The concept of going cordless is taking the world by storm, which is why wireless chargers are all the rage these days. With a wireless charger, you can quickly charge your phone without having to untangle endless loops of your charging cable to plug in the device. Sounds great, right? The only problem is that some wireless chargers don't live up to their promises. So what's the hype all about? What are the pros and cons of wireless charging? And which ones should you buy? Let's explore these questions together!
Wireless charging, also called Qi (Chi) charging, is a method of juicing up your phone without having to plug in a cable. Instead, electromagnetic induction is used to transfer energy between a charging pad and your phone. The charging pad draws energy from the power socket and transforms it into electromagnetic waves, which are then sent through the built-in transmitting coil. The receiving coil installed on the back of your device picks up those waves and transforms them into electricity, and that’s when the battery charging process finally begins.
Suppose you read the reviews about Qi-certified chargers. In that case, you’ll notice that this technology remains controversial in customers' eyes, and many debate the convenience and safety of inductive charging. But things are never black and white, so before you make a buying decision, it’s best to be aware of both the negative and positive sides of the medal.
This is the main reason customers buy a wireless charger stand or base station. Your working desk, gaming setup, and virtually any other space where you need to use your phone will look much cleaner without layers of cables lying around.
Many avid wireless charger users can’t stop after purchasing one item. They have wireless pads everywhere they stay put: in their workspace, bedside table, car, office desk, etc. This is because it’s very convenient to throw your device there and start cramming it with energy immediately without having to fiddle with plugging in the charger. Even in the dark, with a regular charger, you’d be facing the challenge of finding the proper insert position for the cable. In contrast, with a wireless charger, this problem is eliminated.
Because wireless charging doesn’t call for constant plugging and unplugging, your device’s USB port is less exposed to the physical damage that the long-term use of wired charging may cause. Thus, there’s no need to be nervous about wear and tear on your charging port and USB cables.
Though you wouldn’t have to insert a charging cable into your phone, the charging pad will require a power outlet to draw up electricity from. In this matter, wireless charging isn’t that wireless, which may be a bummer. Proper cordless charging would occur without any cables whatsoever, by air – and we still have a long way to go for such a technology to be invented.
Although convenient, inductive power transfer is less efficient than regular cable one. To some extent, the magnetic field dissipates in the air, resulting in energy loss from the charger to your phone’s battery during the power transfer — the loss in energy converts into heat, which may make your device hotter.
The speed of wireless charging is slower than wired charging. This is because wireless chargers' efficiency is lower than wired chargers; they don't have as much power going into them, so they take longer to charge your phone.
This means that a conventional 10W (5V @ 2A) wired charger will give you more power per hour than a 5W (5V @ 1A) Qi-certified wireless charger. However, the market for wireless chargers is expanding, and now sellers offer wireless chargers even with a competitive 10W power output. The Crave Qi wireless charger with smart charging and intelligent device adaptability is one such product.
The superb method to check if your phone supports wireless charging is by looking it up in the Qi Certified Product Database. In general, however, these phone models are qi-enabled: All iPhones starting from iPhone 8; Samsung Fold, Galaxy Z Flip, Galaxy S6 and above; Pixel 3 XL and above.
Unpack it, plug it into an outlet, adjust the height ( applicable to charging stands that offer vertical and landscape modes), and pop your phone onto it. That’s all there is to it!
No more than regular wired charging. The small amount of "inefficient" heat generated during the process won't shorten your battery life. Charging your phone to 100% or draining it to 0%, either by wired or wireless charging, is far worse.
Yes, but you need to factor in a few critical details. Your phone needs to be close to the charging pad, about a 3-8 mm distance depending on the model. This means you must consider the thickness of your phone case; one millimeter could easily ruin the show. Wireless charging won’t work if you have a popsocket or metal elements attached to your case.
We hope we’ve helped you make an informed decision about whether to invest in a wireless charger. We know it can be complex and confusing, but if you take the time to educate yourself on what these chargers have to offer, then it should be easy for you to pick out the right one for your needs – and even better than what you expected!
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Weather teams at Colorado State University and North Carolina State University have both predicted 14-18 named storms to happen over Florida in 2018 alone.
