There have been many wireless cases, which add the ability to phones or tablets built without a charging system, but the folks at Luxa2 removed the case, and thus, freed up the idea of wireless charging for everything.
I’ve been interested in wireless charging, just hearing the smack-talk from all the users of non-iPhones here and on other sites bragging about how nice it is to just set their device on a surface and not have to plug in any wires. I thought “Really, you can’t be bothered to plug in a wire?” Then I got an Apple Watch, which uses a similar magnetic charging pad, and I discovered that this could really be an interesting new development! So when Julie offered the team the Luxa Wireless Charging Pad/Receiver, I thought – hhhmmm. “This could be interesting.” Here’s what I found.
This kit from Luxa makes at least some of this pain go away. You still have to plug in the cable, but you don’t have to be tethered to your computer when you do. And you can use other devices you may have that do have built-in Qi charging while waiting for your main devices to get this treatment.
Here’s how it works. There are two pieces: a charging pad and a receiver. The charging pad has a 3′ 10″ cable with a standard USB plug on one end and a pretty standard 3″ Qi charging pad permanently attached on the other. The second piece is a 2.5″ disc with both a microUSB and a Lightning cable attached, but tucked into slots on the side. Usage is pretty simple: leave the pad plugged into whatever USB port you’d use (a red LED on the edge opposite the cord will indicate it’s connected), plug either cord into the thing you’d like to charge, and lay the disc onto the pad. The LED switches to a flashing green to indicate the connection to the disc.
So, it’s not that much better than just plugging in a USB cable, but, if you have some things that are Qi and others that aren’t, it’s a bridge to the future. Since the cords on the disc are so short, it’s really not practical to use a device while it’s charging, but if you’re needing to grab the phone off the stand to answer a quick call or whatever, it’ll prevent you from ripping the cord out of the plug. I really wish it was magnetic, though.
All told, it’s not a bad little starter pack for anyone between both worlds. I could see sticking this in a conference room or waiting area or den to offer a wide array of charging options for guests. The disc could easily be stashed in a drawer near the pad (connected to a charger) to accommodate all but the most ancient of technology.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Luxa. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order one.
Product Information
| Price: | $49.99 |
| Manufacturer: | Luxa2 |
| Retailer: | Amazon |
| Requirements: |
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I do not understand any of these wireless chargers with two pieces. It makes ZERO sense. The entire point of wireless charging is to slap your device on a stand/pad and walk away. Then pick it up and leave. Ok so now you have a wireless pad, but you must first plug a micro usb disc into your phone. Saving you…………ZERO STEPS. In fact you now have an EXTRA step. Lining the disc up to the pad. o.O ?!?!? Wireless charging is also less efficient than hardwired (I’m ok with that for the ease of use). So you add an extra step to slow down your charging, again !?!?!.
As mentioned in the article, this is a bridge for those who have more than one gadget, and only one is able to charge wirelessly. You have the pad there all the time, and for the other items, you plug in the disc and let them charge that way. I wouldn’t want to use this all the time, but having a Qi pad, a Lightning cable, and a microUSB cable would definitely be more trouble than I’d want to manage. This gives you all three options in one neat bundle. And, once you’ve made the switch to 100% wireless, you can sell the disc to someone just taking up wireless charging.
I agree, these pucks make little sense. If you want wireless charging either buy a device that supports it or a case that adds that function.
I have a Nexus 6 and an iPhone 5 in a case that adds Qi charging and it’s great!
What if you need some other feature enough that you had to pick based on that, and there are no cases for it that include wireless charging? For most of the non-iPhone market you can’t get a fitted case, or can get only a few. (Mostly for flagship phones.) Not to mention things like eReaders, or bluetooth headsets, or electric screwdrivers, or any of the thousand and one other things that charge via USB these days, but aren’t likely to have a Qi charging version.