Best Wireless Charger – How to Buy the Best Wireless Charger?
12 seconds ago, There are a few things to consider before you are off to buying the best wireless charger. First of all you need to make sure your phone supports it. For some phones, such as iPhone, you need to purchase a special case that enables it.
I have written below a list of models that don’t require any extras. Secondly, like all technological innovations, different charging standards have emerged. The most popular is the Qi standard but it is still good to make sure your device supports the right wireless charger. Also even the best wireless charger will take longer to charge your device than plugging it into the wall.
Also read: Best Wireless Router for Gaming
Below are the best wireless chargers available right now. We have put together the best products in all price ranges and designs!
Best Overall Charger
TYLT VU
PROS:
Design allows you to use your phone even while charging. Starts charging immediately.
TYLT VU is a wireless charger that has a different design from almost all other competitors. It can be more viewed as a phone dock and because of its 45 degree angle, you can comfortably view your messages even while it’s charging. This is a huge plus in our eyes. Also because of this design, finding the correct charging spot is as simple and fast as it can get.
TYLT VU wireless charger
Specifications
Price: $55
Qi wireless standard
3 Coils
Max power output 1A
It also comes in 4 different colours: black, blue, green (lime) and red. The charger also has a LED light that tells you if your device is charging. Because of its positioning and dimness you won’t have a problem charging at night. The charger also comes with an AC power adapter so you don’t have to worry about that.
Best Bang For Buck
Yootech Wireless Charging Pad
PROS:
Costs $14
Slim & Lightweight
Output at least 1.5A
CONS:
Can take time to position phone
No wall adapter
This is definitely the best bang for buck wireless charging pad by far. It simply does what it’s meant to do and does it well. If you are looking for a design element for your home then this is probably not for you. It is small, triangular and only for charging one phone at a time. At the bottom it has 3 rubbery pads that prevent it from slipping. There is also a small LED light that changes colour between green and red. Green when your phone is charging, red if it is not and flashes if your phone isn’t positioned correctly.
Yootech Best Wireless Charger
Specifications
Qi wireless standard
Power output at least 1.5A
7.5x9cm
It also comes with a Micro USB – USB cable which is the power source for the Yootech charging pad. You are probably better off also purchasing a USB wall charging adapter if you haven’t already. Otherwise you’ll have to have it connected to a laptop. This really is a straight forward product and can’t really ask for more at this price.
Smartest Charger
Nokia DT-903 Wireless Charging Plate
PROS:
Message & alerts notification
Amazing build quality
CONS:
Expensive
Nofication feature only for new Lumia phones
Nokia DT-903 Review
Nokia has come out with the most advanced charging pad line yet. What makes it the most advanced wireless charger is that it can be connected to your lumia phone via bluetooth. This allows the charger to notify you when ever you get any messages or alerts by changing glow.
You can read our DT-903 review here!
Specifications
Price: $59
Qi wireless standard
Messages & Alerts notification for Lumia phones
Max power output 1A
The charger also comes in 3 different colours to choose from: green, orange & white. The pad itself is made out of round plastic and the design looks really simple. But don’t let that fool you, at a closer look it is a work of art – the build quality is simply amazing. It sits perfectly on the table and doesn’t move around thanks to its weight. Simply place your phone onto the charger and if it glows up then you know it is charging.
As I mentioned above, in order to enjoy the full features of the Nokia wireless charger, you need to have the latest Lumia phone. You can also charge any other device that supports Qi wireless standard but then it will just charge without the noficiations feature. That is perhaps the only negative part I have found, it would be great if the features were availabe for all phones.
Real Wood Charger
WoodPuck Bamboo Edition
PROS:
Made out of wood
Solid & Sturdy
CONS:
No wall charger
Can’t turn off occasional beeps
Most wireless chargers are made out of plastic. If you are looking for something else then WoodPuck Bamboo Edition is the best wireless charger when it comes to full wood design. The build feels high quality and is solid and sturdy.
WoodPuck Bamboo
Specifications
Price: $35
Qi wireless standard
Full wood
Max power output 1A
The charger has a cleverly hidden micro-USB socket to connect it to a power source. As you have noticed, most chargers use a LED light to notify that it’s charging. WoodPuck doesn’t, instead it uses an audio notification to indicate when the charging has started. It also beeps occasionally to remind you that it is working. Now this wouldn’t be a problem if you could turn the sound off but sadly you can’t. This is the only downside of the charger because it can get annoying at nights, even though the sound isn’t loud.
