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I thought I would share with you my experience of the QI charger I recently purchased from FastTech.
After seeing some reviews of these wireless chargers I thought I would take the plunge & get one myself.
Website.
Firstly, the FastTech website is pretty well laid out, its fairy easy to navigate & find what you want. What I do like about the site is they tend to include lots of images of the item you are buying - many sites usually include a generic picture that's at a poor resolution, but FastTech really go all out to include as much information as possible. This includes data sheets, specifications, size, weight etc etc. The attention to detail is top notch & nothing of importance gets overlooked.
Choosing the charger.
FastTech list quite a few QI chargers. These range from big twin versions for dual charging, specific chargers for certain devices life the Nexus 4, Galaxy Note 2/S3 down to the cheaper generic ones.
I decided to choose this one:
http://www.fasttech.com/products/11...owered-qi-inductive-wireless-charger-for-car-
I would say that this is generic one but for $40/£30 (At time of writing) its not bad value compared to other QI Wireless chargers on the market.
One of the main reasons I chose this version is that it comes with a Micro USB connector rather than a small round power connector like most other versions do. This means I can use any Micro USB cable I own. It also states that charger works via a car charger or a USB port; most other QI chargers only work using a wall socket which provides enough voltage/amp for the device to operate. At the time of purchasing I was highly dubious that the charger would work correctly using an USB port on a PC but I crossed my fingers that it would.
Ordering & Delivery
Ordering is pretty much as expected & only take a few minutes to register. Entering in the details is easy & the website provided clear & easy to follow instructions, so if you are used to ordering online there's nothing to worry about. I paid via PayPal - quick & easy.
Delivery is free so that's a bonus & once your order is placed & sent, a tracking reference is included along with a nice photograph of your item with your address on to show you that its been posted - nice touch!
Now comes the 'negative' part..... delivery! Its takes a long time, approximately 21 days to be precise. That's from Hong Kong to the UK. I've ordered stuff from Hong Kong in the past & its usually taken less than 10 days, buts that's usually small stuff. What didn't help was the parcel tacking - it wasn't very informative. The only time I got an up date was when the parcel arrived in the UK & the tracking reported that it had arrived in the country. However, it still took 4 days from then to get to my house.
I'm not really saying this was an issue for me but I was getting a little nervous whether I would turn up!! So, If anyone orders anything from FastTech please be aware that you might have to wait over 3 weeks for your item.
Packaging & Contents:
The charger arrived in a standard jiffy bag & the box containing the charger was inside. The box was wrapped up with some additional bubble wrap to help prevent it from any bumps or knocks it may suffer from its 6000 mile (give or take!) journey from Hong Kong to the UK. Luckily it had seemed to have done its job as everything seemed ok & the box was fairly undamaged apart from a slight crease in one of the corners.
The QI charger comes in nice thick white card presentation box very similar to the boxes that mobiles are shipped in. Its design is simple & minimalistic with just a few logos & a photo on it to indicate what's inside.
Once in the box you are greeted with the QI Charger. Under the charger & its cardboard support sleeve is the Micro USB cable & tucked away in the corner is the mains wall charger in a box - this is the European version & doesn't fit a UK wall socket. I don't know why, but I convinced myself the a Euro 2 Pin to UK 3 Pin adapter was included but there isn't. The FastTechs website clearly states that the charger only ships with a EURO style plug, I have no idea why I thought that there was an adapter included.
QI Charger - A closer look.
The QI charger is made standard white plastic, nothing special. Its approximately the same size as a Galaxy Note 2, so if you have seen or held one of these then you will know how big it is. One thing that stands out about the charger is that its incredibly light, this along with the cheap looking white plastic, makes the device feel exceptionally cheap. Because it is so light it actually makes the unit feel hollow & its hard to be convinced that there is actually anything inside.
I also think the colour doesn't help. The white plastic picks up mucky marks quickly - in fact it was covered in dirty finger prints before I even touched it. In my opinion, I believe black plastic would have helped the overall look of the device.
The build quality is ok, again nothing special - screw-less design with two half's glued together. The underside has four small corner dimples moulded in the back plastic which the charger sits on when put on flat surface. Its a shame that these aren't little rubber feet to give the charger a more no slip effect when on a hard surface.
Usability.
As mentioned before, I could not check how the charger worked using the mains adapter because it only fitted a European wall socket. So, I tried it out on one of my PC USB ports. I used a USB2 socket because this is the common port that most PC/Laptops have. My PC has does have USB3 sockets but these can provide a different (better) current which may not represent everyone else's setup. Once plugged in the chargers green power light comes on. This light is constant & cannot be turned off unless you unplug the charger.
Unexpectedly, the charger worked really well using only a USB port. This was a real surprise as the wall charger has an output of 2A & a USB2 port only has an output of 500mA, I was expecting the phone not to charge properly because of the big difference in current. It also worked fine when plugged into my laptops USB port.
As you can see from the photos the phone charge 'zone' is quite forgiving & the phone can be placed on the charger without the need to position it accurately. I found that I could place my phone on the charger relatively care free. There was no need to readjust the position or find a millimeter perfect position for the charging that some other QI charges seem to have.
It has to be noted though that the QI charging coil in the Nexus 4 is offset towards the bottom of the phone - about 1/3 of the way up. The induction charging coil in the QI Charger is central, therefore the phones best position on the charger is so that the top of the phone is level with the edge of the charger where the USB cable is inserted. If I placed the phone centrally on the charger it would not charge.
I noticed that there is a very slight magnetic attraction between the phone & the charger when the induction coils are aligned. This is particularly usefully as it helps with the phone location to the charger (you can feel it 'grab') & also prevents the phone from moving/slipping if the charger is place on a slight slope.
When the phone is placed on the QI charger & connects, the charger emits a single beep & a blue light starts to flash in the corner of the device to indicate a successful pairing & charging has started. Also, the phone acknowledges that a connection to the charger has been made and produces a quiet tone to say its now charging.
Strangely, I found that the QI charger actually charged my phone more quickly that a standard USB cable that's connected to a PC/Laptop. It also charges the phone all the way up to 100% & keeps it there. Once the phone got to 100% I experienced no power loss over the space of about 45 minutes. However, this might be a concern as once at 100% the charger doesn't seem to switch off & the phone remained warm.
On the subject of heat, as with most QI chargers the phone got hot while being charged wirelessly. I monitored the temperature of the battery & it never got over 41C
My Nexus 4 has a DBrand skin on the back & it didn't seem to interfere with the charging process. I don't own a bumper or case so I couldn't test how well the charger would work if one of those were fitted to the phone.
