What's the point of wireless charging?

[Rakehellion]

There are a lot of features I don't need in a phone and that's completely subjective, but wireless charging is a concept that flies right over my head. How is it any better than connecting a wire? You still have to take the decice out of your pocket, connect it to a charger, and during this time your portable electronics are no longer portable. Why should I sacrifice extra desk space for that?

 

[Greenman]

Cause it's cool.

 

[inachu]

Because wires get in the way of everything.

 

[Nashemon]

There are a lot of features I don't need in a phone and that's completely subjective, but wireless charging is a concept that flies right over my head. How is it any better than connecting a wire? You still have to take the decice out of your pocket, connect it to a charger, and during this time your portable electronics are no longer portable. Why should I sacrifice extra desk space for that?

I personally don't replace my devices ever two years like the phone companies want me to. I typically use my devices until they stop working. One of the first things to usually go on them is the port for charging them. Currently I have to wriggle the connection to make sure it's charging on my Droid 2. If it had wireless charging, I could just set it on my nightstand and not have to worry about waking up to a dead phone, or forgetting to plug it in, or the mess of wires on the side of my bed. All my devices could just sit on one pad. One wire, less mess. I can think of dozens of benefits. In fact, not sure why I haven't invested already. Thanks TC!

 

[destrekor]

There are a lot of features I don't need in a phone and that's completely subjective, but wireless charging is a concept that flies right over my head. How is it any better than connecting a wire? You still have to take the decice out of your pocket, connect it to a charger, and during this time your portable electronics are no longer portable. Why should I sacrifice extra desk space for that?

I've always used a dock near my bed, so that I could see the screen, so desk space has always been dedicated to the area.

I just got my first phone with wireless charging (Sony Xperia Z3V). Standard Xperia models have a magnetic connector and also a purpose-built dock that seems to be a combination of pogo pins and MagSafe-inspired, which I like. Verizon/Sony eschewed that for Verizon's exclusive model, and went with Qi charging instead.
Which, if the option is no physical connection, or opening a sealed port cover to plug a cable in, guess which one I'll opt for every time? Yep, wireless.

If the port was unplugged, it wouldn't matter much to me I guess. But that extra step is annoying, plus I do worry how much abuse that cover can take before it degrades the ability for this phone to be used fully submerged. (If I keep this phone long enough, I do plan on limited underwater photography. I'd love my actual camera to go underwater, but underwater kits are over $1000 for it.)


I mean, how much more convenient can you get that to simply drop the phone on a pedestal like this? No fussing, no fumbling for a cord and getting it aligned properly in the dark, etc.

I hear some Qi charging pads/pedestals/docks can require some positioning to get the receiver lined up, but some chargers have three circuits, like this one, that means I can put this phone vertically or horizontally on that dock and not once think about lining things up.

I might look into Qi charging for the car too. If I don't get into using a phone display on the audio head unit (like Android Auto, or what I sort of have now, AppRadio or Mirrorlink), that would be very much ideal to not ever dealing with the cord.

 

[Crotulus]

Qi charging is pretty awesome. I recently picked up a Droid Turbo. The wireless charging was one of the things that lead me to choose it over the Moto X. It's great to just set the phone down on the charger without fussing with plugging it in.

 

[jlee]

I never realized how awesome it was until I had a wireless charger. It's incredibly convenient. My phone sits next to my laptop dock at work and if I leave my desk, I grab my phone and go. No messing with cables/etc.

 

[edro]

No wear and tear on connector, no flaky connections.

On a negative side, you won't be able to get a $5 charging cable if you forget yours.
I have bought at least 5 charging cables of the years when traveling and I forgot mine.
Now every car has at least 1 or 2.
Wireless charging docks are rare and expensive. You can't get one at the grocery store or gas station.
They need to have a backup mini USB too.

 

[gorcorps]

Just like everything in technology, it's a convenience. Setting a phone down and having it start charging is slick. Does it really save you that much time comparing to plugging it in? No, but it's still more convenient. You can also get charging pads that have multiple coils in it, so you can charge multiple devices by just setting them down.

The biggest perk is with waterproof devices, which all have a plug/flap/seal that covers the USB port to keep it waterproof. It's been a weakspot in a few phones, where after some use that flap can break off and you then lose the waterproofing. If you can wirelessly charge, you never have to open that seal unless you're connecting to a computer.

 

[jlee]

No wear and tear on connector, no flaky connections.

On a negative side, you won't be able to get a $5 charging cable if you forget yours.
I have bought at least 5 charging cables of the years when traveling and I forgot mine.
Now every car has at least 1 or 2.
Wireless charging docks are rare and expensive. You can't get one at the grocery store or gas station.
They need to have a backup mini USB too.

Why not? I can still charge mine with a cable if I want to.

You can get them for 15 bucks on Amazon. I don't think that makes them 'rare and expensive.'

