Personally, I am a huge fan of native unions products. Made for us Apple lovers, Native Union strives to make already beautiful products more functional and sophisticated with things such as cables, cases, and docks.
The company sent over a few of their products for me to check out for my Apple iPhone and Apple Watch, and my devices have never looked better.
The first being the limited edition Marble DOCK+ for the Apple Watch and iPhone. Currently situated on my standing desk, the Native Union Marble DOCK+ just makes everything look more professional for my setup.
Instead of having my iPhone and Apple Watch sit on a flat surface that will tend to move, the two are essentially paperweights that give you the luxury of presentation as far as your Apple Watch and iPhone are concerned. They both come in special black boxes, where their non-marble counterparts came in a standard white box. Available in a black or white marble, they also weigh slightly more than the non-marble versions (and cost a bit more as well). Made of genuine solid marble, both docks have an elegance that goes unmatched, all at a price that is worth the asking price.
With the iPhone model, you get a few different chassis that allow you to either dock your phone with or without a case, but since I’m always using a case these days, I just put the “case” option on it to be safe. Native Union was nice enough to even include their own four-foot MFi certified lightning cable which is pretty helpful, although the cable itself is pretty short. Nevertheless, the dock is said to be compatible with the iPhone or iPad, but when docking my iPad Pro, I noticed that the dock tended to wobble just a slight bit when docking and undocking (it doesn’t do this with the iPhone 7 Plus I’ve used in the pictures).
For the Apple Watch, I really do love the look of distinction that it gives my sport edition Apple Watch that other docks did not. Not only can you sit the Apple Watch in Nightstand mode, but if you wanted to, the Dock sits upright which gives the Apple Watch a flair all its own, and makes it sitting beside an iPhone even more elegant. The DOCK+ for the Apple Watch doesn’t come with its own cable which is a bit of a bummer, but you can always buy one of them from the Apple Store. Piece of advice though — just go ahead and buy the standard length model for this dock in particular because any longer and the back door to the Native Union DOCK+ for Apple Watch will not close properly. After working with a lot of different Apple Watch Docks, this is probably my favorite to assemble thanks to its magnetic base and simple setup. The dock also tilts which is an added bonus. While I never loop my bands together when docked, I will say that when properly looped, your watch won’t fall off by any means. If there’s anything I would change, is possibly having a cable come with the DOCK+, now that Apple has allowed companies to integrate their own Apple Watch charging docks, so maybe since Native Union has devices that are MFi certified, it would be a bit easier for them.
Neither of the docks is something that I would suggest tossing in your luggage and carrying with you on a trip as they are more so statement pieces, and will sit on your desk or nightstand majority of the time, so if you are a frequent traveler, this is not your grab and go charger (for either device).
If you have an iPhone 7 Plus and are looking for a decent case to go with it, you should check out one of the two Native union cases that they have to offer.
The two cases, the CLIC Card ($49.99) and the CLIC Crystal ($34.99) are respectively the same case, one obviously can carry a few cards, while the other is well, clear. The design looks simple for both, and I tend to switch in between the two depending on where I’m going.
For a night on the town, the CLIC Card is my go-to. A leather card case through and throw, it’s an elegant look and feel that even when I don’t have my wallet on me, feels right. Made of Argentinian leather, the case is not overly bulky in the hand, but still adds some weight that’s evenly distributed throughout the case, covers all of the necessary buttons, and leaving just the right amount of lip around the face of the phone so in the event I possibly drop it, there’s some added protection. I’ve fit up to three cards into the CLIC Card with minimal effort, although I wouldn’t go further as it can stretch out the leather which would then make an elegant slim case look warped and bloated. It’s also available in black or brown for both the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus.
The CLIC Crystal is my daily driver, for the days I actually do carry my wallet. Sans the option of carrying a few cards, the CLIC Crystal is not only slimmer than the CLIC Card, but feels a bit nicer in the pocket.
It’s got some shock protection to its polymer frame, so not only will you be able to show the world what color iPhone you have, but you can get some protection around the entirety of your phone as well. And with Native Union’s signature slash design on the upper left corner, it’s certainly not that clear iPhone case you’d find on Amazon that will turn yellow on you in a few weeks. Native Union stands behind the quality of their TPU case, that you can change your cases over and over without the case buckling and getting damaged over time. If you don’t want your phone to look bulky, or want to add some color to your case that Apple doesn’t already offer, the CLIC Crystal is available in Green, Taupe, Blue and Grey for both sizes of the iPhone 7.
For more information on the Native Union products, you can head directly to Native Union today.
Source: Manufacturer supplied review unit
What I Like: The marble docks are a nice touch to any setting, and both iPhone cases feel great in hand
What Needs Improvement: I’d personally love to see more colors to the CLIC Crystal