For those of you who might want to use the charger at night, the green & blue lights are fairly bright & might be a tad annoying if you intend to use it in the bedroom.
Conclusion.
In a nut shell the QI Wireless Charger that I purchased from FastTech works really well & it actually exceeded my expectations when plugged in to a PC or Laptop.
The position of the phone on the charger is fairly forgiving & a full battery charge is accomplished even on USB. All in all I'm happy with how the charger works & has it has permanent place on my desk at work.
....... but........
However, taking a step back & looking at the whole QI Wireless charging method I feel like its all a bit redundant & not real necessary.
Currently, QI chargers are just too expensive in what they are. The Nexus 4 Orb sells for silly money & the cheap chargers still retailer for more than 10 wall chargers put together! At the end of the day it only charges the phone, and 'Only' is a word that needs emphasising; because if I use a USB cable to charge the phone I can still use the phone with the cable plugged in. Also if the cable is plugged into a PC/Laptop I can transfer files as well. The QI charger takes all these useful features away.
Also you are still tied to where the QI charger is plugged into so you don't gain any real world additional freedom from a charging cable. It kind of feels like a docking station without the bonus of being able to transfer files to the PC.
In a way I feel that QI chargers are sold like a cool iPhone feature - they look cool, people who see it go 'wow' & it makes your mates jealous. But at the end of the day its not really that different to the thing it replaces & may not even work any better!
OK, it looks like from the above statements that I actually hate QI wireless charging & that people shouldn't bother with them. That's not what I think at all & in fact believe that the charger is a cool gadget, I've been showing it off to nearly everyone that passes my desk at work. I've written this review to point out the Pros and Cons of buying & owning a QI Wireless charger & to show that it might not suit everybody's expectations. My only major criticism is the price. The charger I purchased does not look or feel like its worth £30 ($40). If the price drops below £10 ($15) then the price would genuinely reflect the product. I'm assuming that the price currently reflects the new QI charging technology, hopefully prices will start to drop in the upcoming months when (or if) QI charging becomes popular.
So to sum up, if you're in the market for a wireless charger for your Nexus 4 phone then I highly recommend this QI Charger from FastTech. However, consider it more of an cool impulse purchase rather than a must have, can't live without gadget.
Pros
Works as intended.
Fully supports PC USB charging
Charges to 100%
Positioning of phone on charger is quiet lenient
Free delivery & parcel tracking from FastTech
FastTech offer refunds if unhappy with item & replacements if device is faulty.
Show off to your mates
Cons
Feels cheap
Quite Expensive
Doesn't necessarily replace wired charging
Packaging only contains European wall charger
Delivery took longer than expected from FastTech
Get laughed at by mates for spending £30/$40
MARKS OUT OF 10
DESIGN: 7
FUNCTIONALITY: 9
FEATURES: 7
VALUE FOR MONEY: 4
OVERALL: 7
Hope you enjoyed the review. Please post comments below.
Review by Chris B
cmberry20 said:
However, taking a step back & looking at the whole QI Wireless charging method I feel like its all a bit redundant & not real necessary.
Currently, QI chargers are just too expensive in what they are. The Nexus 4 Orb sells for silly money & the cheap chargers still retailer for more than 10 wall chargers put together! At the end of the day it only charges the phone, and 'Only' is a word that needs emphasising; because if I use a USB cable to charge the phone I can still use the phone with the cable plugged in. Also if the cable is plugged into a PC/Laptop I can transfer files as well. The QI charger takes all these useful features away.
Also you are still tied to where the QI charger is plugged into so you don't gain any real world additional freedom from a charging cable. It kind of feels like a docking station without the bonus of being able to transfer files to the PC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have one of these with euro plug (not usb). the comment above is exactly how i feel after couple of usage. not only it doesn't do data transfer, but usage too is inconvenient, due to (a) you can't pick up your phone, (b) touchscreen is much less responsive during charge. with that $40, i might as well bought a real dock and other accessories.
Just a quick update.
I can confirm that the charger stops charging the phone once 100% is reached. I think there's '100% with still a little more left to charge' & '100% Full'! I noticed that the charger would still carrying on charging for 5 minutes or so once 100% was reached, I think that it must be because the battery isnt quite fully charged. After that, the blue light switches of the phone is allowed to discharge. But as soon as the phone looses less than 1% the charger recharges it.
It basically trickle charges the phone to keep it at 100%. I certainly don't get the issue where the phone has lost 5 to 10% of its charge once 100% had reached.
Thank you for the honest and detailed review. I was considering this charger and looking for qi wireless chargers for the past few months but was never fully convinced about buying one because its not really as useful as it is just "cool". I thought it might be convenient to make a car dock out of because I wouldn't have worry about plugging and unplugging it. But I think for now I will just use a usb cable and maybe look at wireless chargers again once they're cheaper.
Thanks for the review OP. Like the person above me said, I too have considered getting one of those. The price it's at now is pretty tempting, but I don't think the Misses would appreciate me buying a $30 charger. I do think it would be an interesting thing to have and to mess around with but ahhhh I don't know. And speaking of USB 2.0... When do we think that phones will have USB 3.0?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
I bought one of these and it's great - except for the lights and beeping (I'd like to use it by my bed) - has anyone opened theirs up and successfully altered it?
thigger_tom said:
I bought one of these and it's great - except for the lights and beeping (I'd like to use it by my bed) - has anyone opened theirs up and successfully altered it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I decided to have a go today. Opening it needed a sharp blade to help pry open the case (there are a /lot/ of plastic clips) but eventually ended up with everything accessible. Everything's soldered onto a single board with only the coil and USB connector separate. However, the buzzer can be opened up and the metal plate removed which silences it:
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There's a small flat hole in the side - put a small screwdriver in there, twist and the top will pop off. The round metal plate can then be picked out (I used blu-tack) before putting the top back on. I've kept the plate on the off-chance I ever want it to beep again.
A bit more blu-tack to cover each of the LEDs and I now have my ideal charger!
I'm pretty unhappy. I just unboxed mine, set my N4 on it and it's not working. I also bought a charging coil for my Note2. The N4 has the poetic Bumper on it and it seems that that small distance is too much for it to charge through. The Qi standard is 5mm to 40mm. This device doesn't seem to work at even 1 to 2 mm.
As a test I took a plastic SD card case I have that is 4mm thick and the charging coil from the note2 and with it, it won't work. but without it between it works fine.
