Just months after the
Apple Watch was released, there are dozens if **t hundreds of different stand options available on the market. The
Bloc Power Bank from Boostcase stands out due to its
Unique long, flat shape and the fact that it has a
Built-In battery pack that can charge the
Apple Watch while on the go.
Made from solid aluminum, the
Bloc Power Bank comes in Silver, Space Gray, Gold, Rose Gold, Wood, and Stainless Steel, to match all of the different
Apple Watch options that are available. I went hands-on with the silver aluminum model to see how it measures up to other available stands on the market and whether the
Built-In battery is a useful function.
Design and Setup
As with all
Apple Watch stands, the
Bloc is designed to work with the charging cable that ships with the
Apple Watch, and thus it does **t include a
Built-In charging cable. Size wise, the
Bloc is just under 10 inches long, just over half an inch thick, and two inches wide. It weighs 408 grams, or 0.90 pounds with both the battery pack attached and the
Apple Watch charger in place.
If you're thinking that sounds both unwieldy and heavy, that's a correct assumption. At 10 inches long and nearly a pound in weight, the
Bloc isn't exactly what I'd call portable, because it's **t going to fit comfortably in a backpack or a purse. Since it's flat and rectangular, the
Bloc can only be used with open-loop bands like the Sport Band, the Modern Buckle, and the Classic Buckle.
It's **t going to be suitable for the closed-loop bands like the Milanese Loop, the Leather Loop, or the Link Bracelet because the
Apple Watch needs to be able to lay flat on the surface to charge. It's well-made and sturdy, and the charger is slightly raised to prevent the
Apple Watch from coming into contact with the aluminum. Because it lays flat, the
Bloc is **t going to support iOS 9's upcoming Nightstand Mode, a major negative if you plan to use the
Apple Watch as a nighttime clock.
At this point, I've tested several
Apple Watch stands and I can say without a doubt that the
Bloc was the most difficult and frustrating to assemble. The
Apple Watch charger is placed in a little rubber cap and fitted into a slot at the top of the Bloc, and then the cord is wound through the bottom of the
Bloc in a maze-like way before the USB portion plugs into the included battery pack (which is removable).
Winding the cable through the
Bloc took me several tries because it requires a precise fit. The cable needs to be incredibly tight and packed down all the way into the grooves in the
Bloc stand, which is done with a little tool. When the cable isn't lined up exactly, it's **t going to reach the USB port, and while it might sound easy to wind a cable, let me tell you, it's **t.
In fact, winding that cable through the
Bloc felt like I was doing an impossible puzzle and it took a good 20 minutes for me to figure out I needed to ig**re the instructions and wind from the USB side and go backwards from there. I used a 1m
Apple Watch cord but if you have a 2m cord, you're going to need to do the winding process twice over for double the frustration.
Given the intense cable management in the
Bloc Power Bank, I'd plan to buy an extra cable for it. Most users are **t going to want to remove the cable over and over again for use without the Bloc, so consider it permanently attached. I'm also **t sure what twisting and pulling an
Apple Watch cable around all of those curves does to it, but I'm sure it's **t good.
The Battery Pack
Once the cable is in place, the
Apple Watch and the battery pack included with the
Bloc are charged together through a micro-USB cable that ships with the product. At 2,000 mAh,
Boostcase promises the
Bloc will be able to charge the
Apple Watch to full four times over, which I found to be true in my testing.
With my 38mm
Apple Watch, I actually got almost five full charges from the
Bloc case, but it may be closer to four charges for the 42mm
Apple Watch, which has a slightly larger battery. That means I could potentially take the
Bloc case on a trip where I didn't have
Power and have a functional
Apple Watch for nearly a week, but with the weight and size of the
Bloc case, I'm **t sure I'd want to do that.
Battery level on the
Bloc is visible through three LEDs on the side of the device next to the micro-USB port, giving a rough estimation of how much battery is left.
Bottom Line
Boostcase's
Bloc Power Bank is an enigma. It's a product that has a
Built-In battery that can charge the
Apple Watch when you're away from home, but it's **t portable e**ugh to make that worthwhile, **r is there any kind of travel case included. It's great on a desk because it's slim, but on a desk, that
Built-In battery isn't exactly useful, and it's expensive compared to other options.
I don't k**w who would use this product because it seems to be solving a problem that doesn't exist. As someone who travels a lot, the shape and the weight of the
Bloc eliminate it as something I'd pack because it's a whole lot heavier than just a standard
Apple Watch charger. I might use it at my desk, but its inability to work with closed-loop bands limits its usefulness.
The
Built-In battery can be ******* from the
Bloc and used on a standalone basis with an
Apple Watch or iPhone, but I'm **t sure why anyone would want to use this solution over a dedicated battery pack. In fact, if I were to travel and need extra juice for my
Apple Watch, I'd much rather take along my standalone
Apple Watch charger and something like the Mophie Powerstation Plus, because that would be about the same price and a lot more portable.
Visually, the
Bloc is attractive and its long design is unique, so I could see someone purchasing it as a desktop charger, but for most users, there are more practical, affordable
Apple Watch stands available.
Pros:
- Solid construction
- Lots of color options
- Battery charges Apple Watch to full 4 times
Cons:
- Heavy
- Oddly shaped
- Doesn't work with all bands
- Expensive
- Frustrating to set up
- Doesn't work with Nightstand Mode
How to Buy
Boostcase's
Bloc Power Bank for
Apple Watch can be purchased from the
Boostcase website. There are six different finishes available, each priced at $79.95.
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