It’s been quite a while since Apple Watch came out and FINALLY Apple has released an official dock accessory that might be worth a look. In the style of Apple, this dock is very simple. There’s really not much to it at all. Inside of the box, you’ll find the dock itself, a 2 meter Lightning cable, along with some simple documentation. The good news is that the magnetic charging puck for Apple Watch is completely integrated into the dock and you’ll use that Lightning cable and a power block, which does not come in the box, to hook everything together and charge your Apple Watch…
So what exactly are you getting for the $79 you’ll spend on this little dock. Well as far as build quality goes, the dock is weighted pretty nice, at least enough to where it won’t move when removing the Apple Watch. It’s off-white in color and seems to be made up from the same material as Apple’s smart covers with a smooth top side and microfiber cloth lining the bottom. Given the color and material, it may get dirty after a while, but only time will tell.
Check out our Apple Watch Dock review video:
One of the main features with Apple’s official docking solution is the fact that it supports Nightstand mode. The puck in the center surrounded by a metal ring is supported by a hing that will allow you to lay the Apple Watch flat on its back or stand it up for the ultimate mini alarm clock. It’s easily pushed up through the recessed cutout on the bottom and can be pushed back down with ease as well. There aren’t too many Apple Watch docks out there that have hardware features to support Nightstand mode so if that’s what you’re looking for, this may be a good solution. And thanks to the circular design, it’ll support all band types and prevent them from scratching the surface of a table top or nightstand.
To me, this doesn’t really look like an Apple product. It’s a very interested design nonetheless, and doesn’t feel cheap by any means. I wish it was available in other colors as I’d definitely prefer a dark gray or black version. Or simply something that worked better with Apple’s selection of cases available.
At the end of the day, it’s yet another quality high priced accessory from Apple, but I’m not quite sure it’s worth the money. If you’re the type who needs all Apple everything, it’s a no brainer, but I’d highly recommend checking out some of the other docking solutions available on the market and I’ll leave a link to this one and some other top Apple Watch docks below for you. On the other hand, if you consider the $29 price of a standalone 2m Lightning cable, the dock itself wouldn’t be horribly expensive if there was a version without it, but sadly that’s no an option.
There’s really not much else to say here though. It’s a simple dock, that pretty much just works, but only if you’re willing to pay the Apple Tax. But let me know what you think about Apple’s new Apple Watch magnetic charging dock in the comments section below.