Basically this thing is useless if you have a case.. I really thought the point of a wireless charger was that it would work through a case. LAME! I'll update if I learn anything more but as of this time, I'll probably be returning or selling mine...
joeavery2 said:
I'm pretty unhappy. I just unboxed mine, set my N4 on it and it's not working. I also bought a charging coil for my Note2. The N4 has the poetic Bumper on it and it seems that that small distance is too much for it to charge through. The Qi standard is 5mm to 40mm. This device doesn't seem to work at even 1 to 2 mm.
As a test I took a plastic SD card case I have that is 4mm thick and the charging coil from the note2 and with it, it won't work. but without it between it works fine.
Basically this thing is useless if you have a case.. I really thought the point of a wireless charger was that it would work through a case. LAME! I'll update if I learn anything more but as of this time, I'll probably be returning or selling mine...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might be a defective unit, or the coil isn't fully connected, or not enough juice from your USB. Is yours the same brand as OP's?
hmm, not sure if you have a faulty charge or if you have been unlucky with the build quality of your QI Charger.
I packed my phone up with some business cards & a foldered sheet of paper & it still happily charges up. I would say the gap it about 5mm to 6mm. (1/4" if you live in 'merica)
This is still being charged via USB 2 on a desktop PC.
thigger_tom said:
Well, I decided to have a go today. Opening it needed a sharp blade to help pry open the case(...).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you manage to open it ? I tried to insert a very thin flat bladed screwdriver between the two parts of the device and slide it around it but nothing popped-up or anything, plus it slipped and I stabbed my thumb so I prefer not to use a knife...
I'm affraid I could break it by forcing the screwdriver inside.
I'd like to mute it because I work in an open space office. Also, this "beeep" is pretty annoying. The blue LED and the Nexus 4's LED are enough for me.
Thanks
Nekrozys said:
How did you manage to open it ? I tried to insert a very thin flat bladed screwdriver between the two parts of the device and slide it around it but nothing popped-up or anything, plus it slipped and I stabbed my thumb so I prefer not to use a knife...
I'm affraid I could break it by forcing the screwdriver inside.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used a sharp blade from a pocket knife. Inserted the edge of the blade along its length into the groove and used it to pop open the clips (there are loads). I think you could probably do it using one of the plastic pryer devices they use to open iPhone cases. I wouldn't recommend a screwdriver as there isn't enough surface area and the plastic is quite soft so you'll probably just make a load of marks in the side of the case.
You don't need to use the pointy end so there shouldn't be a risk of stabbing yourself doing it like that!
My thumb and I thank you.
Sorry if this has already been posted. I have the Note 4 and I am new to wireless charging. I wanted a car solution that's completely wireless (ie charging and audio). I've been looking at The Air Dock but I'm still not sure if that will be the best solution. Does anyone have any experience with that?
Also, I'm thinking that I will go with an internal receiver but I just read that there are 1mm thick ones and 0.5mm thick ones. Guess I should try to get a 0.5mm thick receiver? What is the max current that I can get with these coils? Is it enough to charge the phone while running Google Maps, Pandora, bluetooth, etc?
I will probably want a case as well. What do I need to know so that it will work with a wireless charger? I saw some car chargers that have you put a slim metal plate in your case so that magnets can hold onto the phone, which I like. Should I look for something like this? Will that also work with The Air Dock?
Sorry about all the questions! I'm just trying to make sure I get the best dock for my phone.
nelagster said:
Sorry if this has already been posted. I have the Note 4 and I am new to wireless charging. I wanted a car solution that's completely wireless (ie charging and audio). I've been looking at The Air Dock but I'm still not sure if that will be the best solution. Does anyone have any experience with that?
Also, I'm thinking that I will go with an internal receiver but I just read that there are 1mm thick ones and 0.5mm thick ones. Guess I should try to get a 0.5mm thick receiver? What is the max current that I can get with these coils? Is it enough to charge the phone while running Google Maps, Pandora, bluetooth, etc?
I will probably want a case as well. What do I need to know so that it will work with a wireless charger? I saw some car chargers that have you put a slim metal plate in your case so that magnets can hold onto the phone, which I like. Should I look for something like this? Will that also work with The Air Dock?
Sorry about all the questions! I'm just trying to make sure I get the best dock for my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a suggestion, wireless charging is not capable of taking advantage of the Quick Charge 2.0 feature and to my way of thinking the car would be the place you'd want the fast charging. I got an Incipio Quick Charge 2.0 12v adapter for my car.
mty msi said:
Just a suggestion, wireless charging is not capable of taking advantage of the Quick Charge 2.0 feature and to my way of thinking the car would be the place you'd want the fast charging. I got an Incipio Quick Charge 2.0 12v adapter for my car.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion but I was wondering if it was possible to wireless charge and still run all these apps. I understand it won't be a quick charge or anything but as long as the charge is enough to keep the battery at neutral or positive charge then that's fine. I would assume the answer is yes
nelagster said:
Thanks for the suggestion but I was wondering if it was possible to wireless charge and still run all these apps. I understand it won't be a quick charge or anything but as long as the charge is enough to keep the battery at neutral or positive charge then that's fine. I would assume the answer is yes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With my Note 3, a 2 amp wired charger was barely able to charge with Google Navigation running. I think you would lose charge doing the same thing with a wireless charger.
Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk
Dang I was worried about that. So what is the max current that wireless coils can do? Is it 1 amp?
JimSmith94 said:
With my Note 3, a 2 amp wired charger was barely able to charge with Google Navigation running. I think you would lose charge doing the same thing with a wireless charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Current wireless charging probably wouldn't be able to keep up with the high battery demands of navigation, streaming music, Bluetooth, and the screen.
Trouble with Note 4
So I got my new Air Dock 2.0 in and I'm having trouble with getting the Note 4 to stick with this case even though it's glossy. Also, (and I knew this would be an issue, ugh!) the wireless adapter inside the phone isn't CENTERED in the phone so of course it won't wireless charge when the phone is CENTERED on the Air Dock!! This makes me so mad! The damn adapters should be centered so any dock will work once the phone is centered...
Lastly, does anybody have any apps that will automatically launch once connected to the Air Dock??
nelagster said:
So I got my new Air Dock 2.0 in and I'm having trouble with getting the Note 4 to stick with this case even though it's glossy. Also, (and I knew this would be an issue, ugh!) the wireless adapter inside the phone isn't CENTERED in the phone so of course it won't wireless charge when the phone is CENTERED on the Air Dock!! This makes me so mad! The damn adapters should be centered so any dock will work once the phone is centered...
Lastly, does anybody have any apps that will automatically launch once connected to the Air Dock??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tasker can do this.
