Belkin - PowerHouse Charging Dock for iPhone® and Apple Watch - Black

Could you imagine writing a review on a lamp? Or perhaps the lightbulb within the lamp? It would be tricky, to say the least—not because it’s not easy to assess whether or not the thing is doing its job, rather, because the job itself is a simple one that doesn’t come with a lot of excitement. So this review will be a little different—it will be a little less about the function, and more about the form. Phone accessories are a dime a dozen. Big box stores lose business regularly to online retailers offering similar, less expensive (but non-name brand) products. And although it’s still relatively new (when compared to the iPhone, nearing it’s tenth year since release), the Apple Watch also has a fair share of third-party accessories that are becoming less and less expensive. So why spend the extra money on the Belkin PowerHouse? Well, I stand by the brand…Belkin has been around for awhile, I’ve not had major issues with any of their stuff, and they tend to have a good selection of products. For instance, Belkin offers iPhone-only and Watch-only charging docks if you decide the full functionality of the PowerHouse is more than you need. But other than that, the brand-name experience and the price tag of the Belkin PowerHouse may be hard to justify. There are certainly less-expensive options out there, and if you like how they look, save yourself the money, because again, if you’re buying a lamp, the physical appearance is the more important deciding factor given identical function. So let’s talk about the function of the Belkin PowerHouse briefly; there are a couple of nice touches that increase the value of this product: For starters, it has a tilting iPhone charging interface. I’ve had a handful of iPhone charging docks over the years, and invariably there is damage done to your iPhone connector or the charging connector because your two-year-old decided to see how far it can bend. On the Belkin PowerHouse, there is a tilting connector that helps to minimize the damage done there. This may have become standard fare for iPhone docks, but it’s been a few years since I’ve owned one. Its iPhone charging interface is also height-adjustable. There is a small wheel on the back of the dock that allows you to adjust the height of the connector that interfaces with your phone—so provided the connector’s casing is not too large for your phone case, you can increase the “reach” of the connector to allow for iPhone cases with thicker bottoms. On the flip side, though, there is at least one place where this product could be improved. For the amount of detail and attention given to the functionality of the iPhone connection, I’m surprised to see the sort of “dangling watch” setup that the Belkin PowerHouse uses. One of my absolute favorite non-major features of the Apple Watch is night-charging it on its side reveals a nightstand-esque display of the time. The “dangling watch” setup doesn’t allow for this feature to be used, and so the charging area for the Apple Watch is very much a uni-tasker. This is certainly not a deal breaker, but it would have been nice to not exclude one of Apple Watch’s features in the deployment of this product. Other than that, it is a very tidy and nice-looking, minimalist stand. It has a single power adapter, so it allows you to free up an outlet in your home, as well as use your existing iPhone and Apple Watch charging cables for spares—we all know how valuable those cables can be. This is definitely something you’ll want to pass on if you don’t own an Apple Watch or don’t think you’ll ever get one…that would be an incredible waste of your money. But, if you are an iPhone user and have an Apple Watch, this is a relatively pricey but well-presented product. If you are an Apple fan, you’re used to paying top dollar for your toys. If you are an Apple Watch owner, you have given up hope entirely of an inexpensive product. So, why not add $100 to those already insane iPhone and Apple Watch price tags and get something that looks good on your nightstand or dresser? It’s also mostly white, which I prefer, but the color may be a deal breaker for some. Color options would also be a nice thing for Belkin to offer. As they say, the time is nigh. Apple’s lightning connector likely isn’t going anywhere, and although we’re potentially a couple weeks away from the next release of iPhone and Watch, the Belkin PowerHouse should serve you well for many years. I would be shocked to see Apple change the charging mechanism on their second generation Watch. If the price tag isn’t an issue, I would recommend the Belkin PowerHouse—but it doesn’t give you something you don’t already have when you buy an iPhone and Apple Watch…it just packages things you already have nicely, while allowing you some spare cables for backup or travel. But let’s be honest…you’ve justified the price tag of everything else, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Let me start by saying I have had 4 other iPhone/Apple Watch charging docks. I have been in search of the perfect charger, and prior to using this Belkin Dock, I have been disappointed every time. I have the bamboo dock everyone has seen, the round flat watch charger, the watch like charging