Belkin Valet Charge Dock for Apple Watch + iPhone review

Julie knows how much I love gadgets – and gadgets for my gadgets.  When Belkin offered The Gadgeteer their new Valet Charge Dock for Apple Watch + iPhone for review, Julie asked if I’d be interested in giving it a try.  I loved the idea of needing only one wall outlet to charge both my iPhone and my Watch, and I loved the idea of one compact charger that would keep both my iPhone and my Watch up out of harm’s way as they charge.  I was very happy to say “yes, please!”  to Julie’s offer.  Let’s give the Valet Charge Dock a look.

The base appears to be brushed aluminum.  The front edge displays the Belkin logo.  There’s a sticky pad surrounding the Lightning connector on the left side of the base to keep your iPhone in position.  (It’s covered with a protective plastic strip in this photo.)  Behind it is a “solid cast arm with chrome finish” to support the iPhone; there’s a black, rubbery T-shaped strip on this arm to protect the back of the iPhone.

The cast arm extends over to support the integrated Watch charger.  Yes, it comes with a built-in charging puck for the Watch, so you don’t have to try to squeeze in your own charging puck while trying not to break its cable.

The Valet stands 4.3″ tall; the base has a 5.28″ x 3.47″ footprint.  It’s heavy enough to be very stable.

You can see the black power cable for the Watch charging puck in the back of the supportive arm.

The circular hole in the center back of the base is where you plug in the included AC power supply for the Valet.  Another protective sticker surrounds a black adjustment dial.  This dial raises or lowers the height of the Lightning connector, so you can charge the phone while it’s in a case.  I was able to charge my iPhone 6 Plus without removing its Spigen clear case.

The bottom of the charging dock has a sticky pad to hold it in place on your desk or nightstand.  It’s covered with protective plastic in this photo.

Included in the package is a warranty card, a user’s brochure, and an AC power source with a 4.9′ cord.

It also includes a watch band support for use with loop bands, like the Milanese Loop and the heavy Link Bracelet.

The watch band support snaps easily onto the Watch charger.

Here are my iPhone 6 Plus in its Spigen case and my Watch Sport with the Milanese Loop band sitting pretty on the Valet Charge Dock for Apple Watch + iPhone.  Just  a couple of turns of the adjustment dial on the back lifted the Lightning connector up high enough to compensate for the case’s thickness.  Both gadgets charge as quickly as they do with the charging cables that were supplied with the devices.

The Watch charger is just like the magnetic charging puck that comes with your Watch.  Its internal magnets hold the Watch in the proper position for charging.  If needed, the watch band support prevents the heavier metal bands from pulling on the Watch and potentially moving it out of contact with the charging puck.

The Watch is held at a good angle for viewing the face, but you won’t be able to use the Watch’s Nightstand mode with this charger.

Here’s a side view of the iPhone and the Watch on the dock, with the watch band supporter holding the weight of the Milanese Loop band.

The Valet is heavy and sturdy enough that you can plug the iPhone in and remove it from the Lightning charger with one hand.  It’s nice and compact, so it doesn’t use much space on my nightstand.  It keeps both my Watch and my iPhone up off the tabletop and within view as they charge.  And it’s very nice to use only one power outlet to charge both devices.  It’s pretty much perfect as is.  The only thing I might want added is a way to also charge my iPad.

By the way, I was sent a silver-colored Valet for the review.  However, my local Apple store also has the Valet Charge Dock in pink for the same price.  (They don’t call it rose gold, for some reason, although it seems to be about the same color as the rose gold-colored anodized Watch Sport.)  I gave my husband the silver one and got myself a pink one.  We’re now a two Valet family.

Updates 11/07/17

At the time of the review, I used the Valet to charge my Apple Watch Sport and my iPhone 6 Plus. Now I use it with my iPhone 7 Plus and my new 3rd-gen Apple Watch. But I have used it every day since I plugged it in, and my husband has used his daily, as well. They are sturdy and stable, and they charge my devices quickly. They look nice on my bedside table, too.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Belkin. Please visit their site for more info.  The Valet Charge Dock for Apple Watch + iPhone may be purchased at Belkin or at Apple online or in stores.