Consumers and manufacturers want to reduce the number of cables in our daily lives. Look at what Apple has done the retail packaging of the new iPhone 12 Series. It ditched the chargers, for environmental reasons, the company says.
As wireless chargers get faster, it’s apparent that there is a shift to the ‘no cord’ crowd. It’s way easier to just place your smartphone, smartwatch, truly wireless earbuds and more on a wireless charger than looking around for charging cables.
With massive festive sales and discounts upon us, here’s a look at the best wireless chargers that you can buy on the market today.
Samsung
In July, amid the pandemic, Samsung launched its UV sterilizer with wireless charging at Rs 3,599.
This one claims to kill up to 99% of all bacteria and germs within 10 minutes while also giving you 10W wireless charging. It comes in a case like design with ample amount of space. It claims to be able to sterilize not just smartphones but many other gadgets and items as well.
The only thing I’d suggest is to keep the box open if you’re using it to charge your smartphone overnight. This is so that there is some heat dissipation. Furthermore, the box doesn’t provide fast wireless charging. Samsung does make a couple of those, but this isn’t one of them.
This charger is available for Rs 3,599 on Samsung’s website and comes only in white.
Mophie
ZAGG’s Mophie, like most other accessories’ manufacturers, produces power banks, chargers and wireless chargers of the highest quality.
For the past two months I’ve been testing the wireless charging stand that supports fast charge up to 10W and the dual wireless charging pad that also supports fast charge up to 10W and has an extra USB-a port.
These two wireless chargers are fantastic in their own right and they’re both designed for qi compliance. Placing the smartphone, and other accessories on it is extremely simple.
The wireless charging stand is adjustable and has a premium Ultrasuede finish. Best of all is the non-slip rubberized coating. This means that the device, upon being placed on the charger, will not fall off. The wireless charging stand also charges smartphones through lightweight cases.
The dual wireless charging pad can fast charge two wireless devices at the same time. This one isn’t adjustable but is extremely convenient, nonetheless.
Charging my Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, and other devices has been a breeze. Unfortunately, Mophie devices are hard to come by in India.
The Mophie wireless charging stand comes for Rs 6,745, while the Mophie dual wireless charging pad costs Rs 7,650.
Anker
Anker is another popular name in the accessories business, offering accessories from power banks to chargers and cables, and more. I’ve had the PowerPort Wireless 10 Pad charger for some time now and what impresses me the most is the miniature size. Perfect for charging my truly wireless earbuds and smartwatch.
The downside of the small size is that it’s sometimes hard to correctly place one of the gigantic smartphones we’re all used to today. Plus, it is difficult to use your smartphone while it is charging. It doesn’t come with a power adapter/wall plug. It just comes with a Type-C cable.
The PowerPort Wireless 10 Pad is Qi compatible and can fast charge smartphones with a quick-charging wall charger. It doesn’t take up much space and the dim LED lights don’t disturb you at any point during the day or night.
Anker’s products are widely available in India and the PowerPort Wireless 10 Pad, which costs Rs 2,849 can be easily found on Amazon.
Belkin
Belkin, a producer of popular wireless chargers recently teamed up with Kakao Friends for a special edition wireless charger.
Kakao Friends are animated characters that are based on KakaoTalk emoticons in Korea. Out of the six, Belkin has chosen two - Ryan and Apeach. I got the Ryan edition for review and it comes in black colour. It’s quite an adorable addition to my desk. There’s also a “Time To Fill” reminder written on top of the charger.
The charger itself is tiny so if you have a large smartphone, you’ve got to find a good position for it. The good thing is that there is a rubber ring surrounding the charging pad. This acts as a grip so that devices don’t slip.
The charger can output a maximum power of 10W. For the iPhone, it is 7.5W and for Samsung it is 9W. The wireless charger is Qi compatible. It took me about four hours to charge my Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra from 0-100 percent.
The Belkin Kakao Friends 10W wireless charging pad retails for Rs 3,499. It’s a little pricey but it gets the job done. The charger looks cute and is portable. It’s best for accessories like smartwatches and truly wireless earbuds.
Stuffcool & RAEGR
The Stuffcool wireless charger WC510 and the RAEGR Arc 700 have served me good over the past month or so. They’re both wireless charging stands. The WC510 offers a maximum output of 10W while the Arc 700. Both support Qi compatible devices. Smartphones can be charged both vertically and horizontally.
Another similarity is that both of them feature a ‘Smart LED’ indicator and both are case friendly. As long as they are wireless charging compatible and not exceeding a thickness of 6mm.
The WC510 from Stuffcool is priced at Rs 2,999, comes in either black or white and is available on Amazon.
RAEGR is a consumer tech accessory brand based out of Bengaluru. The RAEGE Arc 700 meanwhile is currently available for Rs 1,711 (down from its MRP of Rs 2,499) on Amazon in black.
Recently, RAEGR launched the Arc 1200 2-in-1 charger with an adjustable height and angle for the wireless charging stand. That one can charge a smartphone as well as an accessory at the same time and is available for Rs 2,499 on Amazon.
New wireless chargers are springing up day after day as manufacturers consider them the next big accessory. Going cableless is something everyone would want, and wireless chargers is the best way to start.
Views expressed are author's own