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Is Qi Wireless Charging a must for you or gimicky?

H

holden j caufield

Diamond Member
I don't use it but was thinking about getting one, think I used it once with a coworker's pad, haven't used it day in day out. Seems people think it's must have after using the feature.
 
I use it at work with my nexus 5, regular USB charger at home

easier to just pick up/charge the phone whenever I have to leave the desk (meetings, bathroom breaks etc)

definitely more convenient, but it charges slower
 
On the list of things I need in a phone, Qi or wireless charging in general isn't even on the list.

I haven't had a phone's battery that is so bad that it dies in less than a day with no opportunity for me to charge it. That's going all the way back to my first smart device, a Toshiba 2032SP, all the way to my current iPhone 6 Plus except for iOS 9 Beta 1. Which was horrible.
 
I think from a daily use perspective, quick charging is far more important. Whenever I notice my Note 4 battery getting a bit low, I throw it on for 15 minutes and gain 25% battery. It's amazingly useful for when you need it since I invariably notice only when I'm about to head out.

However, I do think the S6 did it right in supporting both major standards. I'd never use a public cable at an airport, starbucks, or a foreign country. But as wireless charging stations become more standard (already in Starbucks and such), it is useful in these situations.
 
It isn't a necessity for me, but I must say it is very convenient... I used to struggle to fit the USB 3.0 charger into my S5 at night in the dark, and now I just place it on the charging pad and forget it. Also looking to get a charging pad for work, probably one that sits up at an angle.
 
It's convenient but not necessary. Quick charge is more useful for instance and a longer battery life is more important than either.
 
Not a must, but it's nice. Some cases have small charging cutouts and/or some chargers have larger plug housings. When you have a pad to drop the phone on, it doesn't matter.
 
It's slow, but it's great. Convenient - you can put chargers everywhere - center console of your car, by your work & home computer, nightstand, etc. Always stays topped off that way.
 
When the usb port on my Nexus 5 stopped working having Qi charging allowed me to continue to use the phone til I got a replacement usb port.
 
mrochester said:
It's a shame Google chose to use micro USB in their phone to lead to this problem in the first place!
Click to expand...
/s? as opposed to? Practically every Android/WP uses micro USB...

I use wireless charging. It's generally not as speedy as plugging in, but convenience/lazy
 
tsupersonic said:
Better connector? That's debatable - I've had so many lightning cables that have died (Apple cables, not 3rd party ones). Besides, USB-C is right around the corner!
Click to expand...

Well, I haven't, but have plenty of experience with broken micro USB connectors and cables. It doesn't help anyone with a Nexus 5 or any other phone with a micro USB connector.
 
It doesn't do anything for me, but I don't knock it for anyone else who likes it.
 
Just like none of the ports I've seen broke either. I've seen the old Apple port break a lot although I haven't seen the lightning port break (like Micro USB, it's also designed break the cable more likely than the port).

Anecdotes.

Fact though is that Micro USB is older than lightning but also had the design goal to have the cable sacrificially break over the port. But different manufacturers can indeed implement it more poorly while Apple keeps the same standard.
 
Apple doesn't keep a standard.

That's why suggesting something else was ludicrous. At the least, micro-usb is a universal standard.

The debate is really moot at this point, anyway. As was already said, USB-C is right around the corner. I think all fall flagships will have it, and it will be normalized withing 2 years.

I also enjoyed the conversation pretending that wireless charging and quick charging are mutually exclusive.

As for OP, I enjoy wireless charging. It's great at night and in the morning. I don't consider it necessary, but I'd still prefer it.
 
sweeping, I only meant Apple tends to keep up a standard of quality. Some manufacturers cheap out in soldering the micro USB which can be a problem.


mrochester,
The point is that it IS a good standard. It's definitely better than the old Apple connector and while inferior to the lightning, it's not that bad.

Your anecdotes really don't mean anything because for every anecdote you have, there's more where it's fine.
 
I don't see wireless charging taking off until it's quicker, but that's thankfully happening. The Qi spec just got fast wireless charging, and you can be sure that it'll be fairly widespread within a year. I'm personally hoping that Apple will use this as an excuse to hop on the bandwagon, but its metal chassis might make that difficult.
 
I love wireless charging on my moto 360 watch, it is perfect for small battery devices. And it is getting faster, qi's 3rd generation will be out soon.
 
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