box and an aluminum charging watch/iPhone stand/dock. With all of the others, I had to supply my own Apple Watch magnetic charging cable and lightning cable (if it was also an iPhone charger). That led to an abundance of cables and an extra power cord. What a mess on my nightstand! Along came this Belkin Apple Watch Dock. It INCLUDES both the Apple Watch magnetic charger and iPhone lightning charger built in! So no dangling cables and no need for 2 additional USB ports nearby. Finally, an ideal solution! This compact unit is very sturdy and well-built. The bottom is lined with a type of rubber to prevent movement and keep it secure. It has some weight to it as well. And it is an attractive piece. (see photos). How does it work? I will start with the iPhone dock. The lightning portion of the cable comes out of the bottom of the stand. There is a small wheel behind the unit which you can rotate to move the cable up and down to fit with your case. I happen to have a flap covering the power hole on my case. So I have to flip it open and rotate the wheel up as far as it can go so that the phone will fit with the flap (you only need to set this one time). No problem. The phone actually stands upright when on the charger (very sturdily) and charges just fine. I would think that the rotating cable will allow phones with most cases to fit. I don't know the actual distance it travels up/down. The cable also tilts front to back to allow for the thickness of your case. I do have to use a finger to hold down the unit while removing my phone from the charger. I have had no issues with the iPhone charger at all. The Apple Watch portion works better than expected. I wanted a unit that would allow me to charge the watch in nightstand mode. And with this unit, I CAN! I was able to remove my old, bulky clock/radio from my nightstand. I just tap the watch face or the base of the unit, and the watch shows the time, date, and charging status! My phone stands upright while charging, so I lay the watch across the magnetic charger with 1/2 the band behind the phone and the other hanging to the right. I have the Apple Watch (stainless steel with case) which weighs more than the Apple Sport watch, yet it stays attached to the magnet in nightstand mode without a problem. It is VERY secure. One time it did say "charging with this accessory is not supported by Apple Watch" but I removed the watch and set it on the charger again, and I haven't seen that message again. You can also charge it upright without problem. I am more than pleased with this Belkin dock and it meets my every need for charging/docking my iPhone and Apple Watch. It charges my phone & watch quickly and completely. No messy extra cables, no needed USB ports. Just one simple cord coming out of a very clean looking, attractive, well-built and solid unit. It works better than expected. I wish I had found this sooner!

Best buy actually has the wrong name of the product. It is not the Valet Charge Dock, it is the Belkin Powerhouse Charge Dock . I believe the confusion comes from that this may replace the Valet.Belkin was the first to come out with a dual charging dock for iPhones and Apple Watch. That was the Valet Dock and it was priced high at $150. Fast forward about year and now they have come out with a more affordable version, the Powerhouse Charge Dock. Key features : Built-in Apple Watch magnetic charging module with integrated Lightning connector for the iPhone. Charges the Apple Watch and iPhone simultaneously in comparable time to the OEM charger Adjustable height lightning connector to accommodate iPhones with cases. Power is 1A for the Apple Watch and 2.4A for the iPhone Single tethered AC cable that charges both devices and is 4 feet long. MFi certifed per Apple standards. Pros : Relatively small foot print to accommodate the iPhone and Apple Watch. The built in lightning connected adjusts in height and hinged to move forward about 45 degrees. This enables the dock to accommodate a wide range of iPhone cases and make it a bit easier to dock the iPhone. Convenient charging for two devices. Construction is solid and soft backing support where iPhone rests is a nice touch. Cons : While the device is weighted to keep it in place, it is not heavy enough and you have to hold the dock down when removing an iPhone. Large proprietary power cable that is only 4 feet long. This should have been a universal USB type of design and longer cable. The all plastic finish is not nearly as nice as the Belkin Valet Charge Dock. The Valet Dock is all metal and just a nicer looking and built product. The $99 list price is too high considering the next step up Valet Charge Dock is now down to $129 ( if it is still available.) The dock will work with the iPhone SE, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport, and Apple Watch Edition. Although not designed to work with the Apple Ipod, it did work just fine with the Ipod Touch and Ipod Nano. Ipads will connect to the dock but I strongly advise against it, there is support and weight to properly dock with an Ipad and it may end up damaging the Ipad. It is a perfectly capable product and I would recommend it if you can get it from Bestbuy at lower price. If not, go to the next step up to the prior version Valet.

