers convenience and hygiene benefits, current card holders and wallets still require physical card retrieval, making the process tedious and increasing the risk of card loss.

The Solution: DuoFlip – The Flippable MagSafe ID Card Holder

DuoFlip addresses these problems by consolidating your daily essentials (phone, ID, and cards) into one convenient accessory. With its innovative flip design and MagSafe compatibility, DuoFlip allows you to effortlessly switch between two cards with a simple flip for display or tapping. No more fumbling or risking card loss.

Streamlined Card Display and Tapping

DuoFlip features two card slots: one with a window and another covered. This design allows you to securely hold your essential ID and/or cards while keeping them easily accessible. The windowed slot is perfect for displaying your ID, while the covered slot ensures the safety and privacy of your other cards.

MagSafe Compatibility for Seamless Attachment

Designed to seamlessly and securely attach to your phone using MagSafe technology, DuoFlip eliminates the need to remember one more item to bring along. By keeping all your essentials in one place, you can simplify your daily carry and never forget your ID or cards again.

Hassle-Free Transitions with Innovative Flip Design

DuoFlip’s flip design enables seamless transitions between the windowed ID card slot and the covered card slot. This hassle-free solution allows for easy storage, display, and tapping of essential cards without the need for card removal. Say goodbye to the inconvenience of traditional cardholders.

Dual-Sided Card Tapping with Anti-Interference Design

DuoFlip takes card tapping to the next level with its proprietary 6-layer anti-interference card partition design. Unlike other card holders or wallets that claim to support card tapping but deliver poor results, DuoFlip has been extensively tested with over 230 anti-interference material combinations to ensure reliable and efficient dual-sided card tapping every time.

Integrated Phone Stand for Added Convenience

In addition to its primary function as an ID card holder, DuoFlip doubles as a phone stand, offering both portrait and landscape orientations. Now, you can enjoy hands-free video watching and easily make FaceTime calls without the need to find a cup or lean your phone against a surface.

Versatile Accessories for Customized Experience

DuoFlip can be further enhanced with versatile accessories such as a lanyard, lanyard phone patch, or retractor, allowing you to tailor your experience based on your specific needs and use scenarios. Its magnetic design also enables convenient clipping onto your shirt pocket, ensuring easy access and safekeeping.

Premium Materials for Durability and Style

DuoFlip is constructed with tear-resistant fabric for its soft hinges, reducing weight and thickness while ensuring durability. The proprietary 6-layer anti-interference partition between card slots enables proper tapping without signal interference. The exterior of DuoFlip is made of vegan leather, available in three colors, providing a high-quality appearance, comfortable feel, and excellent protection for your cards. All layers are meticulously sewn together to enhance durability and longevity, with over 100,000 flips tested.

Eco-Friendly Packaging

At SleekStrip, we are committed to sustainability. That’s why we have designed the packaging for DuoFlip to be 100% recyclable and space-saving. Whether you purchase DuoFlip online or from a retail store, you can be confident that the packaging aligns with our eco-friendly values.

The development of DuoFlip has been an exciting journey for the SleekStrip team, involving initial research and concept development, design iterations, prototypes, testing, and pre-production setup. The company takes great pride in presenting this innovative design and believes DuoFlip can greatly simplify and streamline your daily life.

Click Here to Buy Now: $28 $40 (30% off). Hurry, only 78/150 left!

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These iPod Wallpapers for your iPhone give it a wonderfully retro-style Lock Screen!

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22 years ago, Steve Jobs held in his hand what would quite literally be the turning point of his company. The iPod made its first debut in October 2001, and it’s difficult to picture what Apple would look like without it. Such has its cultural effect been on society that if you’re a millennial with an iPhone, chances are you probably owned (or tried desperately to convince your parents for) an iPod. However, if you missed that boat (or even if you just miss having an iPod right now), Oliur and Shane Levine’s wallpapers have you absolutely sorted. The iPod Wallpapers Pack turns your iPhone lock screen into a makeshift iPod with the popular music player’s display conveniently showcasing the date and time as well as your iPhone lock screen widgets. No, it won’t control music playback. Yes, we wish it did!

Designers: Oliur & Shane Levine

Click Here to Buy Now: $14

Turn your iPhone lock screen into a 6th Gen iPod Classic!

The $14 wallpaper pack comes with 12 different iPod Classic variants to choose from, including color varieties as well as themed and grungy iPods that kids bedazzled with stickers and other paraphernalia. All the images are high-definition, which works exceptionally well on your iPhone’s AMOLED retina screens…

Click Here to Buy Now: $14

The post These iPod Wallpapers for your iPhone give it a wonderfully retro-style Lock Screen! first appeared on Yanko Design.

