Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Boostcase Review: Bloc Power Bank for Apple Watch Has Unique Built-In Battery, but Isn't Portable Enough

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
67,645
38,074



Just months after the Apple Watch was released, there are dozens if not 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.

blocdesign-800x466.jpg

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 not 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.

blociphonesizecomparison-800x566.jpg

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 not 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.


Click here to read more...

Article Link: Boostcase Review: Bloc Power Bank for Apple Watch Has Unique Built-In Battery, but Isn't Portable Enough
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/review/boostcase-bloc-power-bank-apple-watch/
This is one strange device.

I assume the answer is no since neither the article nor Bootcase's website mentions it, but is it capable of charging other device as well? That is, can its USB port be used to charge iPhone? And if not, what's the point of desktop-bound battery charger for Apple Watch again?
 
  • Like
Reactions: OriginalClone
The leather loop isn't a closed loop band, and I actually find it hard to take on and off without the whole thing coming undone.
 
Couldn't I just shove a small portable USB Battery in the box the Sport Watch came in and then plug in a short charging cable and get the same thing?

Am I just really jaded? I think this thing is crap.
 
Last edited:
Apple should have just integrated a lightning port into the mag safe watch connector puck, then any kind of lightning cable could have been used with it.

Would have added 50¢ on cost.
 
Robert.Walter said:
Apple should have just integrated a lightning port into the mag safe watch connector puck, then any kind of lightning cable could have been used with it.

Would have added 50¢ on cost.
Click to expand...
That doesn't make much sense. You would still need to buy additional charging pucks in addition to another lightning cable. The problem isn't that it's hard to find something to plug the puck into, the problem is that there aren't any aftermarket chargers yet and the Apple ones are overprices. Putting a lightning port into the puck itself wouldn't help anything.
 
I was
Drumjim85 said:
The leather loop isn't a closed loop band, and I actually find it hard to take on and off without the whole thing coming undone.
Click to expand...
thinking the same thing, I have a leather loop and it would work fine with it. Other loops you could just disconnect one side from the actual watch....always a solution
 
Robert.Walter said:
Apple should have just integrated a lightning port into the mag safe watch connector puck, then any kind of lightning cable could have been used with it.
Click to expand...
I think lightning port is on the way out, as early as iPhone 7. Contact based charger for Samsung Galaxy can charge about an hour longer than over the USB cable (3 hours vs 2 hours).
 
nutmac said:
This is one strange device.

I assume the answer is no since neither the article nor Bootcase's website mentions it, but is it capable of charging other device as well? That is, can its USB port be used to charge iPhone? And if not, what's the point of desktop-bound battery charger for Apple Watch again?
Click to expand...

With a knife to cut the cables / strip the wires, and some duct tape, anything is possible. ;)
 
shareef777 said:
Sooo.... they took a $10 battery back, wrapped it in an aluminum block and charge $80 for that 'innovation'.
Click to expand...

It's also a puzzle. That's worth $10 right there lol. Of course there's no pretty pictures. But then again it's targeted at computer people not preschoolers ;)

Add another $10 for the battery, and $20 for the "prestige", and $39.90 for the royalties to pay for the use of a rectangular shape ;) and add the 5 cents you'll get back when you recycle the aluminum, and we're just about there :)
 
Last edited:
Or... just use your existing charging puck with an Anker external battery pack of whatever capacity suits your size and price needs. Smaller and more versatile. Add any kind of stand you prefer, as desired.

That bottom cord winding path looks like something that everyone was afraid to call a bad idea, in front of the designer.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
The white cube-like plastic thing that the charger base came in makes a great stand on it's own. It's light, collapses and pops right back up. Perfect!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back