Best Design For Home
IKEA NORDMÄRKE Triple Pad
PROS:
Design that fits anywhere
Can wireless charge 3 devices at once
USB port
CONS:
Bulky power adapter
Expensive
IKEA NORDMÄRKE Triple Pad
The wireless charging pad by IKEA is probably the most stylish charging pad ever. The simplistic, round wood style plastic makes it a perfect fit for any home. It also comes in 2 colours: white and birch wood. What makes it our favourite wireless charging pad is that it has 3 charging spots so it’s big enough for the entire family to charge their phones at the same time. It also comes with an additional USB port that can be used to charge your device as well.
Specifications
Price: $65
Qi wireless standard
USB port
3 charging pads with power output of 3x5W / 3x1A
You can tell that it is a quality product because IKEA has literally thought of everything. They have created a rubbery bottom which stops the pad from slipping. There is also a small LED light that stays on while your phone is charging and starts flashing if there is a problem. Perhaps the only negative thing we can find is the power adapter it quite big. Also the NORDMÄRKE wireless charger might be a bit excessive and expensive for those who only require 1 charging area. But for those IKEA has also got the just as good and much cheaper single pad versions!
You can read our IKEA wireless charger series review here!
Best PMA Standard
Duracell Powermat PMA-3
PROS:
Simple and sleek design
No flashy lights
CONS:
Only 1 colour option
Duracell Powermat PMA3
As I mentioned charging pads have different wireless charging standards. The Duracell Powermat PMA-3 has the PMA-3 standard that is being pushed by General Motors and Starbucks. The only negative part however is that most smartphones have the Qi standard built-in. So in order to charge them with PMA you need a special receiver. I have chosen the PMA-3 version instead of the other plain one because PMA-3 supports the Powermat Ring receiver. You can read more about it at the end of the article.
Specifications
Price: $TBA
PMA3 wireless standard
USB port
Power output of 5W / 1A
Duracell Powermat PMA-3 is the best wireless charger for the PMA standard. It is a sleek charging pad, fit for both home and office, that lets you wirelessly charge your favorite devices. The wireless charging power is what I would call average, exactly the same as on most Qi chargers. Charging is simple. The surface is really sensitive so a smartphone starts charging immediately. It has also got an indication LED that glows if your device is charging. The LED isn’t strong at all so it doesn’t get annoying when the lights are turned off.
Wireless Receivers
Because this technology is still new, not all phones (such as iPhones) have a built-in wireless charging support. That is why in order to charge them wirelessly, you need to add a wireless receiver. It may sound complex but it really isn’t, you don’t need to open up your device or anything. They are small and thin modules that are attached to your phones charging port. In most android cases the micro USB port.
Qi Wireless Charger case
Qi Receiver Cases
There are various receivers to choose from however. There are receivers that have been built in a case. If you wish to buy a case then make sure it fits and is made for your device. They come in different styles and price ranges. Some also have external batteries inside them. What you need to make sure of is that what ever receiver you choose that it matches the same wireless standard as your charger.
Providing an exact Qi receiver case is hard as different smartphones require different cases. That is the negative part about case receivers. If you have an iPhone 5/5s then I would recommend the CHOETECH Qi that costs $17 on Amazon.com. It is the slimmest case I have seen so far. For iPhone 6/6s there is a tough armor case by Spigen that costs $30 on Amazon.com.
Qi Receiver Strips
Wireless Charging Receiver Strips
There are also special thin receiver strips that are attached to the back of your device and then you can cover them with a case of your own. These are more versatile, just make sure the connector fits your phones charging port. However, they won’t work if you are covering it up with a metal case because it will interfere with the connection. Also one negative part of the receiver strips, when they are plugged in you can’t connect the phone to your computer with a cable.
There are many brands that you can choose from so it is hard to name an exact product. It is best to simply search for Qi receivers on Amazon.com and go with the one that fits your smartphone. All of them pretty much have the same quality.
PMA Receiver Case
PMA receiver cases have the same problem as Qi receiver cases except with PMA you have even less to choose from. The only reason I would advise to get this is if your wireless charger is only PMA compatible, not the newest PMA3 version. As in only if you are getting an older PMA charger. Starbucks uses the newest PMA3 standard.
Basically the only product you can choose from is Duracell Powermat that is available for 4/4s $5 and 5/5s $18. So if you have an Android or an iPhone 6/6s then your only option is to get the PMA3 standard best wireless charger or a Qi standard.
