Going wireless is actually pretty straightforward. You find the charger that matches your phone, you plug in the unit into a wall socket, you put your phone on a charging pad and soon your phone’s battery is full. (Yeah, there’s still a wire involved but none between your phone and the charger.)
Of course, the matter is a bit more complicated for phones that do not have wireless charging capabilities. Fortunately, there is a way to go wireless – regardless if your phone is compatible with a wireless charger or not – without upgrading to a new unit that has a wireless charging feature.
Here’s how:
Find a Good Charging Pad
The first step is to find good quality wireless charging pads. There are numerous competing standards but the one that is supported by all the major phone companies is Qi (pronounced as ‘chee’).
To be safe, choose a Qi wireless charger with great reviews. Some of the good ones are those from Mophie, Belkin, and Samsung (Samsung chargers work with iPhones well).
For faster charging, look for pads that go all the way up to 10w and 15w.
Make Your Phone Compatible with the Charger
There are lucky people with mobile devices that have built-in Qi wireless charging capabilities. Just some of those lucky people are those whose phones are:
| Samsung Galaxy | S6 – S9+, Note 5 |
| iPhone | 8, 8 Plus, X |
| LG | G3 & G4 (optional) G6 (US version) |
| Google Nexus | 4-7 (2013) |
| BlackBerry | Priv |
Other phones will need a case or replacement rear cover to allow fast and proper charging. Some will need a specific adapter while others can use a universal adapter. The iPhone 6S/6, for example, needs a case like the air charge MFi Qi iPhone 6S, along with a charging pad.
For other phones, they can use universal adapters like KSIX, Choetech and air charge. KSIX and air charge are suitable for Android phones, while Choetech and air charge are suitable for iPhones.
Don’t worry about buying an additional accessory because the adaptors available in the market are easy to find and cheap. There are also plenty of reviews out there showing which adapters are great for certain brands and models. This will help you ensure that you get an adapter that fits your phone’s charging port and that the adapter you find does not affect your phone’s aesthetics.
When you’re ready to buy, just make sure that you buy the adapter from trusted retailers to ensure that you get quality adapters.
A Few Tips
Wireless charging has its inconveniences but there are ways around it. Since it’s inconvenient to bring a charging pad everywhere, it is better to have chargers for your home, office, and car. You can also get Qi portable battery packs.
For iPhones, several charger reviews share that upgrading your iOS speeds up charging.
To get the full benefit of your charging pad’s output wattage, find an adapter that helps your phone draw the full power the charger provides.
For those concerned with the aesthetics of their phones, a case might be a better option than an adapter.
Before you go buying stuff, we would just like to repeat to do take time doing research about the best adapters and chargers for your phone. Some research may be involved but that’s really the hardest part of switching to wireless.
Once everything is set, all you have to do is put your phone on the pad. No more messy wires and no more looking for missing wired chargers.
