Dock your iPad Pro here

LOGITECH BASE

Price: $149

Specifications

Charging stand with Smart Connector, aluminium material

SOMEWHERE along the left edge of any iPad Pro are three small circles, known as Apple's Smart Connector.

Currently, its only use is to connect Apple's keyboard cover accessories to the tablet. With this, the keyboard maintains a connection to and can draw power from the tablet, freeing up Bluetooth connectivity and the need to charge the keyboard separately.

Long-time accessory maker Logitech is making use of this slot with its Base stand, by having the connection charge the tablet when it is resting on the stand.

On the surface, it is not a big deal, except that users no longer have an unsightly wire running from the Lightning connector to the wall socket. This wire now plugs into the stand.

So when you go home, or enter the office, just prop the tablet on the stand.

But the device also frees up the Lightning port, so users can have an external drive plugged into their tablet while charging it at the same time.

The Logitech Base is a premium aluminium stand that complements the iPad Pro very well. The single position design, which lets the tablet rest at what the company says is the best viewing angle, might not be perfect for everyone, but it is more comfortable than the viewing angle offered by Apple's own Smart Keyboard.

While the stand is made of aluminium, it has a plastic base with an anti-slip pad, to prevent it from being moved around by accident. The tip of the stand that the rear of the tablet rests on also comes with a thin layer of plastic, to prevent the aluminium from scratching the tablet.

Magnets hold the iPad Pro in place, so users do not have to align the three pins on the Base to the circles on the tablet; there is even a slight cradle, to hold the tablet in place. Once the tablet is close enough, the Base magnets "tug" at the tablet, and guides it in.

The design of the stand is such that it works with Apple's Silicone Case, so users do not have to remove the case each time the tablet docks.

Alas, there is no pass-through feature with the Smart Connector, so users cannot use the stand to charge the tablet while typing away with the Smart Keyboard accessory.

This method of charging is also slower than just using the cable, taking about seven hours to fully charge the device, compared to about five hours with the cable.

Given the price of the stand, one would have hoped that Logitech would have provided an additional Lightning cable or charger, but the price only pays for the stand and nothing else.

This accessory only works in landscape mode, but if you use the iPad Pro as a desktop, the Base stand is the ideal accessory to have.