HoveBar Duo by Twelve South, a stand for any use you can imagine

We tested the HoverBar Duo from Twelve South, An articulated stand that allows you to position your iPad at different heights and positions, with the quality of materials and finishes that you can expect from a Top product.

With the infinity of supports and articulated arms on the market, it is difficult to think that there would be an egg for one more, but Twelve South has managed to create a unique product, of the highest quality and with. a versatility difficult to match. An articulated arm with base for your desk or table, which you can change for a clip to place on a shelf, kitchen bar or hook on the bed, that you can place in almost any imaginable position and that keeps your iPad very secure. By the way, it is compatible with any iPad model, even the iPhone if you wish.

Materials quality

As is customary at Twelve South, the quality of materials is beyond question. In this accessory, metal and plastic are combined in their different pieces to give the set a good balance between resistance, weight and manageability. Thus, the articulated arm is metallic, with two hinges that allow the set to be adjusted in height and distance. The arm is attached to the base with another joint that allows 360º rotation, and the clamp that will be in charge of hugging your iPad with another ball joint that in addition to the rotation allows the inclination of your iPad, so that it is always looking at your face, even if you use it in the lowest possible position, to write for example .

The base and the clamp are made of plastic. The first is heavy, to give stability to the whole. Heavy enough to hold the iPad in any position without dropping it, but not heavy enough to move your arm to the desired position without having to use a hand to hold it to the table. It also has a dedicated space to leave the Apple Pencil, since you will not be able to have it on the iPad, since the clamp occupies just the place when charging the Apple Pencil. The clamp allows a large opening, enough to hug the iPad Pro 12,9 ″, device that I have used in this review. A spring system will keep your iPad securely attached, at the cost of having to use both hands again to open the clamp when placing or removing the iPad. The surfaces that grip your iPad are perfectly coated so as not to damage the surface of the tablet.

In the box, as we told you before, another support fixing system is included, by means of a clamp, which you can use to fix it to the edge of your desk, to a shelf or to a kitchen bar. Switching to this caliper from the base that is already installed when you take it out of the box will take a few minutes. It is not a complicated change, far from it, as you can see in the video, but it is not a fast system that will allow you to change from base to clamp or from clamp to base every time you need it. Rather, it is a system thought of "I keep the base or I keep the clamp". The clamp also gives a good stability to the whole system, and it is gripped to the surface by an adjustable screw, similar to that of the microphone arms.

Multiple positions, many possibilities

The best thing about the arm is the infinity of positions that its hinges and ball joints allow you to place your iPad in the position you want. Higher, lower, closer, further ... if we add the base-clamp system to this, the reality is that the HoverBar Duo support will serve you for whatever use you want to give it. After adjusting the height and position of the arm, you can adjust the rotation and tilt of the iPad. You can place it horizontally or vertically thanks to the 360º rotation system of the clamp, and you can also adjust its inclination. You can even place the iPad at desk level and tilt it up so you can type on its on-screen keyboard or use the Apple Pencil.

However the joint system of the arm is not perfect. I suppose Twelve South has had to choose between the stability and safety of the system and the ease of articulation, and this results in the arm being hard to articulate. You will need both hands, and almost better to place the arm in the desired position before placing the iPad, and after making the last adjustments. The elbows have screws that you can adjust to give more or less resistance, but it is hard, there is no discussion possible. A system with internal springs to make the arm movement smoother like that found in some microphone arms would have been ideal, but it would have had a negative impact on the dimensions of the stand, and much more on its price.

Editor's opinion

The HoverBar Duo by Twelve South is today the best product in this category that you can find for quality of construction and versatility, offering you solutions for any use that you intend to give the iPad. It is also compatible with any iPad model, even with the iPhone horizontally, its defects, which it has, cannot help but say that it is a product of great quality and usefulness, which any iPad user will appreciate having on their desk. Its price on Amazon is € 89,99 (link), more expensive than other classic supports but with a huge difference in terms of use possibilities.