Review: Orzly DuoStand Charge Station for Apple Watch & iPhone
Looking for an inexpensive charging stand that holds both your iPhone and your Apple Watch? Starting at less than $20, Orzly’s DuoStand is worth a look.
The Facts:
Company: Orzly
Product: DuoStand Charge Station for Apple Watch & iPhone
Price: $18.75
Compatibility: iPhone 5/5s/5c/6/6 Plus; Apple Watch all models
Color: Silver $18.75/Black $24.99/Gold $24.99
Available: Amazon.com
Date: July 2, 2015
Overview:
The DuoStand’s construction is solid, just what you’d expect from an aluminum stand. It’s lightweight, and yet it doesn’t feel in danger of tipping over because the base has a large surface area. The edges of the aluminum aren’t particularly smooth, but I never worry about my precious iPhone and Apple Watch getting scratched. The parts that contact the watch are plastic, and the spot where the iPhone rests has rubber padding. There are also rubber skids underneath the base to keep the stand from scratching your table or nightstand. The style is simple and attractive.
The Apple Watch charger disc fits nicely into the provided hole. Once you slide it into place, you can just drop your watch right onto the charger. No need to clasp nor unclasp your watch’s band, just pop it on as is. However, if you have a circular band such as the Milanese, it won’t lie flat against the charging disc unless you do remove part of the band.
Keep in mind, this stand holds your watch vertically. So, when watchOS 2 is released, you won’t be able to use the new horizontal Nightstand mode.
The iPhone can sit in the stand either horizontally or vertically. There are slots in the stand for feeding the cables through, but there’s really no cord management with this stand. The cords fit, but they are not hidden out of sight in any way. You must use your own cords; no charging cables are included with the stand.
Oddly, you have to choose whether you want the Apple Watch or the iPhone facing you. You can’t see both faces at once, as they are set 45 degrees apart.
Bottom Line:
Orzly DuoStand Charge Station for Apple Watch & iPhone is a simple, lightweight, and attractive option for displaying and storing your iPhone and Apple Watch together. It definitely has some negatives: you can’t use Nightstand mode, there’s no cord management, the edges aren’t as smooth as they could be, and you can’t see the watch and the iPhone’s faces at the same time. None of these are a deal-breaker for me, and I like this stand a lot. Nevertheless, there might be better stands coming to the market soon.
The DuoStand is available on Amazon in silver for $18.75 and black or gold for $24.99.
