Grovemade is one of those special Apple accessory makers. With an intense focus on functional design, beautiful materials and detailed craftsmanship, it makes some of the best options on the market. Along with its latest generation iPhone cases, today the company is unveiling its new Wireless Charging Pad.
Apple finally decided to go with Qi wireless charging on its latest handsets and Grovemade has now stepped up with one of the nicest looking chargers we have seen thus far.
The new Grovemade Wireless Charging Pad is made of a 1/4-inch stainless steel base with a soft natural cork top. The company has paid special attention to its edge sanding work here to ensure the cork top and steel bottom sit totally flush against one another. It says the steel base has just enough weight to it so it won’t slide all over the table when you’re using it.
While the natural-colored cork model (known as Light) retains its organic aesthetic, the Dark model is “painstakingly” hand stained with Japanese Sumi calligraphy ink. A process that is apparently quite difficult, but in the end worth it, according to Grovemade.
Focusing on subtle details makes the charging pad come to life. It had to look good with a variety of phones, and in a variety of spaces. We built dozens of cardboard models, then walked the 10 ft to the woodshop to create real prototypes and see how they felt. We arrived at a shape that we think is just right. Not too big, not too small.
You’re looking at a 5.36-inch diameter at 0.875-inches in height with a 9-inch to 5-foot adjustable cable. The bright nylon braided cable neatly wraps under the dock in a recessed track to avoid messy situations.
As expected your device will charge on contact with the cork pad on top. Govemade notes that it is is compatible with all Qi-enabled devices and will work with “most cases” up to 3mm thick. And that includes all of Grovemade’s iPhone cases.
Grovemade’s Wireless Charging Pad in Light or Dark is available for pre-order now at $79 with an early December shipping date. That’s apparently the discounted introductory price, but there is no word on what the MSRP will actually be at this time.
While certainly a gorgeous Qi charging option (from what we can see and know of Grovemade’s gear), it is fairly pricey. So if the look and premium materials don’t get you excited, you can easily pick up a simple wireless charging pad on Amazon for a fraction of the price. Again not quite as beautiful, but Belkin has a Qi Wireless Charging Pad for just $40.
And better yet, here is a complete roundup of all the best options for iPhone 8/Plus/X starting at just $13 Prime shipped.
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