Ok but how can I trigger it in the car? If I use wireless triggers won't it also trigger it when I get home and charge my phone on my wireless charger?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
I am looking for something fairly specific: a magnetic/sticky cd slot mount with wireless charging. Does anyone know if they exist and if so any recommendations?
alex22808 said:
I am looking for something fairly specific: a magnetic/sticky cd slot mount with wireless charging. Does anyone know if they exist and if so any recommendations?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah you can get what I have...the Air Dock http://www.theairdock.com/collections/all
nelagster said:
Yeah you can get what I have...the Air Dock http://www.theairdock.com/collections/all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
are you using it with the samsung wireless charging back? if so, any chance of some pics? also, are you using the nano-foam or magnets and for either, how "grippy" is it? the roads around me are full of potholes so cant have my note 4 flying off.
Ugh so I'm frustrated with the Air Dock. It's GREAT with my Nexus 5...it seems to be designed especially for that. My wife's Note 4? Not so much. I bought the wireless adapter that you put in the back of the phone to activate wireless charging but it takes all of 1 second to realize the coil inside that adapter is not centered with the phone. It's directly over the battery which is offset. So when the phone is put on the Air Dock it needs to be slightly off of the Air Dock to get a good charge going. Well this means there's less contact between the phone and Air Dock. The other thing I noticed is the case on the phone matters as well. Originally I had a softer, flat case on the phone which worked okay with the Air Dock but then that got dirty so my wife got a more glossy one that has a slight curve in the back. I think this may actually be caused a little by the wireless adapter protruding in the back. It's a very tight case so it's more noticeable. I can provide links to the cases if you want. I emailed the Air Dock with a picture of the phone's wireless adapter but they just said to try to use the magnetic sticker included and keep it clean. The magnetic sticker doesn't do much, especially for a big phone like the Note 4. I'm tempted to actually cut a really thin sheet of metal and stick it back there instead. Sorry this is long but I'm frustrated and ended up buying the iBolt dock for my wife which is fine but I really wanted to use the Air Dock. It's a great concept it's just not the best design. I even had my friend 3D print a sort of dock and then stuffed those super powerful magnets in it and it sort of worked but then it blocked the charging too much. Ugh
A quick overview for those who might be thinking about the OEM Samsung wireless charging replacement back cover for the Note 4. I also get into a bit of risk vs cost analysis towards the end.
I have compared both the Qi version and the Powermat version. This information applies to both. They are physically identical. The only difference is which charging standard they support.
Model EP-CN910IBU
Output 5.0v 800mA
S/N RCIFA
MSIP-REM-SEC-EP-EP-CN910IWK
Made in Vietnam
MSRP $39
Be aware these replacement covers add thickness to the handset.
Stock handset (non charging cover) plus glass screen protector: 0.360"
Handset plus EP-CN910IBU wireless charging cover plus glass screen protector, 0.425"
The charging cover adds a net thickness of 0.065." While this doesn't sound like much, it is enough to prevent most cases / enclosures from fitting over the charging cover.
These measurements are taken with a precision micrometer (certified to an accuracy of +/- 0.002")
As a common reference, an average US $0.25 quarter measures 0.065."
Imagine wedging a layer of quarters in between your phone and your case. Chances are it won't fit. Do you really want to use an $800 device with no case? The only case option would be a dimensionally forgiving non rigid rubber bumper.
When used with a Duracell powermat, the charging works as expected, albeit at the slow 800mA charging speed. The sensitivity of proper placement of the phone, centered on the powermat is still an issue. Even a small 0.25" movement out of center will stop charging.
Here are some simple calculations that allow us to directly compare *maximum* charging speeds using the basic electrical formula of Volts x Amps = Watts
Standard Wall charger 5V x 2A = 10W
Samsung adaptive fast charger 9V x 1.67A = 15.03W
Samsung wireless charging cover 5V x 0.8A = 4W
This comparison shows the wireless back covers charge at a rate of that is 60% slower than a standard wall charger and 74% slower than the adaptive fast charger that shipped with our Note 4 devices. In my opinion, this wireless setup is only practical for overnight use and possibly as a trickle charger in an office / desktop environment. It is not practical for use as a primary daytime charging system during frequent and heavy use of the handset.
The cover was $39, the powermat was $50 for a combined cost of $90. Car charging cradles are presumably another $50-$70. As a completely wireless charging solution, this costs about $200 and takes 3-4 times longer to charge.
I purchased this setup as a safeguard against damage to the usb port form a lifetime of plugging in charging cords. I have experienced usb port damage / degradation on previous devices.
Conclusion:
Consider that most of us carry an insurance policy through our provider for about $7 / month ($168 spread out over 2 years.) If you ever use the insurance due to damage, theft or loss, we pay a $200 deductible. Consider that most of us will upgrade to a newer handset within 2 years. This gives us a combined contractual insurance cost of roughly $370 across the 2 year lifespan of the device, and only if you end up replacing the device for *any* reason, not just usb port damage. Otherwise you pay only the ~$170 over 2 years.
The cost of "physical" insurance by way of wireless charging and a rubber bumper case is well over $200 all at the time of equipment purchase.
In my opinion, this high cost and slow speed of wireless charging is not sensible. I will be returning the equipment and returning to corded charging and my favorite case. I will keep the contractual insurance thought At&t. This risk vs cost analysis with corded charging is acceptable to me.
Thank you for your thorough review. I just purchased the official case yesterday from Samsung with a 50% discount coupon, after which, I started researching reviews and cases for it and found that many of the cases I was contemplating on purchasing were no longer fitting. I previously owned the Note 2 with a stick-on qi wireless coil and it worked great so I was leaning towards the same solution for the Note 4 but reading reviews about them seemed to point that the fact that it interferes with the NFC module. I use SoftCard (formerly ISIS) on a daily basis so this leads me to use the OEM back.
el_chiefo said:
Thank you for your thorough review. I just purchased the official case yesterday from Samsung with a 50% discount coupon, after which, I started researching reviews and cases for it and found that many of the cases I was contemplating on purchasing were no longer fitting. I previously owned the Note 2 with a stick-on qi wireless coil and it worked great so I was leaning towards the same solution for the Note 4 but reading reviews about them seemed to point that the fact that it interferes with the NFC module. I use SoftCard (formerly ISIS) on a daily basis so this leads me to use the OEM back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's the 50off coupon?
h3ck said:
What's the 50off coupon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you register your note 4 with Samsung (and the samsung account), you should be emailed a coupon for 50% of of items $50 or less from their website
this is a silly "review" and an even sillier analysis.
