Twelve South HoverBar Duo review: Ultra-flexible iPad stand

I recently purchased an iPad mini 6 and have been looking for a stand that would work with it as well as my older 11-inch iPad Pro. Enter the Twelve South HoverBar Duo. It's flexible enough to use with any iPad model and many other electronic devices such as your iPhone, Nintendo Switch, Kindle, and anything in between.

It's called "Duo" because it comes with both a weighted base and a shelf clamp. The flexible arm lets you put your iPad in just about any position. A ball-and-socket joint with a knob enables you to turn your iPad horizontally or vertically (or somewhere in-between if that's your thing.)

Twelve South HoverBar Duo: Price and availability

You can purchase the Twelve South HoverBar Duo on Amazon for $79 or on Twelve South's website for $80. It only comes in one color: Black.

Twelve South HoverBar Duo: What's good

The Twelve South HoverBar Duo comes with both a weighted base and a shelf clamp, plus the hex wrenches you'll need to swap them out and adjust the angles of the arm. The arm has three joints; the middle and bottom one require a hex wrench to adjust, while the joint attached to the iPad clip is a ball-and-socket joint with a knob you can turn by hand. The iPad clip adjusts to hold any device as small as five inches (like an iPhone or gaming device) or as large as the iPad Pro.

This gives you lots of flexibility, whether you use your iPad (or another device) as a work companion next to your Mac or as a standalone work/leisure device. Use it to keep your iPad in your eye line and out of the way of splashes as you follow an onscreen recipe in the kitchen. Play exercise videos in your home gym; your iPad will be safely out of the way but easily visible. Film whatever creativity you're doing with your hands in your maker studio. Read a book, watch a video, FaceTime your loved ones, whatever you like to do, do it hands-free.

In my testing, my iPad never tipped over. The base is quite heavy and even has a thoughtful slot where you can place your Apple Pencil or other stylus and not have to worry about it rolling away. To prevent sagging, you'll need to be sure and tighten the knob behind the iPad clip well.

I was able to use my iPad mini in this stand, both with and without a case. You should be able to keep your case on as long as it's on the thinner side — no more than 8.68 inches wide and half an inch deep (or thick). The height doesn't matter because the clip only grips the sides. The charging ports, speakers, and buttons aren't obstructed, so your iPad is fully functional while using this stand.

Twelve South HoverBar Duo: What's not good

It is a bit pricey for what it is. If you're not in need of so much flexibility, you might be better off with a cheaper stand.

I'm not crazy about having to hang onto the two hex wrench tools in order to make adjustments. You'll need them in order to swap out the desk base and shelf clamp, as well as to adjust the two lower joints.

When you tap the touch screen, it does vibrate slightly, even with the knob and joints tightened as securely as I could get them. If you do a lot of tapping, you might find this quite annoying.

Twelve South HoverBar Duo: Competition

If you're looking for more of a multi-purpose stand, check out the Satechi Aluminum Hub & Stand. While it doesn't have the HoverBar Duo's flexibility in terms of placement, it is also a hub with 4K HDMI, USB-C, and USB-A ports as well as an SD card slot.

However, for some less expensive options, we've rounded up the best iPad Air stands, which can actually be used with any model iPad. The Yoobao Tablet Stand Multi-Angle Tablet Holder is simple, inexpensive, and holds your iPad at various angles. The Yohann iPad Stand is a work of art carved from a single piece of wood. It cantilevers your iPad at the perfect angle.

Twelve South HoverBar Duo: Should you buy it?

• You need a super-flexible iPad stand
• You want to use it with devices of varying sizes
• You want both a desk base and a shelf clamp

• Price is an issue
• If you'll find a slight vibration when you tap annoying
• If you don't want to use tools to make any adjustments

If flexibility is what you need, this is the stand for you. With both a desk base and a shelf clamp, plus an endless number of angles you can use, this stand holds your iPad or other devices any which way. However, if it's out of your price range, or if a slight vibration upon tapping or having to use hex wrenches will annoy you, this isn't the stand for you.

The Twelve South HoverBar Duo lets you go hands-free and do just about anything you like to do with your iPad. Since it comes with both a weighted desk base and a shelf clamp, you have lots of placement options. The ball-and-joint socket and knob on the back of the iPad clip plus two other joints give you unlimited angles. The clip adjusts between the size of an iPhone and the largest iPad Pro, so it can be used with a multitude of devices. Note that you will need to use the included hex wrenches to adjust the two lower joints and to switch between the shelf clip and desk base. Also, some might find the slight vibration when tapping on your iPad screen distracting.

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