The Belkin dock is a really nice accessory for anybody that owns and Apple watch and IPhone. This dock is equipped with very cool features and is very compact for tight space situation. I will start with the Pros and end with the Cons. Pros: - Unlike some of the more "affordable" docking stations that are available from other manufactures, Belkin's Apple dock has the built in chargers for the Apple watch, and phone, all in one place. You no longer need to have two chargers to charge your devices. The watch charger is also magnetized, so no need to worry about how to hold it in place. - Another real cool feature that this dock has is a retractable apple lightning port that allows it to extend and retract to fit certain phone cases(There is an issue with this that will be explained in the cons section). This comes in handy for folks who have a case on their phone. - The fact that this dock is very compact allows you to have a much cleaner looking work space, for those of you who place your devices on your desk. Everything fits in a small area, so there is no need to have your phone laying in one area and your watch in another. - The dock is heavy enough to prevent you from knocking it over when reaching for either of your devices. This is really important to me because it makes the dock feel of even greater quality. I don't want to knock things over in the middle of the night when I'm reaching over to check the time. Cons: - Not too many cons, but one major issue with the docking station is that, although the lightning charging port is able to extend and retract, it does not come out enough to plug into my phone with an Otterbox Defender case on it. It might work if you remove the rubber liner from it, so this is something to think about if you a beefy case on your phone. - The overall looks of the dock does not win it any awards, but its functions outweigh this little issue. - Another things that I disliked about the dock, and this is the case for pretty much all other docs, is the fact that you are not able to dock the watch on its side to allow the Nightstand mode to go into effect. Too bad, this would have definitely been something new that Belkin could have implemented in the overall design of its dock. It might not be an important feature for all, but I really find it useful. Overall, the Belkin dock is a great accessory to have for anyone that is limited in space. this allows to run only one cord to charge both devices, and puts everything in a small compact space. The retractable lightning port is another great feature for folks with thin cases on their phones. I would highly recommend this Belkin dock to anyone that is in the market for one. You will not regret your purchase.

I have an iPhone 6 Plus and an Apple Watch to go along with it. This dock is the perfect solution to cut down on multiple wires around your night stand. First off the packaging is nice and perfectly laid out. Gives details of what's inside and what to expect. It also tells you all the Apple products that works with it. When opening up the box you are shown a quick start guide that is self explanatory and easy to understand in 3 steps. When they say Belkin is "People Inspired" they mean it. I don't think anyone could be confused with the set up. The dock itself is solid and weighted. The thing won't be moving at all if on a desk or a nightstand. It's heavy but that's a good thing to keep it from sliding around all over the place. The design of the charge dock isn't all that pretty to look it and its white which to me says thing will get dirty real fast over time. Personally I would've preferred Belkin went with an aluminum casing for the dock or just black for the price tag. White was not a good choice. Docking the phone is easy. There is a knob that you can turn left or right to raise the lightning connector that lifts up and down for different types of cases. I've used 3 different variation of phone cases on this stand and they all connect just fine. My biggest case is a battery case which this dock can hold. Impressive and forward thinking on Belkin's part because the iPhone 6 Plus is already huge. It also have soft material so the back of your phone wouldn't get scratched up. The watch part of the dock perfectly nest the Apple Watch into the magnetic cradle and charges it up. Everything just works as intended and it looks awesome. Yes it charges up the phone and watch at the same time. If your main reason of buying this dock for the watch then you shouldn't have any issues. What I like the least about this dock aside from the color is the A/C power brick...It's HUGE. Ridiculously huge. If you are plugging this into a surge protector, the brick at the end takes up more space then it should. You would be giving up another slot for other power sources. This may not bother some people and maybe a small thing to to consider when buying but just know it's there. All in all it's a very good Apple Watch dock as well as an iPhone dock. It's very solid and doesn't feel like it would break easy. I been enjoying it on my nightstand. There are something I would change but those are small things. If you have an iPhone and an Apple Watch you should be looking to buy this product.