Moment iPhone 75mm macro lens lets you get close and personal

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Smartphones are wonderful tools that enable a great deal of functionality, from productivity to gaming to creativity. Their cameras, in particular, are powerful enough to threaten even point-and-click and entry-level cameras, but there are still some things that aren’t possible to achieve because of limitations in size and price. DSLRs, for example, have a wider variety of applications because they can swap out lenses depending on the need. That’s impossible with smartphone cameras, but a compromise has been developed that lets you augment or change the way those cameras work by attaching a separate lens, like this new accessory from Moment that enables a powerful macro shot that’s not normally available on the iPhone.

Designer: Moment

Some Android phones advertise having a macro camera, but those really don’t do justice to what macro lenses are truly capable of. Not only are the magnification levels low, the imaging sensors are also so substandard that it might be better to have no macro camera at all. The only way you’ll be able to pull off a pleasant or dramatic close-up shot is to pair an appropriate lens with a decent sensor.

That’s exactly what the new Moment macro lens brings to the table by attaching a lens with a 75mm focal length equivalent to the powerful wide or ultrawide camera of a smartphone like the iPhone 15 Pro. This kind of lens allows the mobile photographer to capture crisp foreground details with pleasant blurring in the background, even from a distance of four inches from the subject. With a 10x magnification, you can achieve an intense shallow depth of field while still including more of the background in the shot.

Normally, you wouldn’t be able to attach a different lens on a smartphone, but Moment’s T-Series lenses use an innovative yet easy-to-use system to make that possible. In a nutshell, you put a special protective case on the iPhone and then attach compatible lenses on the specially designed mounts to expand the camera’s capabilities using lenses that would have never fit inside the cramped space of a smartphone. This ingenious design means that this new Moment macro lens can also be used on other phones, including the Pixel 8 or Samsung phones, provided you use the matching case or special mount made for the T-series lenses.

With the Moment 75mm macro lens, you can take breath-taking close-up shots of natural objects or even moving subjects, allowing you to create better memories or even win some awards. The $119.99 price tag is a bit tough to swallow, but professionals will probably be able to justify such an expense if they can get more stunning images in every shot. Of course, there’s also the hidden cost of requiring that case to always be on, at least while you’re using the lens, and the lens jutting out from the phone’s back awkwardly, but these are the things that your social media followers will probably never see anyway.

The post Moment iPhone 75mm macro lens lets you get close and personal first appeared on Yanko Design.

Small iPhone 16 camera design change could have important implications

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Apple is known for moving slowly but surely, changing things only when it really makes sense and after numerous tests. That can be especially seen in the iPhone’s cameras, which don’t change year after year, unlike the general trend in the mobile industry. Whether it’s the hardware itself or the design of the camera bump, Apple has been careful and meticulous in introducing changes. That’s why it’s a bit of a big thing that Apple is rumored to be changing the iPhone 16’s camera design for the first time in three years, but it’s a change that will bring a significant change in functionality, at least for the base iPhone models, and possibly a very different aesthetic as well.

Designer: Apple (via MacRumors)

Apple has traditionally been modest with its camera hardware because it is able to pull off great images even with sensors that look outdated on paper. It also doesn’t change the design of the camera island as often as other brands, introducing a pill-shaped bump in the iPhone 8 Plus in 2017 and only switching to a square enclosure in the 2019 iPhone 11. In the 2021 iPhone 13, it moved the position of the lenses so that they’d be diagonally opposite to each other, creating a visually more interesting composition than the plain vertical arrangement of the iPhone X.

According to rumors, however, Apple is switching back to a vertical design for the iPhone 16 cameras, and it’s unlikely just on a whim. There is a chance that this change will enable the Spatial Video function that’s only available on the iPhone 15 Pro models, a feature that allows recording video in three dimensions. This, however, requires using both the main wide camera and the ultrawide shooter in tandem, in which case these two sensors have to be aligned vertically or even horizontally.

What’s a little more interesting is that Apple is reportedly testing a different design for this new camera as well. There is one that looks exactly like the iPhone 11 and 12, with the cameras vertically arranged. Another potential design, however, places the vertical pill shape of the iPhone X on top of the square bump of the iPhone 15. As interesting as that may look visually, it’s a rather distracting design and would be a bit complicated and inconsistent with the current iPhone design language.

Changing the camera arrangement to enable Spatial Video recording is another sign that Apple is aiming to bring Pro features to the base iPhone 16. An earlier leak claimed that a redesigned Action Button will be available on all iPhone 16 models. That button will supposedly switch from a mechanical button to a pressure-sensitive capacitive surface, a feature that could expand what the button is capable of doing.

