NOMAD Base Station – Apple Watch Edition

We recently introduced you to the NOMAD Base Station – Stand Edition (read our review here). This is a great option for anyone that wants to charge their iPhone and AirPods wirelessly and looks great on any desk.

The folks at NOMAD have not forgotten those of us that also have an Apple Watch. For the ultimate in charging abilities, check out the NOMAD Base Station – Apple Watch Edition.

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NOMAD Base Station – Apple Watch Edition – Unboxing

If you have followed any of our other NOMAD product reviews, you know that we think the care they take with their packaging is part of the experience and the NOMAD Base Station – Apple Watch Edition is no exception.

In the box is the NOMAD Base Station – Apple Watch Edition, a braided, 2.0 meter heavy duty power cord attached to the NOMAD 100 – 240V ~ 50/60 Hz 1.5A Input, 4000 mA Output power supply, plugs for US, UK and EU outlets and a package of rubber bumpers to adjust the spacing for the Apple Watch.  Order to Australia and New Zealand will include the power plug for those countries.

The NOMAD Base Station – Apple Watch Edition measures 6.5” long x 4.25” wide x 1.8” high (16.5cm x 19.8 cm x 4.5cm), including the MFi Apple watch charging puck.  It weighs just over 1lb (0.46kg).

NOMAD Base Station – Apple Watch Edition – Overview

The NOMAD Base Station – Apple Watch Edition is made of high quality aluminum in a dark gray that is a couple of shades darker than our 2019 Space Gray MacBook Pro.  The Apple Watch charger is integrated in the base, rather than just attached with a fastener so it is not only solid, but there is no chance it will come loose or break off of the base.

Integrated into the base are three Qi-certified 10 watt charging coils.  Depending on the positioning of your devices, you can charge two iPhones or an iPhone and AirPods in a wireless case or AirPod Pro.  That is in addition to an Apple Watch.

The coils are covered in a black leather material.

In front of the Apple Watch charger is a small rubber tab. This is what the edge of the Apple Watch rests on while on the charger.  Because the folks at NOMAD seem to think of every detail, they include in the box, a package of additional bumpers in two sizes.  The shorter bumper, which is preinstalled is intended to fit the larger 42mm and 44mm Apple Watch models. If you have the smaller 38mm or 40mm Apple Watch, you can easily swap out the bumper for a slightly taller one which better positions the watch against the charger surface.

Along the front edge of the Base Station are three LEDs which indicate which of the three wireless charging coils are active.

The rear of the Base Station has a port to connect the power supply, an ambient light sensor to dim the front facing LEDs at night, a USB-A port with a 7.5W output and a USB-C Power Delivery port with an 18W output.  Since the USB ports can be used simultaneously with the charging pad and Apple Watch charger, you can charge five devices at the same time.

NOMAD Base Station – Apple Watch Edition – Test Results

Set-up of the NOMAD Base Station – Apple Watch Edition was quick and easy. All that is needed is to connect the braided cord into the outlet on the rear of the base station and plug the power supply into a power source.

The business end of the NOMAD power supply is one of the largest we have seen.  Unless you have a large power strip or a dedicated wall plug, chances are it will not fit.  The simple solution is to use a short (1 foot) extension cord.  We used one of our Eteckcity extension cords which solved our problem.

NOMAD Base Station – Apple Watch Edition – Test Results

Like all of the other NOMAD products we have tested, the NOMAD Base Station – Apple Watch Edition looks great and works even better.

The sleek design fits well on a desk or nightstand.  Our Apple Watch 42mm Series 3 fit perfectly on the Apple Watch charger and Night Stand mode worked as expected.  Because the base is so sturdy, we had to give it a slightly harder tap to get the watch to light up but after doing it once or twice, it was became very natural.

While most people tend to use wireless charging with their iPhone on, we still like to power off our phone at night.  Because of the three coils used in the NOMAD Base Station – Apple Watch Edition, we had no trouble finding a placement for our iPhone XS that allowed us to press the necessary buttons to power off the iPhone, without disturbing the charging process or the watch placement.

The ambient light sensor worked well and the front facing LED was barely noticeable in the darkened room.

The Bottom Line

As we have said before, we only embraced wireless charging recently, due in large part to our test of the NOMAD Base Station – Stand Edition (read our review here). Now, it seems we can’t find enough ways to use a wireless charger.  With the NOMAD Base Station – Stand Edition on our desk, and the NOMAD Base Station – Apple Watch Edition on our nightstand, we have the best of both worlds.

With its three coil charging pad, an integrated Apple Watch charger and both USB-A and USB-C outlets on the rear panel, we can keep all of our Apple devices and accessories powered up and ready to go.

The NOMAD Base Station – Apple Watch Edition has an MSRP of $149.95, is available on the NOMAD web site here, or from Amazon.

If you like the idea of the charging pad, but don’t need the Apple Watch charging capabilities, check out the NOMAD Base Station – Hub Edition.  It has the same three coil charging pad along with the USB-A and USB-C ports on the rear.  It is available in the same aluminum frame as well as a walnut finish.

We would like to thank the folks at NOMAD for providing the NOMAD Base Station – Apple Watch Edition for our testing and review.

Are you a fan of wireless charging?  What are your favorite charging products?  Why not join the conversation and leave a comment below?

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