PMA3 Powermat Ring
If your car has the PMA wireless charging standard or you just visit Starbucks often then you might want a receiver that is compatible with PMA and not Qi. The only option for that is either getting a Powermat Case or a Powermat Ring which you can directly plug into your charging port.
Powermat Wireless Charging Standards
As I mentioned before, I don’t personally like the Powermat Case because it is too bulky and not compatible with all devices. So instead I have gone with the Powermat ring as it is small enough to carry around in a pocket and easily removable. Also it doesn’t make a smartphone any bigger.
There are 2 things to consider. Firstly your PMA charger needs to have the PMA3 standard if you wish to charge with the ring. If you have a plain PMA standard then you will have to get the Powermat Case.
Secondly you need to purchase the correct ring depending on which charging port your smartphone has (microUSB, iPhone 5/6 or 4 port).
Wireless Charging Standards – Best Wireless Charger
The main problem with wireless charging are the different standards that are available. All of them are similar in a sense but use different techniques to deliver power. They are also supported by different organizations. Because of that, the industry isn’t moving forward as fast as we would like.
To make things worse, big companies such as Starbucks, Nokia, Samsung, Intel and Toyota have all started using different wireless charging standards. This creates a question: which wireless charging standard to support?
There are 3 popular wireless charging standards to choose from and they are called Qi, PMA and Rezence.
Qi
Qi (Inductive Power Standard) is the most popular wireless charging standard and it is developed by an organization called Wireless Power Consortium (WPC). The main reason why Qi is so popular is because the technology itself is cheap and the standard is backed by companies such as Asus, HTC, Huawei, Motorola, LG, Nokia, Sony, BlackBerry, Samsung and IKEA. Most of them are big names in the smartphone industry. So chances are that if your smartphone has wireless charging then it will be for the Qi standard.
A Qi charging system consists of 2 devices: a Base Station, also known as charging pad, and a Mobile Device, or receiver, that consumes the power. The base station contains multiple planar coils that generate an oscillating magnetic field. The receiver also contains a coil and when you place these 2 coils close to each other then the inductive power gets transferred from the base to the receiver.
qi modules
Only downside of the current Qi specification is that it can’t deliver more than 5W of power currently. However there are news of a new Qi specification being released that promises up to 15W of power.
PMA
PMA is the second most popular wireless charging standard that belongs under the organization called AirFuel Alliance. PMA is developed by Power Matters Alliance but after the merge with Alliance For Wireless Power (A4WP) they became AirFuel Alliance.
Powermat Wireless Charging Standards
PMA is backed by companies such as AT&T, Duracell, Starbucks, Flextronics, Powermat Technologies, Federal Communications Commission, Energy Star, Delta Airlines and General Motors. See the problem, makers of devices are supporting Qi while companies like Starbucks are supporting PMA.
When Qi is based on just inductive charging, PMA uses both inductive and resonant power transfer. That is why you can’t use PMA chargers with Qi standard devices.
In terms of charging, both Qi and PMA are similar. The real reason why companies such as Starbucks prefer PMA/Powermat is for what the standard can do besides charging. For example the wireless charging standard also includes the ability to save various data such as how much time someone has spent on charging. This is valuable information from a marketing point of view.
Rezence
Rezence is the most powerful one out of the 3 wireless charging standards. It is developed by Alliance For Wireless Power (A4WP) that belongs under AirFuel Alliance. Just like PMA. The only difference are the companies backing it. Rezence is supported by Intel, Broadcom, Gill Electronics, WiTricity, Samsung Electronics and Qualcomm.
Intel rezence wireless charging
Rezence is based on the principle of magnetic resonance. It consists of a single power transmitter and one or more power receivers. But the impressive part about Rezence is that it can transfer power up to 50W! This creates way more opportunities than just charging a smartphone. For example Intel recently came out with a laptop that can be wirelessly charged. And they are using Rezence to achieve that.
Only problem with Rezence is that it isn’t available for consumers yet. We have only seen it demonstrated at expos on prototypes.
So you really only have 2 wireless charging standards to choose from: Qi or PMA. That is completely up to you and what you prefer. Naturally if you have a car by General Motors then a smartphone that supports PMA is a better option for you. You can also purchase a Powermat ring that you simply plug into your device and it becomes PMA compatible.
However if you are looking to purchase a charger for home then the Qi is simply better. Most wireless charging smartphones use it and there are more receivers available. Not to mention that Qi wireless chargers are much cheaper. The above are some of the best wireless chargers currently available in market.