Overview
Much like most of Apple’s accessories, there isn’t a lot to go over on the actual Charging Dock itself. It’s a very straightforward design, you have a base with a lightning port and 3.5mm jack on the back side and a lightning connector on the top. That’s all there is to it. You can select a few different colors though to match the color of your iPhone. I had been debating for some time on whether or not to buy Apple’s Charging Dock or some third party one, and I finally pulled the trigger on it. I’m glad I did. The question really is, why should you even consider a charging dock when you already have a charging cable? What’s the point? I have a few good reasons.
Firstly, there’s a 3.5mm jack on the back. This may sound silly, however this allows you to use wired headphones while charging your phone or better yet to plug in an external speaker without using bluetooth. You’re not going to kill any battery if you’re charging your phone and using bluetooth, however audio is better through a direct wired connection. What really sets it apart though is if you have an Apple Watch as well. At that point you can leave your phone and speaker wired together, charging separately, and still wirelessly control your music with your Apple Watch. An added benefit is a much better speaker phone too.
Secondly, and more, there’s a lightning connector on the back. Of course there is, you have to connect your dock with a lightning cable to power it to charge your phone. But wait, hold on. The Charging Dock works with lightning adapters. Yes. Yes it does. This is what I wanted most out of this dock. When I’m traveling for work I use my phone mostly for streaming my shows, or my iPad if the wifi is good enough. I have Apple’s Lightning to HDMI adapter which allows me to connect my phone directly to the hotel’s TV with an HDMI cable. However my phone or iPad is still left to find a place nearby and somewhat out of the way to change shows. Well, that adapter works flawlessly with the Charging Dock, both video and charging ports work simultaneously with the dock which allows me to centralize the location of my phone and easily navigate my shows with a single finger.
I don’t really have any other lightning adapter, however I believe they will all function just as amazingly with the Charging Dock as the HDMI adapter does. This just gives added functionality to the dock while making things slightly less convoluted to the user. One of the things I like most is the dock will still allow me to use the app Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock using the microphone instead of the accelerometer to track my sleep and I don’t need to worry about my phone or cables in the bed anymore. I really do like the Charging Dock more than I thought I would.
The Good
The Bad
Conclusion
So, is the dock worth $50? I guess that depends on how much you use it. However if you can find a discount somehow, I would definitely jump on it. I unknowingly found a discount on mine. Best Buy had a 25% discount on three or more products from certain categories and I happened to buy my dock, Apple Leather Case, and UAG Monarch at the same time and qualified for the discount. I also received an additional 5% discount for having a Best Buy Rewards Card, so I received a 30% discount overall saving $40. I’m not sure I could justify the $50 tag, however jumping on Best Buy’s discount and only spending $37.50 is an easier grab. It really depends on how much you’re going to use it, it’s a daily use for me so I would probably end up spending $50 on it again if I had to. The Charging Dock doesn’t work the best with the iPad due to the iPad’s size and weight, it will work though, you just need to be a little more careful with the iPad on it.
You can purchase the Apple Charging Dock from any number of retailers so I’ll just post a link directly to Apple
Much like most of Apple’s accessories, there isn’t a lot to go over on the actual Charging Dock itself. It’s a very straightforward design, you have a base with a lightning port and 3.5mm jack on the back side and a lightning connector on the top. That’s all there is to it. You can select a few different colors though to match the color of your iPhone. I had been debating for some time on whether or not to buy Apple’s Charging Dock or some third party one, and I finally pulled the trigger on it. I’m glad I did. The question really is, why should you even consider a charging dock when you already have a charging cable? What’s the point? I have a few good reasons.
Firstly, there’s a 3.5mm jack on the back. This may sound silly, however this allows you to use wired headphones while charging your phone or better yet to plug in an external speaker without using bluetooth. You’re not going to kill any battery if you’re charging your phone and using bluetooth, however audio is better through a direct wired connection. What really sets it apart though is if you have an Apple Watch as well. At that point you can leave your phone and speaker wired together, charging separately, and still wirelessly control your music with your Apple Watch. An added benefit is a much better speaker phone too.
Secondly, and more, there’s a lightning connector on the back. Of course there is, you have to connect your dock with a lightning cable to power it to charge your phone. But wait, hold on. The Charging Dock works with lightning adapters. Yes. Yes it does. This is what I wanted most out of this dock. When I’m traveling for work I use my phone mostly for streaming my shows, or my iPad if the wifi is good enough. I have Apple’s Lightning to HDMI adapter which allows me to connect my phone directly to the hotel’s TV with an HDMI cable. However my phone or iPad is still left to find a place nearby and somewhat out of the way to change shows. Well, that adapter works flawlessly with the Charging Dock, both video and charging ports work simultaneously with the dock which allows me to centralize the location of my phone and easily navigate my shows with a single finger.
I don’t really have any other lightning adapter, however I believe they will all function just as amazingly with the Charging Dock as the HDMI adapter does. This just gives added functionality to the dock while making things slightly less convoluted to the user. One of the things I like most is the dock will still allow me to use the app Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock using the microphone instead of the accelerometer to track my sleep and I don’t need to worry about my phone or cables in the bed anymore. I really do like the Charging Dock more than I thought I would.
The Good
- Portable
- Has a 3.5mm jack
- Works with lightning adapters
The Bad
- iPad’s are precarious on the dock
- There are cheaper options
- Still tethered
Conclusion
So, is the dock worth $50? I guess that depends on how much you use it. However if you can find a discount somehow, I would definitely jump on it. I unknowingly found a discount on mine. Best Buy had a 25% discount on three or more products from certain categories and I happened to buy my dock, Apple Leather Case, and UAG Monarch at the same time and qualified for the discount. I also received an additional 5% discount for having a Best Buy Rewards Card, so I received a 30% discount overall saving $40. I’m not sure I could justify the $50 tag, however jumping on Best Buy’s discount and only spending $37.50 is an easier grab. It really depends on how much you’re going to use it, it’s a daily use for me so I would probably end up spending $50 on it again if I had to. The Charging Dock doesn’t work the best with the iPad due to the iPad’s size and weight, it will work though, you just need to be a little more careful with the iPad on it.
You can purchase the Apple Charging Dock from any number of retailers so I’ll just post a link directly to Apple
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