Mophie’s Watch Dock For Apple Watch Has Plenty Of Supporting Character

The leading edge of Apple Watch accessories is starting to flood in, and to prove that fact, I recently had not one, but two Watch docks arrive on my doorstep in the same day. One of those was the Mophie Watch Dock, a stand accessory from the well-respected external battery and charging case maker. There seem to be almost as many Watch stands as there are Apple Watch model and strap variants, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to a product Apple calls its “most personal device ever.”
The Watch Dock aims for a luxe look with its material choices; leather accents set off the primarily aluminum stand and base, providing a look that’s at home with any Mac Apple currently offers, but that also compliments the black leather strap options offered alongside the Apple Watch. The leather components also offer a soft surface at the key points where your Watch could make contact with the stand, letting those who baby their gadgets rest a little easier.
Like other stand solutions, the Watch Dock requires you to bring your own Apple Watch charging adapter to the party. It works with all versions of the puck, and has a cleverly hidden channel for routing the cable through the stand and the base, with a little foam pop-out piece to make it look like the cable is completely integrated once you’ve got it installed.

 

 

That channel, along with the nice contrast between the leather and the matte aluminum, make this a very nice-looking companion for Apple Watch. The angle of the display when your Watch is charging makes it easy to see things like alarms and the time (with a tap) when you’ve got it on your bedside table, and it takes up very little space in terms of overall physical footprint.

The small, lightweight design is good in that regard, but also means that it’s a bit tippy when you go to remove the Watch from the magnetic charging pit; it leaves me wishing they’d put some kind of additional weight in the base to keep it more firmly rooted. You’re still not going to knock down the stand when removing the watch, but it will shift around a bit with normal use.
Ultimately, between this and the Nomad Stand I checked out yesterday, I prefer the Nomad, but only because the striking single-piece design is more in line with my personal tastes. With Watch stands, it’s mostly going to come down to a question of personal preference, and the $59.95 Mophie is definitely a better fit for those with more traditional or conservative aesthetic leanings.