Review: Kuxiu iPad Charging Stand

And a day in the life of an iPad Pro

Initial impressions are great! Kuxiu spent the time to make sure the review unit wasn’t going to arrive damaged; not that I’m very concerned given the stand is quite solid and made predominantly out of metal, but nice to see the attention to detail starts with packaging. No instructions in the box, instead they printed the back cover of the box with the setup instructions and a couple of notes about how to use. I really find this to be smart. You’ve already got the medium to print something on since you are using the box for shipping, why waste paper and create a whole separate document. The one thing they are missing is a QR code on the box that would link to their website, and possibly a PDF with all the details about the product. Or even better stamp a QR code right onto the product in an inconspicuous location for users to reference later.

Right out of the box this stand has a very premium look and feel. Attachment point on the desk is solid and seems to have the necessary rubber coatings to not mar the area it is attached to. The articulation joints are very stiff. While this makes setup a little bit more difficult, the stand stays in place during use. And since I still use the iPads touch interface periodically even when mounted, it’s critical that the stand doesn’t move around a lot. The cable management is good, and they provide clear plastic cable retainers that you can use as necessary to  customize the routing.

Use Case

It’s worth explaining my particular use case and how the family uses our 12.9” iPad that will really highlight why a stand like this is so nice. While I’m the main user or the iPad, it does get shared by the family for various applications. When at home the iPad resides next to the  computer to be used as an additional display. The ability to increase screen real estate with a device I already have is a no brainer, especially with the quality of the screen on the iPad Pro.

When it’s not being used as a second screen for the MacBook, it serves as the primary device for signing documents (yes, you’d be amazed how many times we grab this to sign something both the wife and I don’t want to print and ink sign), reading and accessing content on the couch, taking notes for projects (I want to hand sketch drawings sometimes) or written notes. For travel, it goes with us in the car or on a plane so kids can watch movies, play games, color etc. Additionally we use it in the kitchen for recipes, and tracking cooks on the grill or smoker with our Meater thermometers. The last most common usage for the iPad is as our music library. We recently digitized our entire sheet music collection with the ForScore app and use a PageFlip Firefly to flip pages. This has turned out to be an exceptional use for the iPad, but not the point of this review. What I’m trying to do is paint a picture of how much the iPad moves around the house, and how frequently it gets used. Having a single location in the office for the iPad that it can reside and charge (huge emphasis on charge), is super convenient for us. The magnetic attachment makes all this movement more seamless.

Function

The magnetic attachment is great, and I don’t have any concerns about the stability of the iPad while its hovering next to my screen. One caveat, is the box warns not to use this with a case. I don’t use the iPad with a case around the house, so it really isn’t a problem. If I’m going to take the iPad on a trip, I use a Logitech case and put it on at that time, so no concerns here for us. The biggest detractor on the mounting plate is pretty minor, but when compared to the CharJen stand I have, the surface finish doesn’t have the nice velvet feel of the CharJen, it feels to just be a nicely smoothed aluminum face. I’m not concerned with it damaging the iPad, however it loses a little of the premium feel. What Kuxiu gets right here are really strong magnets, and a very stable linkages. This mount is very stable, and this can’t be understated when you are mounting a device that has touch capability. Although most of the time I am using it in this configuration as an additional screen, there are times I want to move back to the iOS software and interact with it via touch while still mounted. The strength and rigidity of the Kuxiu stand make this possible.

Possibly my favorite thing about this stand compared to others I’ve used in the past is the wireless charging. This may not sound like a big deal, but for my use cases, its a minor detail that I really enjoy. When first attaching the iPad to the mount, it triggers the iPad to ask if you want to install a Chinese keyboard, Kuxiu explained in an email to me that this is required because of the way Apple designed the port to be used with keyboards. It only does that once, and after dismissing the prompt it never asks again. Other than that it just works.

Summary

Overall, this is an outstanding stand with a premium look and feel. Stiff articulation joints with strong magnetic attachment points, wireless charging and good aesthetic make for an ideal addition to your office study.

Pros: Wireless Charging, Solid construction and premium feel, long reach, easy setup.

Cons: Exceptionally stiff joints make it a little hard to get into the right position, could use one more degree of freedom (rotation) on the joint that connects the mounting plate.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3WwnYGF

Kuxiu Store: https://bit.ly/3RxClaJ

(Editor: I do not earn affiliate review from these links and thank you to my friend for helping with this review)