Grovemade’s walnut iPhone dock is built to last and looks stunning

Grovemade Dock

Docks are a great way to store your iPhone on your nightstand overnight or on your office desk while you work on your computer. There are a lot of options to choose from out there with varying degrees of quality, and Grovemade makes a product that you won’t be disappointed in.

In this review, we’ll show you the Grovemade walnut dock for the iPhone 6 Plus/6s Plus, a premium metal and hard wood dock that pays careful attention to detail and looks great anywhere you put it.

Quality

Let’s first begin with the quality. I think quality is where a lot of iPhone docks lack any appeal to me, but Grovemade is one of the first iPhone docks that has ever appealed to me. Once I was able to try it, I immediately fell in love with it and I use it every single day.

It’s essentially a two-piece system; the bottom of the dock is a heavy 3-pound hunk of darkened stainless steel that was CNC-machined out of a solid block, while the top is a carved shell made from high-quality walnut wood that has been hand-sanded and oiled for the perfect color.

When you feel it in your hand for the first time, you’ll think you were carrying a lead brick, and that goes to show that you’re not missing any build quality here, and no corners have been cut to lose the weight of this beautiful product.

The wood looks great; because it’s real walnut wood, it will go great with your matching furniture around the house. If you have a nice table, or a nice desk, you can keep this dock nearby and it complements the look and feel of your living space.

Function

The dock is very functional as a charging station for your iPhone. For this review, we’re taking a look at the version made for the iPhone 6 Plus/6s Plus, but there are also other variations, such as one for the iPhone 6/6s and one for the many 4-inch iPhones Apple has on the market.

Grovemade Lightning Sleeve

It utilizes an OEM Apple Lightning cable; you have to snake it through the bottom of the dock and clamp it into place with the provided Allen wrench. You don’t want to over-tighten the Lightning cable, but at the same time, you want it tight enough that it’s not going to budge.

Grovemade Inside

You’ll see that the inside of the dock, which you never see when it’s in use, includes a storage compartment for the Allen wrench.

Grovemade Bottom

Because the bottom of the dock weighs so much, there’s never any inconvenience of having to pull down on the dock when you’re removing your iPhone. All that weight keeps the dock firmly planted on its surface even while you’re pulling your iPhone off of it.

Grovemade iPhone 6 Plus

It’s worth noting that the iPhone 6 Plus/6s Plus version of this dock is basically universal. It works with all of your iPhones, and yes, even your iPod touches. With that in mind, I actually use mine quite frequently to charge my iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, and even my iPhone 5.

Grovemade iPhone 5s

If you have a case, you can probably still use the dock. The Lightning cable’s plug can be adjusted upwards or downwards to get the right fit for your iPhone case. The only cases that don’t seem to work are the ones that have flaps, such as OtterBox or LifeProof cases.

Another couple of small, but worthy notes are that the Touch ID sensor sticks out just above the surface, making it easy to use your iPhone while it’s docked, and that the wood encases the sound coming from your speaker, which amplifies the sound omni-directionally.

My thoughts on the Grovemade walnut iPhone dock

Just to put things into perspective, this has been my favorite iPhone dock for about a month now. I’ve tried many iPhone docks in the past, but I’ve never really kept using them for more than a week before I got a little tired of bothering with them.

I think the biggest appeal here is going to be the perfect balance and use of premium materials, but it’s also nice that the iPhone 6 Plus/6s Plus version works with all other Lightning-based iPhones and iPod touches as well.

Here is a list of Pros and Cons that I can think of after having used the Grovemade walnut iPhone dock:

Pros:

  • Premium materials
  • Perfectly weighted
  • Universal fit for Lightning-based iPhones & iPod touches
  • Works with most protective iPhone cases
  • Uses OEM Apple Lightning cable
  • Perfect alignment of Touch ID sensor for docked use

Cons:

  • Pricey
  • No Lightning cable included
  • Doesn’t work with many third-party Lightning cables

Conclusion

Want a high-quality product that you will use over and over again and still want to be using three years from now? If so, the Grovemade iPhone dock might have a place on your desk.

The dock comes in both walnut and maple color options, but both carry the same price tag of $99 on Grovemade’s website.

What are your thoughts on the Grovemade iPhone dock? Share in the comments below