For years I thought to myself, “What is the point of this ‘wireless charging’ idea? You spend more money for it and your phone isn’t really wireless!” In fact, I used to argue, you’re even more restricted. It’s much more of a pain to move your wireless charging pad than it is to move a regular brick and cord. That all changed when I finally got my first wireless charger. Let’s cut to the chase: should you spend your cash on a wireless charger?
It Depends.
For me personally, it’s worth it – as I spend a good amount of time at my desk each day. I love the convenience of not needing to remember to plug my phone in. I just plop it on the wireless charger and I’m good to go!
But It Isn’t Right for Everyone.
If you travel frequently, wirelessly charging your device may not be for you. It’s mainly for people with a routine day who spend most of the time at one place, whether it be at their desk, or maybe a kitchen — it can also be useful at your bedside.
Where Wireless Charging Falls Short.
I have the Samsung Galaxy S6, which doesn’t support Fast Wireless Charging, and this isn’t a big
inconvenience for me. On newer devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy S7 or Note 5, that support Fast Wireless Charging, you won’t run in to this problem. If you have a device with Fast Charging, but lack the fast wireless aspect, you may want to think twice about getting a wireless charger. I’ve gotten used to the speed of regular wireless charging, but if you absolutely need the fastest speeds, you may want to re-think wireless charging.
Also, if you plan to invest in a wireless charger, it is recommended that you also invest in a second brick and MicroUSB/USB Type-C cable, that way you don’t have to unwire your wireless charger every time you need to take your charger. Finally, wireless charging just isn’t perfect yet. While issues may differ based on the phone and the charging pad, I’ve had an issue on my Galaxy S6 (using the OEM Samsung charging pad) where the phone will sometimes get stuck in a loop of charging and not charging – this requires me to re-position the phone on the pad to fix the problem.
In conclusion, with the addition of Fast Wireless Charging, wireless charging technology has come a long way. It is great if you’re regularly at your desk, but if you’re someone who travels frequently, it is not recommended.