The worst fault of owning both my Apple I-Phone 6 and Apple Watch was keeping them both charged up. Because of the way I use my I-Phone it must be charged each day, and preferably, by early AM. My Apple Watch, however, will go as much as two days sometimes before it needs recharging. But, I did not have a good practice of charging my watch as needed. Sometimes I would 'forget'. Additionally, the charger included with the Apple Watch is sort of cumbersome and could be better designed. So, as a result many times my watch was too low on battery for it to function the entire two full days. However, my hit-or-miss charging ways were changed after I received a complimentary Belkin PowerHouse Charge Dock for Apple Watch and I-Phone for evaluation. By using this convenient docking device for over a week, I was able to develop a nightly habit of charging both my phone and watch together. WooHoo! The Belkin PowerHouse Charge Dock sits on my nightstand, and, looks pretty spiffy when both the I-Phone and Apple Watch are cradled. Plus, there is only one cable to plug into an A/C current outlet. Over the last week I have noticed that this Belkin PowerHouse Charge Dock charges much faster then the standard chargers, included with the I-Phone and Apple Watch. What I really appreciate is the angle of my I-Phone while it is docked. It is so easy to read the time from my bed as I use the I-Phone as my wake-up alarm. The base is weighted, so the I-Phone is not tippy while it is docked , or, if I choose to use any of the other features of my I-Phone like playing music or listening to the nightly news. The Versacase dial on the back of this device raises or lowers the adjustment of the 'lightning-connector'. This is important for me since I use a protective, thin case on my I-Phone. For my Apple Watch the built-in magnetic charging module 'grabs' it and effortlessly aligns it up for inductive charging. Now, my Apple Watch is ready with a full charge when I wake up each morning. The Belkin PowerHouse Charge Dock for Apple Watch and I-Phone is the most convenient way to reliably charge both of my two most important devices. YooHoo! I highly recommend the purchase of this Belkin PowerHouse Charge Dock for yourself, or, as a great gift to any family member or friend for any occasion. Most importantly this device will also allow you to develop a reliable charging routine too. There are so many 'positives', you won't be disappointed.

