While our editors have debated the general merits of iPhone wall mounts — how often do you really want to leave your phone against a wall? — there’s surely some market for them, particularly in apartments where space is at a premium. That’s where Just Mobile’s new AluPocket ($30) comes in. It’s a handsome, minimalist wall mounting accessory for any iPhone model, designed solely to do two things: hold the iPhone at your choice of heights against a wall, and provide a hole for you to insert the self-supplied charging cable of your choice.
Following Just Mobile’s well-established design language, the front of the disc-shaped AluPocket is a single piece of gently curved aluminum, while the rest is hard black plastic—a highly attractive, simple design that has a better than average chance of looking overly futuristic relative to its surroundings. To accommodate varying device thicknesses and cases, there’s a plastic clip system inside the pocket, which gently resizes automatically to firmly hold whichever iPhone and case you place inside.
A thin groove down the front center lets you feed through and connect an iPhone charging cable. Between one-third and one-fourth of the iPhone’s body is obscured, with enough space below to hold any typical Dock Connector or Lightning plug. Plastic clips inside the pocket enable it to be detached from the wall plate for whatever reason.
Mounting AluPocket is easy. Two included 3M glue-free adhesive strips attach it to the wall, and use small tabs that can be tugged on to rip the whole plate off safely. While Just Mobile doesn’t pack-in extra adhesive, it does include a mounting template to help you ensure you have the right spot before using the pre-installed strips. We had no issue installing AluPocket properly the first time we used it, though if you’re planning to place it near a power outlet, we’d advise measuring your preferred cable’s length and testing it inside the pocket before finalizing your location.
The single biggest conceptual knock against AluPocket for the price is the fact that it’s not a turnkey solution. You’re paying $30 for little more than a way to attach your phone to the wall, and get none of the electronic hardware necessary to charge your device in a place where it most likely will need it. The secondary issue is the general practicality of the mount, which many people will find questionable for a multifunctional device that begs to be quickly accessible for everything from phone calls to games and email. It makes the most sense for a space-confined user trying to save room on a desk, or where the iPhone to be docked is a non-essential one.
Our editors’ opinions diverged so much on the value of AluPocket that no single rating seemed entirely correct here, but it suffices to say that it’s a somewhat polarizing product—one that some people will really gravitate towards and find very well-executed, while others will find pointless or consider a solution in search of a problem. On balance, we felt that AluPocket is a good accessory and worthy of our flat B rating; it would have been easier to love as a completely turnkey solution, or at a lower price.
Our Rating
Company and Price
Company: Just Mobile
Website: www.just-mobile.com
Model: AluPocket
Price: $30
Compatible: All iPhones