I recently purchased a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to see how the other side lived. I was a bit bored and tired of my iPhone 5, and after reading Julie’s review of the Note 3, I decided I wanted more screen real estate and to give Android a try. One of the features the iOS world does not have is wireless charging, a capability I believe and hope all high-end smartphones will have in the not so distant future. The Nokia Wireless Charging Pillow by Fatboy is not the classic wireless Qi charger currently on the market today. Instead of a hard plastic slab, the Nokia DT-901 is a beanbag with an embedded charging plate sewn into it.
I love the concept of wireless charging. In my opinion, plugging cables into ports (microUSB, Lightning, earbuds) is definitely a weak/failure point of smart devices. Even more so with the Note 3 being so big and cumbersome… I can totally see the microUSB accidentally snapping off inside or damaging the port itself. I have been a little concerned that while plugged into charge overnight, the cable could get snagged or yanked, and potentially damage my new tech-toy.
Package Contents:
- Nokia/Fatboy DT-901 Wireless Charging Pillow
- Power plug
Specifications:
- Dimensions
- Height: 7.5″
- Width: 5.5″
- Thickness: 1.2″
- Weight: 4 ounces
- Volume: 48.7 in³
- Cable length: 5.9 feet
- Environmental features
- Materials: Free of PVC, Free of nickel on the product surface, Free of BFR, rFR as in Nokia Substance List
- Energy efficiency: Energy efficient charger
- Packaging: Made of renewable materials, Containing up to 60% recycled materials, Packaging is 100 % recyclable
- Recycling: 100% recoverable as materials and energy
- User guide: Small printed guide, full on nokia.com
- Connectivity
- Wireless connectivity: Wireless charging
- Connectors: 2.5 mm Charging Connector
- Wireless charger: Yes
- Power
- Charger standby consumption: Less than 30 mW
- Charger output current: 750 mA
- Charger input voltage: 100 – 240 V AC, 50-60 Hz
- Charger output voltage: 12 V
- Operating temperature: -5 – +45 C
Best I can tell from feeling through the material, the Fatboy wireless pillow charger is no more than a Nokia DT-900 sewn into a nylon pouch with beads surrounding it. You can almost see its outline in the picture above. I was expecting the DT-901 to be more pillow- or beanbag-like, softer and a little less slick. That said, it works well on my bedside table for overnight charging.
The material and build quality is good. Nothing spectacular, but definitely more than adequate to get the job done. The nylon is thick, and the edges are double stitched.
The primary design flaw I have found with the Fatboy is Nokia’s choice to use a non-replaceable, proprietary 2.5mm connector that powers the pillow.
Nokia really should have used USB / microUSB connections that are very much the standard these days. Plus the power plug is gigantic…
The Fatboy is available in yellow, black, cyan, white, and red – obviously colored to match the current batch of Nokia Windows phones.
This being my first wireless charging experience, I was a bit worried that the Fatboy would overheat or fail to fully charge my Note. I had read that both were possibilities with the Qi wireless charging technology. The Nokia pillow had neither issue; my smartphone did not become overly warm, and the pillow fully charged its 3200mAh battery overnight. Overall, I am pleased with the perks of wireless Qi charging. The Nokia Wireless Charging Pillow (DT-901) by Fatboy is a unique alternative to the standard flat, plastic Qi chargers that are prevalent on the market today.
Product Information
| Price: | MSRP: $79.99 |
| Manufacturer: | Nokia |
| Requirements: |
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The DT-910 dock I purchased has the same huge AC adapter.
Will it work with a Smart Power strip? Turn off charger when fully charged?
Cool review. Would also be interesting to find out its charging speed vs using an actual micro USB cable. You noted that it charged fully overnight but sometimes we do not have that luxury!
It’s noticeably faster than a micro-usb plugged into my Samsung Galaxy.
This one is really huge. I use one of the Qi wireless charger with embedded cable from RAVPower. It’s small. Got it at Amazon for 40 bucks. I’m happy with it.
They used a different plug deliberately. USB is five volts and originally at one-quarter of an amp (although more recent designs are up to 2.1 amps), the Fat Boy is twelve volts at three-quarters of an amp (read the fine print on your power adapter… it distinctly says 12 volts). I have one next to the bed in my motor home, and just skipped the 12v power adapter and wired it directly to the 12 volt lighting circuit.
An error in your review: It’s not a 2.5mm plug. It’s a 0.7mm plug, with a weird center pin diameter… in other words, unique and proprietary to Nokia.
Dave wrote: “The primary design flaw I have found with the Fatboy is Nokia’s choice to use a non-replaceable, proprietary 2.5mm connector that powers the pillow.”
…and…
“Nokia really should have used USB / microUSB connections that are very much the standard these days.”
It’s obvious that Dave didn’t look at the wall wart, or think about the fact that there is potentially a large air gap between the charging plate and the phone.
USB is FIVE volts. The wall wart, and the plate inside the pillow, are TWELVE volts. If they had used a USB-type connector, of any size, there would be the potential of BLOWING UP peoples phones.
Lastly, you can remove the Fatboy charging plate from the pillow and use it separately. I am hard on my phones, I work in field service, and am always bumping my hip against tool boxes, door jambs, fork lifts, etc. My Samsung phone survives only because it lives in a Defender case. The Fatboy charger plate lying on a counter is the resting place for my phone when I am at home… it is the only wireless charger that “reaches” through the Defender case and gives the phone a rapid charge at the maximum rate. And it can do that because it is a 12 volt device.