What do you do with your Apple Watch at night? Yes, the Apple Watch Series 1 might edge through two days on a single charge and the Apple Watch Series 2 does better than that, but chances are you drop it on that magnetic charging pad each evening for fear of entering the red and running short the next day.
Apple’s wireless charging solution is small and sleek, but its not exactly the most elegant option. Lying flat on a bedside table the standalone cable can be fiddly and space-sapping, leaving your wearable sprawled across the sideboard. What you need then is a charging stand. Fortunately there’s plenty out there to choose from. These are the best around.
Twelve South Forté Charging Stand
A stand that’s as elegant and minimalist as the Apple Watch itself is hard to come by. This charging pad from Twelve South, however, is gorgeous. All shiny chrome and luxurious leather, it oozes class and bachelor pad chic. Making the watch the star of the show, it’s as much as a plinth for the wearable’s beauty as it is a dock to recharge it. Playing nice with all closed-loop and two-piece Apple Watch straps, it’s Nightstand mode-friendly with a 40-degree angle of lean making it perfect for effortless bedside viewing.
£49.95, twelvesouth.com
Belkin Valet Charge Dock for Apple Watch + iPhone
It’s not just your Apple Watch that warrants nightly charging, the iPhone that you pair it to needs regular rejuicing too. So why separate the two when you can get a charging dock that will give power to both at the same time? That’s what Belkin’s luxurious Valet manages. Cutting the clutter, a single cable feeds power to both the iPhone-friendly Lightning connection and Watch-loving magnetic pad, while a solid base and chrome arm up the style points.
£99.95, belkin.com
Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock
Like the watch itself, Apple’s first-party charging dock is a combination of soft, elegant curves and nice-to-the-touch materials. The weighted base is made from similar stuff to the company’s top-of-the-line iPad covers, with the soft matt finish giving it a sleek look that won’t scuff your watch. Compatible with both the 38mm and 42mm watches, it features a charging pad that can be laid flat or upright. Tilt the hinged charging arm up, and your energy-guzzling wearable will automatically enter Nightstand mode to double as a bedside clock. This is the charging dock for the ultimate Apple purist.
£79.00, apple.com
Native Union DOCK Marble Edition
After an Apple dock that offers elegant minimalism? This is it. Stylish and simplistic in equal parts, it merges modern day tech with chic stone age styling, letting you mount your Apple Watch on a beefy slab of marble. With the solid stone base holding a rotatable arm that hides a charging pad, you can position the dock flat or upright for a style that suits the settings. Perfect for any modern home, it’s available in both black and white lumps of marble.
£99.99, nativeunion.com
SwitchEasy BLOCKS Customisable Charging Dock
OK, so this isn’t the classiest of Apple Watch charging docks, but it’s certainly the most fun. The most customisable too. A kit of 92 Blocks bricks lets you construct your own Apple Watch-friendly dock from scratch, with a pair of special charger clips letting you build in a place for your Apple Watch or Apple Watch Sport to live. Despite its DIY design, your build should be robust enough to let you interact with the watch while docked without creating a crumbling pile of coloured bricks. Want to expand it out? Fine. It plays nice with other brands of brick-based toys too, *cough* LEGO *cough*.
£14.99, amazon.co.uk
ClearGrass Amber
Charging docks don’t have to be locked to your bedside table or office desk. Going away? Fine, just pack this little box-style charging stand and take it with you. As well as connecting to the mains, an inbuilt battery means it can store power away from the wall. Available in four Apple Watch echoing colours, the sliver, black, gold and rose gold charging stands each host enough power to bring your watch back from the dead six times over. It’s not just your watch that it will charge either. A USB connection around back means you can also connect your phone for on-the-move power ups.
$99.99, cleargrass.com
Pad & Quill Luxury Pocket Stand
Carved from a single piece of hardwood, this stand is for the Apple Watch owner who likes to merge old with new. Compatible with all current Apple Watch models, the compact, collapsable design can be folded to a pocketable size while not in use for simple storage as a travel companion. Available in a trio of finishes, the Luxury Pocket Stand has been hand hewn from American walnut and exotic sapele joining an America cherry trees.
$63.95, padandquill.com
Twelve South TimePorter
Another dock that’s as comfortable on the move as it is on your nightstand, the TimePorter is a similar size and shape to a traditional glasses box. With the Watch-charging magnetic pad poking through the lid’s centre, there’s enough space inside to store the charging cable, plug and a couple of spare watch straps while on the move. It comes in black and white colour schemes and is finished in faux-leather.
£44.99, twelvesouth.com
LeadTrend A1 dock
Talk about putting the Apple Watch on a pedestal, this charging dock does just that. A machined aluminium block acts a solid, unwavering base to a tall, silicone pyramid style body that gives a unique, but appealing look. Like a skyscraper, this dock offers plenty of size with a small footprint, great for those where bedside real estate is in short supply. It’s tidy too, hiding the extra lengths of charging cable within its hollow core to cut the clutter.
£23.99, amazon.co.uk
MiTagg NuDock
Why settle for just an Apple Watch dock when you can get iPhone charging and a desk light at the same time? Having been birthed as an Indigogo campaign, the NuDock also includes a portable battery. Built from solid anodised aluminium and strong polycarbonate, the dock has a soft-touch rubber coat and is going to look at home no matter what the design of your desk — you get an additional USB port around the back for charging another device too.
$149.00, mitagg.com
Nomad Stand for Apple Watch
This charging dock and stand is all about the futuristic looks and minimalistic chic, and you can pick up the device in either space grey or silver (the latter is the lighter one) — there are no features in particular to talk about except it looks good, works well and effectively hides the charging cable from view. If Apple was ever to bring out an official charging stand then you’d expect it to look a lot like this one.
$39.95, hellonomad.com
Griffin WatchStand
Griffin was one of the first accessory makers to the Apple Watch charging stand party, and its offering remains one of the best-looking and most well-built options out there. You can affix your watch horizontally or vertically as you prefer — it just snaps right into place — and there’s the option to charge an iPhone on the front of the dock too. The tall column hides any excess charger wire for a tidy look on your desk.
£29.99, store.griffintechnology.com | Amazon
SOURCE:http://www.wareable.com/apple-watch/the-best-apple-watch-charging-stands-1506