The post Small iPhone 16 camera design change could have important implications first appeared on Yanko Design.

All-screen iPhone with Under-Display Camera is coming but not too soon

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Although notches and cutouts, including Apple’s Dynamic Island ‘pill,” have become the industry standard for cramming front-facing cameras and sensors on smartphones, they are hardly the ideal solution. Because of the blemish they put on the phone’s display, not to mention the area of unusable space they incur, they’re both unattractive and wasteful. The ideal solution and Holy Grail that designers and manufacturers have been chasing after is having no cutout at all, with the camera invisibly hidden beneath the screen. As many smartphones, including the Galaxy Z Fold series, demonstrate, that’s easier said than done. That said, everyone seems to be moving in that direction, including Apple, which might already be preparing for an iPhone that’s all-screen, coming in 3 or 4 years.

Designer: Apple (via The Elec)

Image courtesy of Samsung

Hiding a camera lens or other sensors beneath the screen is no easy task. A camera will need to capture light from the outside in order to actually form a picture, but a screen is mostly opaque so no light will reach it normally. This is why Under-Display Cameras (UDC) or Under-Panel Cameras (UPC) actually have a lower resolution in the area directly above the camera compared to the rest of the screen. A lower resolution means fewer pixels, which means some light will be able to pass through to the sensor beneath. At the same time, however, the resolution shouldn’t be too low that you can make out the individual pixels with the naked eye, destroying the illusion.

There are other technical considerations with UDCs, including how the display’s own illumination could bleed into the camera, a flaw that Samsung is probably too familiar with. With so many parts of the puzzle, it’s no wonder that Apple isn’t in a rush to adopt this rather young technology, even if other brands like Samsung and ZTE have already jumped on the bandwagon. It won’t hold off forever, of course, and it seems that the ball has started rolling for an iPhone with that design in 2027 at the earliest.

Image courtesy of MacRumors

According to industry sources, LG has started work on a solution to the deterioration of image quality due to the loss of light in under-display cameras. It’s designing a special lens that is composed of multiple lenses to be able to gather more light despite the screen’s pixels blocking most of the area. Of course, the technology is still under heavy development, so even if Apple were to use it, won’t be happening even in the next two years.

In fact, Apple is expected to first adopt a familiar circular punch-hole cutout for either the iPhone 16 Pro next year or the iPhone 17 Pro. The iPhone 17 Pro is also speculated to be the first to use an “Under Panel Face ID” technology before Apple finally jumps to an all-screen iPhone design after 2026, possibly with the iPhone 20 Pro, if that will be its name.

The post All-screen iPhone with Under-Display Camera is coming but not too soon first appeared on Yanko Design.

Macintosh-inspired Wireless Charging Stand combines Nostalgia with MagSafe and Wireless Charging

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For those of us who were already alive and aware when the original Macintosh made its bow on January 1984, seeing any vintage design that is inspired by this classic is always nostalgic. We’ve been seeing a resurgence of all kinds of vintage-inspired designs on more modern gadgets and devices to blend the old and the new. elago is one such brand that has been coming up with more nostalgic magsafe and old-school Mac inspired accessories to go together with your iPhones, AirPods, Apple Watch, etc. This latest one is sure to appeal to the classic Mac lovers.

Designer: elago

Click Here to Buy Now

The MagSafe MS M4 Charging Stand is a charging stand for your iPhone that brings back the classic retro design of the Macintosh. It also helps reduce clutter on your table when you need to juice up your smartphone and of course do it in nostalgic style. It is made from premium silicone so it should be able to protect your device from scratches and even the spot on the desk where you will be placing the charger. It also adds a grip to to the surface that it’s resting on and has ventilation holes so your device won’t overheat.

You will need to have your own MagSafe charger which will be attached to the charging stand which then allows you to attach your iPhone in place. As it’s charging, you will also be able to use it to take phone calls and do video calls as well. It is also compatible with the StandBy mode that turns your device into an ambient smart display if you’re already sporting iOS 17. It is compatible with the iPhone 12, 13, 14, and 15 series. If you’re not using the charging stand, it still looks cute sitting there on your table with the mini Macintosh design complete with the classic cursive “hello.” greeting.

The charging stand doesn’t have any other new additional feature aside from being a stand that charges your iPhone or a stand to hold your device if you’re using it for calls or video conferences. But if you’re looking for something cute and nostalgic, then it’s something that you’d want to add to your collection. And at just $28.99, it’s not that of an expensive addition.

Click Here to Buy Now

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