Qi Wireless Charging: Review
I reached out to CHOETECH to review a product and they offered up their brand new Qi wireless charger. This will be a great way for me to explain Qi-charging and review the device at the same time.
Before I get into all the details, I'll get all the specifics out of the way.
In the Box
- (1x) Qi Wireless Charger
- (1x) Micro-USB Cable (4 feet/1.2 meters)
- (2x) Paperwork
It does not come with a power brick to power up the charger! You'd need to use your own phone’s charger or another power brick.
Specifications
- Input: 5V/2A (Max)
- Output: 5V/1A (Max)
- 3.3 × 3.3 × 0.7in
- 2.25 oz (63.8 grams)
Compatibility
Any Qi-enabled device including the Nexus 6, 5, 4, Samsung Galaxy S6, etc. If you wish to use this with a non Qi-enabled device, like the iPhone 6, you need to buy an adapter or a back-plate for the LG G4.
Design
At the top, the device has a translucent ring that lights up when charging with only a CHOETECH logo to accompany the minimalist philosophy. The bottom has an aluminium look, albeit plastic.
The usb port is on the North side of the device.
CHOETECH pays close attention to detail with a CHOETECH-branded usb cable.
The back has a rubber plate to stay planted on a desk.
The top also has a white rubber grip but it isn’t as resistant as the bottom.
Usage
The most unique aspect of this wireless charger is that the ring lights up when a Qi-enabled device meets with the Qi coil of my Nexus 6 — most wireless chargers typically have a small LED bulb to indicate charging, and some don't have any method to indicate it is working.
It should be noted that only the south side of the device lights up, despite the misleading ring that wraps around the entire frame.
This Qi-wireless charger in particular has one more trick up its sleeve: it has a light sensor. Based on the amount of light that hits the sensor, the blue light will either dim or brighten itself up. This proves useful when charging at night to prevent unnecessary blinding. The sensitivity of the light sensor is also strong and changes instantly.
In my observations, the light sensor is placed where the USB port lives, and depending on the size of your device, you might actually block the sensor accidentally and cause it to dim even in a bright room — which is what I did since my Nexus 6 is huge. In an attempt to find where the light sensor was, I messed around with it by cupping my hand over the charger to dim and brighten the light on command. It worked instantly with no delays.
On the Amazon page, they show where most Qi-enabled devices will charge. Since this charger is small, it only has one coil, which means you need to be accurate when placing it on the plate. Otherwise, you might end up not charging it at all overnight.
A hidden feature I found is that when the charger detects a nearby coil but the signal is too weak to actually charge the device, it begins pulsing the light to inform you that it can’t charge. It’s a subtle feature that informs me my device isn’t charging without having to touch my phone.
When I placed the Nexus 6 upside down to see if it would charge, it pulsed and detected the device but didn't actually charge the phone at all.
Though this is a minor disability of the device, I don't mind it all because I use the notification LED on the front to check if my phone is charging.
Speed and Reliability
Since practically every Qi-Wireless charger has a maximum output of 1 Amp, speed isn't what you're looking for. 1 Ampere isn't slow but it definitely isn’t fast either — you’re inputting more power into it (2A) than what you’re getting. If you don’t know how strong 1 Amp is, think of it as double the speed of charging from your laptop, but half as slow as using a tablet charger. An iPhone charger outputs 1.5Amps, while an iPad charger outputs 2.1Amps.
My Nexus 6 suggested it would take an hour and 22 minutes to fully charge from 65%.
In return, you get a hassle-free charging experience. It actually charges and detects my phone the moment I place it on the charger, which is great. The only downside is that I can’t charge my phone and use it at the same time as I would with a wired connection — therefore, wireless charging is only useful when I'm not using it. It’s also not useful for clutch situations where I need my Qualcomm Quick Charging, which is actually being built into Qi-charging right now. We should see it come out in the next year or so.
How Does It Work?
This wouldn't be a complete article without a little lesson on Qi-wireless charging.
To put it short, wireless charging is also known as inductive charging, and inside the charger there is a transmitter coil that emits a current which is received by your device’s receiver coil.
The light sensor most likely detects the level of nits in the environment and adjusts the light based on the manufacturer’s programming.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this is a great, affordable product to get into the wireless charging game. It has a minimalist design, unique ring diffuser, and a smart light sensor. You can get it on Amazon for $20.
I recommend this product from CHOETECH and I thank them for allowing me to review this device.
When it comes to the cons of this product, the biggest thing I can think of is overheating. The charger got really warm when I charged for a long period of time and got my device extremely warm as well. However, that is an issue with all wireless chargers.
In addition, the rubber grip on top is another con. It isn’t as resistant as it is on the bottom, which means I can easily knock my Nexus 6 off which stops it from charging. Otherwise, there’s really no other nitpick besides my request for CHOETECH to make a wooden charger.
Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to recommend this!