It completely ignores the fact that all your data is on the device and if you ever have to replace it its a huge pain to back it up and restore it.
It also completely ignores how fragile the device is without a case on it.
It ignores the problem of fumbling around trying to find the correct way to insert the usb cable into the microusb slot (and if you insert the wrong way the tab can snap off) in the dark and trying to mount it on a car charger when you want to just get in the car and drive. it ignores the fact that wires running everywhere make a mess.
I have an iblason armorbox case and the samsung wireless back. Case fits perfectly, when i want to charge i just throw it on the charger. phone doesnt get below 90% throughout the day. I have an ebay 6000mah wireless charger in my bag, a wireless pad in my bedroom in a box and a wireless car charger. When i get home i literally throw the phone into the box and its charging instantly. i put the phone on my car cradle and it charges instantly. I put the phone with a rubberband in my bag attached to the wireless charger and it keeps charging while in my bag. no wires required. once a week i connect the usb cable from the 6000mah portable charger to a computer and leave it. overnight it gets topped up and ready to use for the next week. ive dropped the phone twice already (bumped it off a table and it fell from a placement on top of the car to concrete) with no issues. i dont have any silly insurance and the phone is zero hassle. i can use it in the rain, snow, dust, mud etc without worrying. the phone is always at 100% (never gets below 90%) and i dont need to worry about running out of battery.
zurkx said:
this is a silly "review" and an even sillier analysis.
It completely ignores the fact that all your data is on the device and if you ever have to replace it its a huge pain to back it up and restore it.
It also completely ignores how fragile the device is without a case on it.
It ignores the problem of fumbling around trying to find the correct way to insert the usb cable into the microusb slot (and if you insert the wrong way the tab can snap off) in the dark and trying to mount it on a car charger when you want to just get in the car and drive. it ignores the fact that wires running everywhere make a mess.
I have an iblason armorbox case and the samsung wireless back. Case fits perfectly, when i want to charge i just throw it on the charger. phone doesnt get below 90% throughout the day. I have an ebay 6000mah wireless charger in my bag, a wireless pad in my bedroom in a box and a wireless car charger. When i get home i literally throw the phone into the box and its charging instantly. i put the phone on my car cradle and it charges instantly. I put the phone with a rubberband in my bag attached to the wireless charger and it keeps charging while in my bag. no wires required. once a week i connect the usb cable from the 6000mah portable charger to a computer and leave it. overnight it gets topped up and ready to use for the next week. ive dropped the phone twice already (bumped it off a table and it fell from a placement on top of the car to concrete) with no issues. i dont have any silly insurance and the phone is zero hassle. i can use it in the rain, snow, dust, mud etc without worrying. the phone is always at 100% (never gets below 90%) and i dont need to worry about running out of battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your opinion. I will keep mine.
I backup on a regular basis and restoring is easy.
I agree the device is fragile without a case.
I don't want the armorbox or otterbox or any other case that significantly increases the dimensions and bulk of the handset.
I don't charge in the car because I have short drive times.
I don't care for having to box or bag my phone throughout the day.
My job is not at a desk so I can't let the phone sit on a charging pad while at work.
I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars on three or four wireless chargers to be distributed throughout my daily locations.
Wireless charging isn't mainstream enough yet to go completely wireless across all devices within reasonable costs. Other devices still require the cord mess. I am an "all in" or nothing sort of person.
The main reason for keeping the insurance is replacement in case of theft. Any new electronics are theft targets. I have had 2 phones stolen in the past. In one instance, I located the thief, removed a few teeth and repossessed my phone. The other went offline as soon as it was stolen and was untraceable. The insurance saved me from buying a new $600 handset out of cash.
Regardless of either of our subjective opinions, I mainly wrote the review to post the facts and figures of physical size and power output limitations. I will wait for resonant charging technology to be released and re-evaluate the cost benefit at that time. My analysis and opinions are there simply to get people to think about the pros and cons.
Wireless charging is way overrated imo. It charges much slower and you still need to have a cord for the charger itself (obviously). It literally takes almost the same amount of time to plug in the USB cord as it does to find the sweet spot of a wireless charger. At this point it's simply a novelty imo. Nothing more.
Each to their own. Any good 3 coil charge base has an enormous sweet spot, so hunting for position is not an issue at all.
If you get calls at night a lot (for work or other), the wireless charging is a god send. Trying to plug it in multiple times in the dark is ridiculous.
Now, when we have reversible connectors, my opinion might change.
JasonJoel said:
Each to their own. Any good 3 coil charge base has an enormous sweet spot, so hunting for position is not an issue at all.
If you get calls at night a lot (for work or other), the wireless charging is a god send. Trying to plug it in multiple times in the dark is ridiculous.
Now, when we have reversible connectors, my opinion might change.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear you man, I'm not saying it's totally worthless, but it's a very niche product imo. Like you have pointed out, it serves its purpose for some people. But I think for the average Joe, plugging in is just fine.
I do see where you are coming from however.
I have been reading about wireless charging for a couple years and never really pursued it on my Note 2 because I was with Verizon and they naturally removed it as they typically screw up phones somehow. I saw so many people that loved it and would go to great lengths to enable it. I decided after switching to T Mobile a couple weeks ago that I would give it a shot. I bought the OEM back and a cheap qi charger off of eBay and was disappointed with having to adjust my phone on the charger to hit the sweet spot. I decided to buy a Tylt charger and wow what a difference! I can literally place the phone on the charger in my case with no concern of finding a sweet spot because the whole charger is the sweet spot. It even works great through my wifes thick leather case. I love it and I find the rate of charge to be at least equal to a standard charger ( not fast charge) and that's great. I watched some netflix last night with my phone on the tylt (45 degrees)and it actually charged while streaming. I haven't personally plugged a phone in for more than 2 years since I just swap batteries out of my Samsung spare battery charger but now when I'm working or surfing at night my phone is always charging wirelessly and I never wake up with a phone that's less than 100%.
Even though it subjectively feels like wireless is as fast as a standard wall charger, it is not possible.
Manufacturers specification for wireless chargering is universally 800mA, or 0.8A.
Check my math in the first post. At 4W wireless chargers are less than half the speed of of a standard 10W wall charger.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app
Hey guys, so I'm looking for a case that fits the added bulk of the OEM QI back. Any recommendations? I'm looking at the i-blason case but open to any other suggestions.
Thanks
syngiun said:
The cost of "physical" insurance by way of wireless charging and a rubber bumper case is well over $200 all at the time of equipment purchase.