So I'd first like to say I LOVE the fact that this dock charges both the Apple Watch and iPhone without the need for any cables to be snaked through (unlike 95% of the "dual-charging" docks on the market.) It only has one power cable without a brick, so it frees up a power outlet. I wanted to keep my normal watch cable/USB brick for travel while also having one at home. I have gone through a thousand lightning cables because I use my phone after laying down in bed. The subsequent bending/tension at the jack has destroyed many cables (of numerous brands/constructions.). The idea of having a dock for both my watch and my phone solved both problems, albeit at a premium. The dock great mass to it -- it doesn't slide around when you put the phone/watch on. It charges equally as well as the stock chargers. You can move the lightning jack up and down via a dial on the back which is great if you have a thicker case. The jack's casing is very low-profile, so I imagine it would work with almost any case (but maybe not the ones that have a flap over the port.) The presentation it gives the phone and watch while on charge is unmatched by any other dock. It holds them at attractive angles and looks like you are showing off your devices on a display stand. The watch charger holds about the same as the Apple brand one we have on our other night stand. I've only once woken up to a watch that didn't charge overnight and I'm pretty sure I knocked it loose while placing the phone the night before (more on that later.) The firm grip it has on the phone's lightning port is both a pro and a con. Pro because I don't have to worry about it being knocked off the dock on accident. The con being that you have to hold the dock down in order to pull the phone off (aka not a one handed job,) which can be frustrating if you're laying in bed reaching over to answer a phone call whilst in bed. The MASSIVE downside to this dock is how insanely difficult it is to get the lightning port lined up correctly if it's dark in the room. With a cable, it's pretty straight forward, move it around until you feel the cable depress. Because the lightning jack is so wide it fits incredibly snugly, but it also makes it unnecessarily difficult to push the phone onto the port. The kicker is that the port leans to adjust for the thickness of your case. A nice idea, but a design flaw in my opinion. The combination of these facts make it very difficult to line up the phone and push it down just right 90% of the time. Most of the time the jack just moves with the contour of the rounded iPhone's posterior, ending up with little microbrasions on the front and back of the phone adjacent to the lightning port. Sometimes you think you have it lined up perfectly, only to find out that you're just feeling the space between the case and the phone. This problem could be alleviated by either eliminating the ability for the jack to rock and/or putting a cradle for the sides/bottom of the phone to line up to. If you are staring at the dock with the lights on, it is easy to line up. But for my purposes, I usually turn off the lights in my room before laying in bed/docking my phone, so it is frustratingly difficult to dock the phone when I'm ready to go to sleep. Sure, the rational way around this would be to not use my phone once in bed, but that's a habit that is going to take a very long time to break. Another feature that I wish they had added to this dock (for the price) would have been to have a lightning or headphone jack to plug headphones to so you could listen to music while charging it, because the dock entirely eliminates that ability unless you have bluetooth headphones. In summary, I'm giving this a very generous 4 stars. This is the most attractive dual-charging stand on the market and it is made of quality materials. But I may not recommend it if you're using it bedside and you're the type of person that uses your phone in bed before going to sleep.

If you’re tired of multiple cords and cables falling off your nightstand, this all-in-one charging dock is your solution! I was tired of having my apple watch charging puck fall off my nightstand and I would spend 5 minutes fishing it back up my nightstand. Same goes with my iphone charging cable. I knew I wanted an all-in-one charging dock but most of those docks require you to use your OEM watch charger. This belkin dock is self contained and only requires one power cable plugging into the back of the dock to quickly power both your apple watch and your iphone. This frees up your original apple watch charging puck for travel use! The form factor is well thought out and looks great on my nightstand with or without my devices. The soft rubber backing keeps your phone and watch scratch free. Its also rubber bottomed so it won’t scratch your nightstand or desk. It does have a good weight to it so it wont easily move around when you’re docking your phone. Belkin also have solved the issue with different phone cases adding different thickness to your phone. There is a dial on the back that allows the built in lightening plug to move up or down. The plug also pivots so there is always a setting that you can easily dock your phone with one hand. After setting up the dial on the back, you can easily dock your phone in the dark and while half asleep. The magnetic apple watch charger allows you to charge your apple watch on its side for nightstand mode or in its traditional orientation. I highly recommend this belkin charging dock if youre looking to de-clutter your nightstand and charge both devices fast. Pros: • Looks great on your nightstand • Very thoughtful design to accommodate different phone cases • Heavy weight to keep it from moving around Cons: • A bit spendy but it does charge the apple watch without using your original cable • Not good if you like to surf on your phone and keep it plugged in at the same time. • Magnet could be stronger. I some times bump the nightstand hard enough to disconnect my apple watch. I highly recommend this charging dock. I hope you found this review useful!