I thoroughly advocate for using every feature your phone offers, including wireless charging. Is it the most efficient way to charge your phone? Absolutely not. But being able to leave your phone sat on your desk passively juicing up until it’s time for you to pick it up, all while using minimal cables is a novel kind of convenience you have to try at least once if your phone supports it.
Now, here’s the problem: my car doesn’t have wireless charging. It’s got a cubby carved out for it in the center console, but it’s not wired up with a charging pad to rest my phone on. So I went out of my way and picked up a no-name add-on wireless phone charger. You might have seen it before in your favorite shopping app: a rubber mat with a cable running out of its side to plug into one of your car’s USB ports. How did it fare?
To get things out of the way: yes, it worked fine as is. Testing the wireless charger on my desk, it brought up my phone’s battery level about as well as other chargers. Not the fastest, but it still got the job done. It was a different story by the time I had installed it into my car. My phone was taking on more heat than power! Sure, CarPlay showed a green battery which means my phone was trying to charge, but over the course of a 40-minute drive its battery level had only risen by three percent.
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Driving in the cooler climate of last year’s ‘ber’ months did somewhat make things better. The wireless actually charged my phone’s battery while I was driving… from time to time. Mostly during extended showers that really cooled down the cabin. From that, I can guess that the lack of cooling really held back the no-name wirless phone charger from doing its job. As a result, I can’t really recommend buying something like this for your car.
I can, however, suggest other wireless charging accessories that should be more practical and provide more value.
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This charger’s form factor lets it pack plenty of features for minimal desk real estate. Out of the box, it’s folded up as a cube, but unfolds in a Z-shape to reveal two charging areas: the top half attaches via MagSafe to your phone, and the lower half has a weaker wireless charger perfect for gradually charging AirPods. UGreen also provides a USB-C port on the right for an Apple Watch charger extension, if you have one.
Price: P2,167.70
Where to buy: Lazada
Wireless charging on a powerbank? It’s a yes for me. It’s one less cable to worry about while outside, or at least an extra option for charging your phone if you find that your other devices are currently making use of them. This Anker model’s window screen for telling how much charge it’s got left and kickstand to help with positioning when setting down your phone are useful extra features, too.
Price: P3,196
Where to buy: Lazada
With an interesting ‘UFO’ form factor, this folding charging pad from Belkin barely takes up space in your carry-on luggage while out travelling. It’s perfect for setting next to your hotel bed and charging your phone, AirPods, and Apple Watch using just one cable and power adapter.
Price: P3,635
Where to buy: Lazada
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