In my opinion, this high cost and slow speed of wireless charging is not sensible. I will be returning the equipment and returning to corded charging and my favorite case. I will keep the contractual insurance thought At&t. This risk vs cost analysis with corded charging is acceptable to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"well over $200"? The qi charging back is $40. I got a 3 pack of Qi chargers for $60 (nokia, they come in a bunch of colors) so I could have one by my bed, desk at home, and desk at work. Numerous others are available for $10-$25 on ebay and other retailers. I'll happily pay $100 (qi back + 3 docks) or so to never touch the USB cable, fumble with a cable end in the dark, or try the cable backwards. When charging is easy you don't care about charging speed as much. 0.5 seconds to dock or undock (without even looking) will spoil you.
While I have multiple devices, I end up keeping my devices for 3-4 years with secondary uses. So even if I do get something new within 2 years I don't want the secondary device to die just becuase of a horribly designed charging cable that makes my first nokia dumb phone from the 90s look awesome. Imagine that after almost 20 years of USB might someday actually be reversible, maybe in 2015.
Never understood why the audio jack on today's phones is robust, easy to use, and impossible to get backwards. You could use it 10 times a day for a decade, yet most rarely use it. Nokia used to use a similar connector for charging, I could manage to plug it in with my eyes closed an one hand behind my back. To charge a phone daily you end up with a tiny fragile usb connectors that's easy to get backwards and difficult to get in correctly on the first try without careful examination. Already lost one phone to usb, I'm trying to avoid losing a second.
Both the microusb connector and expoxied in batteries reak of planned obsolence to me. Thankfully the note 4 can minimize both problems.
Oh, one last thing. The Qi Chargers do lose some efficiency. So if you get a charger that's USB powered you end up with a poor charging speeds. So I'd get one of the ones that come with their own wall wart. I use the nokia DT-900 (which comes with it's own wall wart) with my nexus 5 and it charges pretty quickly.
el_chiefo said:
Hey guys, so I'm looking for a case that fits the added bulk of the OEM QI back. Any recommendations? I'm looking at the i-blason case but open to any other suggestions.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I purchased the Caseology Carbon Fiber case to see if I'd have any luck with the OEM charging back....and it worked! I posted pictures here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=57275699#post57275699
Product here:
http://www.amazon.com/Caseology-Samsung-Absorbent-T-mobile-Unlocked/dp/B00N4DIM0A
I have the wireless charging S view cover in combination with the S5 charging dock. I agree with what you are saying. The charging is really slow. Especially for such a high capacity battery used in the Note 4. I would not buy this setup again.
Does the qi back protect the camera?
Yes the qi back protects the camera lens in terms of keeping the lens from scratching on surfaces when you set the phone down. The added thickness casues the back cover to extend just past the lens.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app
syngiun said:
Yes the qi back protects the camera lens in terms of keeping the lens from scratching on surfaces when you set the phone down. The added thickness casues the back cover to extend just past the lens.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, Ive found that it does not extend past the camera lens, it makes the camera lens functionally flush with the back. Im a little disappointed in this and sort of wish it was "slightly" thicker. If it was, i think i would end up going caseless. I may end up doing what the OP described and going with the regular plugin. The batter last so long, i dont really plug it in except right before bed, and even then, i dont even need to charge it overnight anymore....
Hi,
After my battery went from full to empty in less than two hours when using a sat nav app yesterday, I need an in-car charger for the dashboard. I have a micro USB one but the flap on the Z3 makes it annoying. So I was wondering if there were any good magnetic adapters?
I have a 2A USB charger for the lighter socket, so I only need either a USB-magnetic cable, or an adapter that will take a micro USB. Ideally one that exits at the bottom of the phone so it can be routed neatly, rather than sideways which will then need to bend round.
Anyone have any recommendations? How about some pics of how you're set up in your car? (I have an airframe+ vent mount coming today)
the X2 magnetic charger (which just clips on any usb cable) on amazon has great reviews, depending on your case or mount you might have to shave off some of the adapter
proclip / brodit (depending on where you are in the world) offers great magnetic mounts and chargers, some need to be professionally installed, however its been stated in reviews that they fit tight so they might not work with cases, especially bulky ones and they have been known to peel up tempered glass screen protectors
I am in the same boat as you, I want a magnetic charging mount for my car and I spent a few hours tuesday researching options to no joy :|
I've used brodit mounts before but I wanted something a little more discreet than a hardwired solution - which is why I went for the Kenu Airframe+
The X2 seems to get good reviews but I'm not sure if it would be frustrating that the cable would come out sideways (as the phone would most likely be in landscape mode). Although many of the satnav apps I'm trying actually work pretty well in portrait..
if you got it horizontal the cable would be out the top or bottom yeah?
I usually keep mine in portrait
you use waze?
probably would be coming out of the bottom of the phone if in landscape.
don't know what I'm using yet - I have about 8 apps installed and I'm trying them out. Some have demo routes which is helpful, but some need me to use them while I'm driving to test so it'll take a while to settle on one.
I quite like tom tom's look and feel as I'm familiar with their standalone devices, and copilot seems good too. Haven't tried waze or google maps navigation yet, they're next.
yeah waze is killer, my CO recommended it and ive been hooked since
Its 95% effective when spotting speed traps and errs on the side of caution (sometimes cops wont be there, moved along, already pulled someone over), gives reports on potholes, construction ahead, real time traffic, speed traps, stopped cars, etc. its amazing, my friends and I are blown away.
its only difficulty is when you don't give it a direct address, it can have troubles searching for a restaurant or some such but if you have the street name you're set
mgiraudjr said:
the X2 magnetic charger (which just clips on any usb cable) on amazon has great reviews, depending on your case or mount you might have to shave off some of the adapter
proclip / brodit (depending on where you are in the world) offers great magnetic mounts and chargers, some need to be professionally installed, however its been stated in reviews that they fit tight so they might not work with cases, especially bulky ones and they have been known to peel up tempered glass screen protectors
I am in the same boat as you, I want a magnetic charging mount for my car and I spent a few hours tuesday researching options to no joy :|
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an X2 adapter, it's great, BUT it is not strong enough to be secure when under the device. The torque of the cable will cause it to come off when above the device too.
Using a thinner-gauge cbale might help, but then the voltage drop will be too great to keep the battery from discharging.
