Review: Griffin WatchStand Charging Dock for Apple Watch

Posted:
in Apple Watch edited August 2015
Apple Watch owners looking to conveniently charge and showcase their wrist-worn device have a new, affordable quality option with the Griffin WatchStand Charging Dock.




Griffin provided AppleInsider with a WatchStand dock for review this week, and we found that it's a well-made accessory that does exactly what it advertises and is easy to recommend. The Apple Watch charging accessory retails for $29.99

Right out of the box, the first thing we noticed about the Griffin WatchStand is how heavy it is. The base of the dock has a metal exterior, with big, sturdy rubber feet at the bottom.




In addition to holding the pedestal for the Apple Watch, the base of the WatchStand also includes a lip at the front that allows users to rest their iPhone at an angle. Users can plug in a Lightning cable and place their iPhone at the base of the dock to have an all-in-one display solution.

The WatchStand does not come with its own Apple Watch charging solution --?users will have to bring their own authorized Apple cable and insert it into the accessory. We found the setup and installation to be relatively easy, just requiring us to thread the USB end of the cable through a hole up top, and that hole is then covered by the magnetic charging end of the cable once it's inserted into the rubberized, scratch-proof enclosure.




The USB cable then runs down the column, which is inserted to a plastic hole in the base.

A rubber exterior on the inserted column can be used to hold the cable in place, wrapped around as many times as the user chooses. This allows any excess cable to be reduced, allowing for a more clutter-free desktop or nightstand.

It's a unique design, it's well made, and for $30, we think it's a competitive price.




The Griffin WatchStand is also considerably larger than the competing Mophie Apple Watch Dock, which we also reviewed in May. At that point, it's essentially a matter of aesthetic preference --?some will prefer the heavy base, iPhone stand and cable management of the Griffin WatchStand, while others might prefer the smaller and lighter design, as well as the "premium" leather, found on the Mophie Apple Watch Dock.


Left: Mophie Apple Watch Dock. Right: Griffin WatchStand.


But considering the Mophie Apple Watch dock sells for $59.95 and it lacks the excess cable management of the Griffin WatchStand, as well as the ability to prop up an iPhone, we think most users will prefer the more affordable option from Griffin. Recommended.

Where to buy

The Griffin WatchStand is available for $29.99 with Prime shipping from Amazon.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    I have the Nomad stand and I think it looks nicer than the Griffin although more expensive and without the iphone stand bit. My wife doesn't mind the design of the Nomad either which is important as she'd chuck it out if she didnt like it...
  • Reply 2 of 15
    jm6032jm6032 Posts: 147member
    It looks to me, from the pictures, that the Griffin stand will not accommodate the Milanese loop watch band. I have the Mophie stand and it does. The cable management on the Griffin one does look interesting.
  • Reply 3 of 15
    justinpejustinpe Posts: 32member
    Curious to know if you can re-orienetate the watch face in the upcoming nightstand mode in watch OS 2.0. If not, I'm not sure I would want one of these stands.
  • Reply 4 of 15
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jm6032 View Post



    It looks to me, from the pictures, that the Griffin stand will not accommodate the Milanese loop watch band. I have the Mophie stand and it does. The cable management on the Griffin one does look interesting.



    perhaps should have been pointed out in the review.

  • Reply 5 of 15
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by justinpe View Post



    Curious to know if you can re-orienetate the watch face in the upcoming nightstand mode in watch OS 2.0. If not, I'm not sure I would want one of these stands.



    surely it would use its built in sensor to orient the nighttime watch the correct way, depending on watch orientation. Unlike apple to miss things like that

  • Reply 6 of 15
    justinpejustinpe Posts: 32member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Right_said_fred View Post

     



    surely it would use its built in sensor to orient the nighttime watch the correct way, depending on watch orientation. Unlike apple to miss things like that


    It does't look like that is the case, at least after seeing this screenshot from watch OS 2.0.

     

  • Reply 7 of 15
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member

    We have two of these Griffin stands and despite them being a bit ugly, enjoy them very much. I have no issues putting my watch on it in landscape to take advantage of Nightstand mode. I also like how weighted it is, so it stays put. And being able to rest the iPhone on it makes it a great two-in-one. I found that I could easily run a lightning cable for the iPhone to where it needs to be, and cable tie it to watch's cable...keeping it all nice and together.

  • Reply 8 of 15
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member

    People seem really confused about stands + watches + bands + orientation.

     

    There is absolutely nothing that stops anyone from using this stand with any watch, however they wish. I'm not sure where people get the idea that certain bands/orientations wont work. Of course they do.

  • Reply 9 of 15
    jm6032jm6032 Posts: 147member
    pmz wrote: »
    People seem really confused about stands + watches + bands + orientation.

    There is absolutely nothing that stops anyone from using this stand with any watch, however they wish. I'm not sure where people get the idea that certain bands/orientations wont work. Of course they do.

    Unless I am mistaken, the Griffin stand will not accommodate the Milanese Loop band unless you remove the band from the watch. The Milanese Loop band is, well, a loop. It does not separate. From the pictures it appears a loop band will not allow a metallic loop band watch to properly engage the charging head. I am more than willing to be corrected on this. I formed this observation strictly from the pictures in the post.
  • Reply 10 of 15
    nhughesnhughes Posts: 770editor
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jm6032 View Post





    Unless I am mistaken, the Griffin stand will not accommodate the Milanese Loop band unless you remove the band from the watch. The Milanese Loop band is, well, a loop. It does not separate. From the pictures it appears a loop band will not allow a metallic loop band watch to properly engage the charging head. I am more than willing to be corrected on this. I formed this observation strictly from the pictures in the post.



    The Griffin dock will work fine with the milanese loop band. Just place the watch on the stand sideways. Apple's Watch charger works fine in any orientation. I don't own a milanese loop band, so I couldn't photograph it with one.

  • Reply 11 of 15
    jm6032jm6032 Posts: 147member
    nhughes wrote: »

    The Griffin dock will work fine with the milanese loop band. Just place the watch on the stand sideways. Apple's Watch charger works fine in any orientation. I don't own a milanese loop band, so I couldn't photograph it with one.
  • Reply 12 of 15
    jm6032jm6032 Posts: 147member
    jm6032 wrote: »

    Well, that went well. Fumble fingered the reply button before I typed anything. Apparently fumble brain leakage.

    Excellent idea. Thanks. I am very pleased by the way the Griffin handles the cable. The Mophie has a channel for the cable, but it does not seem to be as robust as I expected in keeping the cable captured. Also, from time to time the charging head stays attached to the watch as I pull it off the stand. Not show stoppers by any means, but unexpected.
  • Reply 13 of 15
    vidsmartvidsmart Posts: 5member
    The Milanese Loop and Griffin work fine together--I have both (at work so I cannot take a picture.) One thing I have done is place a coin under the magnetic charger to lift it up so that it makes better contact with the watch.
  • Reply 14 of 15
    rtkanertkane Posts: 29member
    Yep...it'll work fine. Here's mine with the link bracelet. If it holds this, it'll hold the Milanese loop just fine.

    [IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/60612/width/350/height/700[/IMG]
  • Reply 15 of 15
    thrangthrang Posts: 1,007member



    I bought two of these on Amazon for my wife and I, and love it - simple, low profile, the correct orientation for Nightstand Mode, and a nice tacky base to hold it firm to our nightstands.

     

     

    from Spigen.

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