Spigen S330 Apple Watch Stand Dock Review
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Charging your Apple Watch every night is not as jarring as charging an iPhone or an iPad thanks to that new magnetic connector, which makes everyday charging just a little easier. But if that's not enough and you want to take charging to the next level, you can get a permanent charging solution to help make charging your Apple Watch more confident than ever before. Meet the S330 from Spigen - a charging dock that's also a stand made from a single, seamless piece of Apple-grade aluminum. The S330 is one of the more inexpensive charging docks made for the Apple Watch – yes, even cheaper than the NightStand by Elevation Lab – that doesn't skimp on quality or functionality, and it's even quite good looking too. Spigen's S330 even made it onto our list for the top best Apple Watch docks, and here's our up close and personal detailed review of it.
When you first take it out of its rather plain box, the S330 won't include the Apple magnetic charging adapter in order to charge your Apple Watch. You'll have to use the one that came with your Apple Watch, which is understandable given the low cost of this stand and the fact that pretty much all of the charging accessories available right now for the Apple Watch will utilizing your existing magnetic charger whether you like it or not. Thankfully Spigen does include a simple set of instructions on how to install the magnetic charger into the S330 stand. And to be fair, it's as easy as popping in an iPhone into a snap-on case. It's literally a plug-n-play docking solution.
Setup couldn't be any easier. To get started all that you'll need to do is push in the magnetic charger into the bottom of the S330's black headpiece until it sits flush with the TPU-covered surface on the front. You'll notice that it'll get harder to push the further the magnetic charger is inserted into the headpiece until it fits flush and snug inside the circular mount/headpiece.The S330 accepts the plastic magnetic charging puck that comes with all Apple Watch Sport models as well as the standalone metal magnetic charger that Apple sells individually and that comes standard with the stainless steel Apple Watch model. The two fit into the S330's headpiece with absolute precision. There's no wiggle room at all.
The S330 works beautifully. Rest your Apple Watch on the anti-scratch black TPU-covered charging surface and the watch will instantly begin to charge. It's that simple and it's just works. The S330's headpiece is positioned at a 45-degree angle making it perfectly viewable from pretty much any position, whether you're sitting at your desk or waking up in the morning with it sitting on your night stand. That being said, you can only dock to charge the Apple Watch in a set position and angle, 45-degrees at a vertical orientation – unlike some other docks that give you some more flexibility. And honestly I'm perfectly fine with that as it's super convenient nonetheless.
Just to be clear, it's worth mentioning that the S330 will work with any Apple Watch model and band configuration including both of the 38mm and 42mm sized models.
It's sturdy to a degree. You can push it around because it's incredibly lightweight, but it isn't going to fall over or move out of place if you just rest your Apple Watch on it to charge. If you're looking for a docking solution that's as solid as a tank, this isn't it.
Using any kind of case, particularly Spigen's series of cases for the Apple Watch such as this highly protective Rugged Armor case, poses no compatibility issues at all. The Apple Watch will still magnetically secure itself onto the charging headpiece and charge normally.
Removing the Apple Watch or undocking it from the S330 stand takes the right grip in order to seamlessly pull off a smooth pull away, whether you've fastned the band or left it opened. Because the S330 doesn't have a weighted base while the magnetic charger is pretty great at securing the Apple Watch in position, if you just grab the Apple Watch and try to pull it off the stand it won't let go that easily and will drag the stand along with it. However, simply grabbing the Apple Watch while pushing the charging head in the opposite direction will flawlessly allow you to undock without moving the actual stand. You'll naturally do this once you actually start using the S330.
If you had any doubts about how secure the magnetic charger is at keeping the Apple Watch in this 45-degree angle then you'll be surprised to find that even flipping the stand over isn't going to make the Apple Watch lose its grip of the magnetic surface.
Although not as premium as the more expensive HiRise dock for the Apple Watch by Twelve South, Spigen's S330 takes up less desk space, offers easier docking and pretty much serves the same function. The thing is it doesn't have any protective accents to prevent metal bands such as the Link Bracelet and Milanese Loop from touching the bottom of the aluminum base which could potentially cause scratching if you're not careful and remember to tighten the band before setting your Apple Watch on the dock.
The bottom is covered in four rubbery feet to prevent the stand from sliding around, but they hardly do anything apart from preventing the metal from scratching your desk only because how of light it is.
The only thing that isn’t very appealing about the Spigen S330 Apple Watch stand is that cable running down the side. Unlike more expensive options, the Spigen Stand doesn’t feature a concealed cable management that neatly routes the charging cable out the back for a cleaner look. Not that it’s the end of the world, especially considering the inexpensive price tag. But if this does bother you then you may need to spend a bit more for a more premium alternative such as the Twelve South HiRise or Mophie Watch Dock.
All in all we really enjoy using Spigen's S330 charging dock with the Apple Watch. It's one of the least expensive options out there right now that is surprisingly well made, works as advertised, doesn't take up any space, and looks pretty great too. Though we wish there were more color options to choose from like black aluminum as well as a more refined way of routing the magnetic charging cable. Nitpicking aside, you really cannot go wrong it picking one up right now. It's a super convenient way of charging up your Apple Watch on a daily basis while also giving you a comfortable view of the watch face and any other incoming notifications at all times. Needless to day, if you like using a charging dock for your iPhone, you're going to love using this dock with your Apple Watch even more.