 

[poofyhairguy]

I hear some Qi charging pads/pedestals/docks can require some positioning to get the receiver lined up, but some chargers have three circuits, like this one, that means I can put this phone vertically or horizontally on that dock and not once think about lining things up.

Actually I have one of those and you still have to line it up a little on some devices, or lay the devices horizontally (like on my N7).

Wireless charging is this thing I keep investing money in but keep not using. Really cool in theory, in reality I hate slow charging and I am terrified I am killing my batteries due to heat.

 

[96Firebird]

I just got a wireless charging back and pad for my S5. It may seem silly, but I always had a hell of a time getting the USB 3.0 charging cable plugged in in the dark, I could just never get it lined up correctly. I play with my phone while in bed, and my charging cable was never long enough to let me do this easily. Now, I just set it on the pad and let it charge. Plus, the cover for the port on the phone is finicky.

 

[Zee]

flaky connectors

 

[edro]

Why not? I can still charge mine with a cable if I want to.
You can get them for 15 bucks on Amazon. I don't think that makes them 'rare and expensive.'

Well that solves that. I stand corrected.

 

[edro]

I just got a wireless charging back and pad for my S5. It may seem silly, but I always had a hell of a time getting the USB 3.0 charging cable plugged in in the dark, I could just never get it lined up correctly. I play with my phone while in bed, and my charging cable was never long enough to let me do this easily. Now, I just set it on the pad and let it charge. Plus, the cover for the port on the phone is finicky.

I do the same thing with my IP6, and it has a symmetric connector!

 

[z1ggy]

Points of connection = places for failure.

Less connections, ie, wires/plugs means less likely to have failures in your charging system.

 

[Rakehellion]

Because wires get in the way of everything.

The wireless dock has a wire connected to it.

 

[jlee]

The wireless dock has a wire connected to it.

If you carry your charger around in your pocket and plug into the wall every time you charge your phone, I see how this could be an inconvenience.

 

[Nashemon]

The wireless dock has a wire connected to it.

There's a big difference in that wire, though. Some wireless charges can charge multiple devices at once. I have a personal phone, work phone, and tablet that I keep charging by my bedside. That's three cables I have to fiddle with every night and every morning and untangle every once in a while. With a wireless pad, there is one cable, and I would never have to fiddle with it ever, and I can run it out of sight and never have it tangle.

 

[Fritzo]

Points of connection = places for failure.

Less connections, ie, wires/plugs means less likely to have failures in your charging system.

This. It's also neater and more convenient.

 

[Ken g6]

You still have to take the decice out of your pocket, connect it to a charger, and during this time your portable electronics are no longer portable.

So do you have to configure your phone every time you want to charge it? Or does it just start charging the moment you put it on the pad? I already have a charging "place" for my phone, so having it automatically start charging whenever I put the phone there would make sense to me.

 

[destrekor]

So do you have to configure your phone every time you want to charge it? Or does it just start charging the moment you put it on the pad? I already have a charging "place" for my phone, so having it automatically start charging whenever I put the phone there would make sense to me.

If it's a compatible charger and the receiver is lined up correctly (for some models this is effortless, some models require a little finesse), then it is really as simple as placing it on the pad. It'll start charging immediately.

 

[WackyDan]

Picture this... Someday wireless charging will be the default standard for all devices. Phones, cameras, tablets, etc....

You'll have a wireless charging pad on your nightstand, on your end table, on your computer desk... More interesting will be when auto manufacturers build one in to the dash or center console of their vehicles, hotels will include one built into the desk. They will be universal and everywhere. Can't wait. I think we are still a few years away, but it is coming as long as everyone accepts the Qi standard.

 

[destrekor]

Actually I have one of those and you still have to line it up a little on some devices, or lay the devices horizontally (like on my N7).

Wireless charging is this thing I keep investing money in but keep not using. Really cool in theory, in reality I hate slow charging and I am terrified I am killing my batteries due to heat.

I guess it matters where the Qi receiver is in the phone. I think on the Z3V it is basically smack dab in the middle. If it's higher up on the device or to the far left or right, it might not line up as simply. In the middle, the triple-coil chargers should make it stupid simple to line up. I don't even try to line it up, and have tried to place it a little off center and never had an issue.

 

[destrekor]

Picture this... Someday wireless charging will be the default standard for all devices. Phones, cameras, tablets, etc....

You'll have a wireless charging pad on your nightstand, on your end table, on your computer desk... More interesting will be when auto manufacturers build one in to the dash or center console of their vehicles, hotels will include one built into the desk. They will be universal and everywhere. Can't wait. I think we are still a few years away, but it is coming as long as everyone accepts the Qi standard.

And they are starting to do this with recent model years, but I think mostly in cars that are slightly more premium. It'll trickle down to even be in Kias in a few model years.