It’s nothing but an elaborate case for the charging puck included with your Galaxy Watch
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is one of the best Android smartwatches money can buy today, but customers have had one gripe about it since launch — it’s nearly impossible to lay the watch flat on a wireless charger. With the way the Watch’s band is shaped, trying something like reverse wireless charging using the back of your phone is practically a non-starter. But like the true modern tech giant that it is, Samsung is now ready to sell a solution to a problem that’s certainly of its own creation — a new Galaxy Watch Charging Cradle.
We first caught wind of this cradle earlier in September, but at the time, there wasn’t much known about the product besides its existence. The design holds the watch up, so there’s room for the stuff strap to hang off the sides, without getting in the way. Now, 9to5Google spotted Samsung’s official website in the UK listing the accessory for £20 (around $23). While the US website is also showing the cradle, there’s no price mentioned and customers can’t check out with the product yet.
The cradle’s relatively low price can be attributed to the lack of any sort of charging circuitry of its own, Instead, Samsung expects you to use the charging puck included with your Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. Although this means the new charging cradle is essentially a hunk of injection-molded plastic with Samsung branding, at least you’re free to use it to charge older Samsung wearables like the Galaxy Watch 4, Watch 3, and Watch Active 2.
Pre-production photos seen on Reddit leave us wondering why Samsung didn’t design the stand to hold the watch display at an angle for ease of access or use as a bedside clock. We aren’t surprised the community has already created similar designs with subtle quality-of-life improvements you can have 3D printed (for cheap!) in the color and material of your choice.
So what does that make this? Is the stand explicitly Samsung’s attempt to right a wrong? Or is this just a practical, no-nonsense charging solution that’s versatile across all of Samsung’s wearable hardware? We’re not sure, but we appreciate having another option. And speaking of those, if you want a bit of personalization while solving the Watch 5 Pro’s issues you could pick up one of the best Galaxy Watch 5 straps or 3D print a custom stand.