My personal favorite has been:
Right-angle MicroUSB (this makes a HUGE difference in convenience on the Sony devices, since the cable goes to the right instead of straight down from the mount) - http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Micro-USB-Cable-UUSBHAUB3RA/dp/B001AR4NC8/
Quick charge 2.0 car charger - http://www.amazon.com/Powermod-Charge-Certified--Vehicle-Charger/dp/B00P9UILUM/ - The StarTech cables are fairly thin gauge, so drop too much voltage when charging at 5v/2A to keep the phone charged during Navigation. QC2.0 chargers supply the Z3 with 9v, so the same wattage requires less current, and hence less voltage drop through the cable. (same reason long-distance power lines run in the hundreds of kilovolts...)
Does quick charge work through the magnetic port, or you mean you use the USB Port?
rplumb said:
Does quick charge work through the magnetic port, or you mean you use the USB Port?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use the USB port, the magnetic port is too unreliable for a vehicle. The thin-gauge right-angle cables make using the USB port MUCH less of a hassle, but they need QC2.0 for proper charging through such a thin cable. (too much voltage drop for high-power standard-voltage charging)
I know there's about three threads on the general subject, but didn't want to resurrect something that's only similar from 3 months ago and thread jack.
Simply put, I am looking for a magnetic mount wireless charger for the car. I'm a delivery driver and need to be able to just grab my phone and jump out of the car and not asshole with waiting for it to automatically release my phone or pushing a button to release the phone, etc.
Волк said:
I know there's about three threads on the general subject, but didn't want to resurrect something that's only similar from 3 months ago and thread jack.
Simply put, I am looking for a magnetic mount wireless charger for the car. I'm a delivery driver and need to be able to just grab my phone and jump out of the car and not asshole with waiting for it to automatically release my phone or pushing a button to release the phone, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been using a Scosche MagicMount Pro Charge for the last few months but it's been spotty at best. The magnets seemed like they were too close to the charging coil so the placement was very finicky for me. If it did charge, it would get too hot and would throttle down. This was with a dedicated AC vent blowing cool air on it. In the end, the heat didn't seem worth it for me. Not sure if their newer MagicMount3 is any better, but I don't really wanna throw down the money to try out something that might end up with the same results.
(TL;DR) In short, they exist, but as a concept, they really just don't work well. Here's a link to one anyway: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CXV4RXQ that I mention later on. It appears to be the same, or similar to the one tysj mentioned, so, it may or may not work, it really depends on the positioning of the magnets.
Thing is, like tysj found out the hard way, it's not really something that can be done (effectively, anyway), because as you probably know, Qi charging isn't magic. It's inductive charging. (Keep in mind this is a simplified explanation, it's actually a bit more complicated than this, it uses inductive resonance charging which has a bit more to it allowing it to be more efficient and have a longer range, but at the base it's still an inductive charger, just with a capacitor to set the resonant frequency and range with peak efficiency) Meaning, the charger is running electricity (AC) through its coil, which creates a changing magnetic field, which induces an electric current (AC) in the coil in the device you're charging (it's converted to DC before it charges your battery.)
Essentially, it goes (Wall AC) -> DC (wall-wart/car) -> AC -> coil -> changing magnetic field -> coil -> AC -> DC
So, placing a pair of permanent magnets in the middle of this, right where the changing magnetic field needs to be, only serves to block the ability for the charger to change the magnetic field, which it tries to compensate for by putting more power through its coil. Let's just say that in a fight between the coil and a permanent magnet strong enough to hold up your phone, the coil loses, as it is no where strong enough to change the magnetic field of the magnet. While the charging coil's magnetic field and that of the magnets may, in places, be shaped in such a way to allow some of the chargers coil's magnetic field to reach the device coil if precisely positioned, most wont, and the permanent magnets will just further resist any changing magnetic fields in the device coil.
It could possibly be done with very careful and precise positioning of magnets, like this one from Amazon.com, for instance, although based on reviews (and tysj's reply) I'm unsure of how well it will work, and it certainly depends a LOT on where you put the magnets on your phone/in the case. That's a link with no referral code, and no tracking info, I always strip them when sharing, as a courtesy just the link. Since the location of the coil in the phone isn't standardized, it's hard to say. I'm not an electrical engineer (so there are most likely errors in here), so I honestly couldn't tell you. But as someone who has a (very) basic understanding of electromagnetism, including induction, this is really not a good idea.
In the past, I had a magnet in my phone's case for just that reason, and trying to use the wireless charger just created heat, and didn't really charge the device. And that was without a magnet on the charger, too.
If you want to read up on how inductive charging (including Qi) works, the Wikipedia article is pretty good. Wikipedia: Inductive Charging
I know you said that you
need to be able to just grab my phone and jump out of the car and not asshole with waiting for it to automatically release my phone or pushing a button to release the phone, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but, given the above, I strongly suggest a Qi mount with an automatic grip for essentially the same functionality, but in a way that actually works. Look around for something quick. I'm unsure if I would recommend the Scosche magnetic one above, just due to how you would need to get the magnet placement nearly perfect. It might be worth a try, if it doesn't work you can always return it.
Something like this one on Amazon.com (there are many different designs like it, this is just an example.) It uses an IR sensor to detect when your phone approaches, then opens, and closes once its on the stand, then it releases by touching a button. It's not quite as easy as a magnetic mount, but at least it'll wirelessly charge.
Either that, or use a magnetic mount and a charging cable.
If you do end up buying a Scosche one, do let us know how it works out.
There's also one that requires a certain case to use, so I imagine there might be more of those. IMHO those are more likely to consistently work, as the magnets are pre-placed in the exact position needed and in a way that wont get in the way of the coils.
Good luck!
Pitaka MagEZ case and their magnetic wireless charger for car, works nice for me
DeeZZ_NuuZZ said:
Pitaka MagEZ case and their magnetic wireless charger for car, works nice for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad that Pitaka is finally making a magnetic case for the Pixel 4. I got tired of waiting for them, so I just bought a generic carbon fiber case and used these metal tabs https://www.moshi.com/en/product/snapto-tabs/gray. You can line them up perfectly to work with the Pitaka wireless charger or probably any other charger. The company that makes the tabs also sell a wireless charger.
Does your Pitaka charger activate fast charging on the PIxel? I have the older version of the charger and it charges slowly.
slicck said:
Glad that Pitaka is finally making a magnetic case for the Pixel 4. I got tired of waiting for them, so I just bought a generic carbon fiber case and used these metal tabs https://www.moshi.com/en/product/snapto-tabs/gray. You can line them up perfectly to work with the Pitaka wireless charger or probably any other charger. The company that makes the tabs also sell a wireless charger.
Does your Pitaka charger activate fast charging on the PIxel? I have the older version of the charger and it charges slowly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems to charge slow, need to use ampere and see how much exactly.
Which case did you got and which charger to have fast charging?
