Power plant: an iPhone “tree” that charges vertically

The ChargeTree is a deceptively simple but delightfully life-enhancing iPhone charger from Sydney-based firm STM. The standard orientation of wireless phone chargers is horizontal; the USP of the ChargeTree is that it charges your phone standing vertically, so you can see the screen while it’s taking on gas. My iPhone currently charges overnight on my bedside table on a traditional horizontal mat thingy (so odd that Apple doesn’t make its own). As a result, I find myself fumbling for it when I want to check the time, then refumbling to replace it on the mat. It’s really poor ergonomics all round.

Not so with the ChargeTree, a simple conceptual tweak to the tech that makes a disproportionate difference to the human-machine interface. The Tree also has a lip for the phone to rest on, which positions it perfectly for charging, cutting out the fiddle I find with horizontal chargers of having to align the phone in the irritatingly tricky-to-find correct position.

In addition, you have the choice of mounting and charging the phone either in portrait or landscape mode, so you could easily have the breakfast TV news on in miniature by your pillow.

Why the name ChargeTree? Well, obviously because it’s a vertically orientated device (with an accordingly small footprint, helpful on nightstands). But also because the tree can bear – and charge – other fruit: an Apple Watch and a set of AirPods/AirPods Pro. One caveat: the ChargeTree has LED charging lights, which are handy to assure you that your devices are refilling, but if pinpricks of brightness keep you awake, you might want to cover them with tape. Also, it’s a shame it doesn’t come in black.

STM ChargeTree, £69.95, amazon.co.uk