At the beginning I thought “Nah not for me, but now absolutely love it”
Good Points :-
- Really well made.
- Multiple viewing heights/angles.
- Included clamp increases versatility.
- Stylus holder in the base.
Bad Points:-
- Can’t magnetically charge stylus while in the holder.
- Bit Pricey.
- Adjustments can be a bit fiddley.
Recently I was asked to review, what’s billed as a iPad stand by 12 South the HoverBar Duo, but I haven’t got a iPad anymore as I’ve moved to the Galaxy Tab S7, so I though I’d have a looksee.
Design:-
Materials wise the stand is made from metal and plastic, the ergonomic adjustable arm is made of thick, sturdy metal, and thanks to its circular mount on the weighted base (again made from metal) the arm can be moved in a 360-degree circle, the arm has two swivelling elbows for all your adjustment needs, one is located at the base of the mount and the second halfway up the arm. The elbows can both be adjusted both forward and backwards to the point of allowing your iPad to face the opposite direction from you, and you can view your tablet in either landscape or portrait
Strong Metal Construction For The Base & Arms
The weighted base is covered in a hard, matte black plastic with a debossed Twelve South logo and a cut-out for holding your Apple Pencil or sPen , despite the base having some weight behind it it still wasn’t quite enough when making some arm adjustments, and would need to be held down.
Due to the way your tablet is held in the HoverDuo your not going to be able to magnetically charger your stylus of choice so the cut out is where it will have to live.
The clamp that holds your tablet is also made of hard plastic, with a integrated ball mount, which is able to swivel in all directions. The inside of the clamp is lined with a soft rubber, ensuring you don’t damage your tablet when mounted and keeps your tablet nice and secure.
Twelve South’s manual suggests you should mount the iPad horizontally and then adjust the ball-swivel mount to a portrait orientation, this probably due the strong spring action on the clamp.
Another feature of the HoverBar Duo is its ability to convert to a clamp-based arm as well — by removing a few bolts with the included Allen wrenches, you can use the included clamp to attach the HoverBar Duo to a countertop overhang or the edge of your desk. ( or in my case the rear of my campervan ) The mounting clamp is made of a sturdy metal and has some extra thick rubber pads on the inside to ensure you don’t scratch or damage your countertop.
In Use:-
It wasn’t until I started to use the HoverBar, that I realised just how uncomfortable it is to watch media using the stand built into my Tab S7 case, using the HoverBar and I could get its position absolutely perfect, The stand is easy to move around the home, from watching a movie to reading a recipe in the kitchen, the HoverBar can be used almost everywhere.
I found it especially useful for using the Tab S7 as a second screen for my laptop using the Second Screen option or hooking the tablet up to a keyboard and mouse for full Dex mode.
Conclusion :-
As more and more us use our tablets as our main device, be it for consuming media or working from home, the HoverBar Duo gives you the ability to position your device just right. The Duo is a bit on the expensive side £79.99 from Amazon but its very well made and has the ability to be used with its base or clamp. Initially when I was asked to review the Duo a stand for my tablet was something that I had never considered, but now I’m converted and can’t see me doing without one, and it is well worth some consideration.