Max I got with pitaka is 560ma or so, gonna send it back and get another charger which really gives 10w... Sadly, it is nice but slow charging
Волк said:
I know there's about three threads on the general subject, but didn't want to resurrect something that's only similar from 3 months ago and thread jack.
Simply put, I am looking for a magnetic mount wireless charger for the car. I'm a delivery driver and need to be able to just grab my phone and jump out of the car and not asshole with waiting for it to automatically release my phone or pushing a button to release the phone, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you looked at the gravity type of holder? They have bottom fingers that when pushed down close the sides of the holder. So you can put your phone in and out without waiting. I tried one once and it worked until the vehicle went over a big bump - the phone went up, the sides opened and then... well, you can imagine. Not fun while highway driving. I only tried one (I don't remember the model) so there may be others that would give better results, at least for your use case.
For some reason I haven't gotten notifications that people have been commenting, only just today that somebody quoted me.
After a couple of other tries and no success, I went with the scosche magic Mount 3. The maintenance are probably far enough out away from the coil that there's little interference to the actual induction. Seems to work well, I want to say 1300 or 1600 mAh. Obviously not as good as a word connection, but decent nonetheless. Keep having trouble with the cables connecting in the USBC port as well, so wireless charging is a must for the car.
As for heat, it's a tough call. I'm in SoCal, so I actually have to put a towel over the mount while at work so it isn't a fireball when I am done working.
I did notice on the lock screen that it will sometimes tell me to adjust the alignment for better charging.
Ironically I fell into a new job and now it's more because of cable or port dero rather than speed, lol.
Волк said:
For some reason I haven't gotten notifications that people have been commenting, only just today that somebody quoted me.
After a couple of other tries and no success, I went with the scosche magic Mount 3. The maintenance are probably far enough out away from the coil that there's little interference to the actual induction. Seems to work well, I want to say 1300 or 1600 mAh. Obviously not as good as a word connection, but decent nonetheless. Keep having trouble with the cables connecting in the USBC port as well, so wireless charging is a must for the car.
As for heat, it's a tough call. I'm in SoCal, so I actually have to put a towel over the mount while at work so it isn't a fireball when I am done working.
I did notice on the lock screen that it will sometimes tell me to adjust the alignment for better charging.
Ironically I fell into a new job and now it's more because of cable or port dero rather than speed, lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
Yea I ordered another one to test, also reached out to pitaka support. Gonna try few things and report back.
Another cable and another adaptor with qc3 charging
bdt1995 said:
(TL;DR) In short, they exist, but as a concept, they really just don't work well. Here's a link to one anyway: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CXV4RXQ that I mention later on. It appears to be the same, or similar to the one tysj mentioned, so, it may or may not work, it really depends on the positioning of the magnets.
Thing is, like tysj found out the hard way, it's not really something that can be done (effectively, anyway), because as you probably know, Qi charging isn't magic. It's inductive charging. (Keep in mind this is a simplified explanation, it's actually a bit more complicated than this, it uses inductive resonance charging which has a bit more to it allowing it to be more efficient and have a longer range, but at the base it's still an inductive charger, just with a capacitor to set the resonant frequency and range with peak efficiency) Meaning, the charger is running electricity (AC) through its coil, which creates a changing magnetic field, which induces an electric current (AC) in the coil in the device you're charging (it's converted to DC before it charges your battery.)
Essentially, it goes (Wall AC) -> DC (wall-wart/car) -> AC -> coil -> changing magnetic field -> coil -> AC -> DC
So, placing a pair of permanent magnets in the middle of this, right where the changing magnetic field needs to be, only serves to block the ability for the charger to change the magnetic field, which it tries to compensate for by putting more power through its coil. Let's just say that in a fight between the coil and a permanent magnet strong enough to hold up your phone, the coil loses, as it is no where strong enough to change the magnetic field of the magnet. While the charging coil's magnetic field and that of the magnets may, in places, be shaped in such a way to allow some of the chargers coil's magnetic field to reach the device coil if precisely positioned, most wont, and the permanent magnets will just further resist any changing magnetic fields in the device coil.
It could possibly be done with very careful and precise positioning of magnets, like this one from Amazon.com, for instance, although based on reviews (and tysj's reply) I'm unsure of how well it will work, and it certainly depends a LOT on where you put the magnets on your phone/in the case. That's a link with no referral code, and no tracking info, I always strip them when sharing, as a courtesy just the link. Since the location of the coil in the phone isn't standardized, it's hard to say. I'm not an electrical engineer (so there are most likely errors in here), so I honestly couldn't tell you. But as someone who has a (very) basic understanding of electromagnetism, including induction, this is really not a good idea.
In the past, I had a magnet in my phone's case for just that reason, and trying to use the wireless charger just created heat, and didn't really charge the device. And that was without a magnet on the charger, too.
If you want to read up on how inductive charging (including Qi) works, the Wikipedia article is pretty good. Wikipedia: Inductive Charging
I know you said that you but, given the above, I strongly suggest a Qi mount with an automatic grip for essentially the same functionality, but in a way that actually works. Look around for something quick. I'm unsure if I would recommend the Scosche magnetic one above, just due to how you would need to get the magnet placement nearly perfect. It might be worth a try, if it doesn't work you can always return it.
Something like this one on Amazon.com (there are many different designs like it, this is just an example.) It uses an IR sensor to detect when your phone approaches, then opens, and closes once its on the stand, then it releases by touching a button. It's not quite as easy as a magnetic mount, but at least it'll wirelessly charge.
Either that, or use a magnetic mount and a charging cable.
If you do end up buying a Scosche one, do let us know how it works out.
There's also one that requires a certain case to use, so I imagine there might be more of those. IMHO those are more likely to consistently work, as the magnets are pre-placed in the exact position needed and in a way that wont get in the way of the coils.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very good explanation and as an electrical engineer you were right on the spot. Even if there are engineered magnets to have their magnetic field so that I would not interfere with the charging field(almost impossible for generic device since the filed is mostly unpredictable as it's based on quality of charging current, quality of the charging pad and a lot other things) I would not let magnets strong enough to hold the phone near it as it is not engineered to hold to a strong magnetic field near for a long periods of time. For instance it could (not saying that it would ) interfere with the lte signal causing the modem basically to boost the signal to the max - leading to more energy, more heat and more wear and tear. Honestly there so much things that could go wrong just because of that magnet that I would just not risk it. Usually the hardware is shielded enough but there's the not direct influence on the hardware through the signal interference (the same way with the charging coil and the massive heat). Actually that's a good way to burn your charging pad especially if it doesn't have any limiters build in.