Twelve South, the luxury accessories brand, has just announced that it's bringing its Valet charging tray to the UK and Europe, having already launched it in the US – and that the tray will now come in two different sizes.
The Valet comprises a compact tray that's ideal for dropping your keys or other small items on, whether it's by the entry to your home or on your bedside, but it also features a Qi2 wireless charging puck. This gives your phone a home on the tray, and holds it slightly elevated from the rest as it charges.
Being from Twelve South, you can be pretty confident that the tray will feel exceptionally sturdy and well-made, and it now comes in three colours – black, brown and taupe. Each comes with a detachable frame around its edge to let you choose where the Twelve South logo sits, which is a nice little touch.
The biggest news from Twelve South's point of view, though, is that there are now two versions of the Valet to choose from. The standard version, the one that launched in the US, is now called the original Valet, and it launches at £179.99 and €189.99. It's big enough that your phone sits within the tray while it charges.
The new smaller size is called the compact Valet, and it's a bit cheaper at £129.99 and €139.99, and has a far narrower rectangular shape. This means your phone sort of hangs over the tray while it charges, but it makes the Valet potentially fit onto a much wider range of surfaces.
I should be getting hold of one of those smaller Valets very soon, so I'll know more about whether it justifies what is still a pretty steep price. Twelve South has never been shy about pricing its accessories at luxury levels, but when you have the relatively frequent Apple stamp of approval, that'll happen.
Its chargers are indeed some of the best in the business, after all, so this could be a really choice addition to a nightstand or living room counter. Both sizes should be available to order directly from Twelve South today.
