Best Wireless Phone Chargers of January 2021

Last Updated on January 2, 2021 by Goodnewsek
If you are here, and you are in search of the best wireless chargers for your mobile devices, you are in the right place.
The world today is developing, in all ramifications, the use of wireless chargers for mobile phones has been on the increase, recently produced phones have started adding the wireless charging features to the phones.
We know how important getting a wireless charger is, that is why we have extensively researched, to come up with these chargers, they have been tested, and are reliable.
Wireless charging has been around for a good while now, but it’s only in the last couple of years that it’s started to take off. More and more manufacturers have been getting on board with the ubiquitous Qi wireless charging standard and the tech is now inside virtually every flagship phone.
Can also be placed on a laptop tray, for easy access, but as the name implies, it doesn’t charge PCs.
What are the advantages of wireless charging?
- A safer way to transfer power to your phone.
- Simple to just drop your phone on the charging pad.
- Puts less strain on the charging port of your phone.
- Qi wireless charging pads being installed in various places around the world, if you run out of juice and don’t have a cable you can still charge your phone.
Table of Contents
BUYER’S GUIDE
Buying the right wireless charger can be surprisingly difficult. There are a ton of options out there — some that charge at different speeds, some that have different form factors, and some that don’t include everything you need in the box.
So to help you out, we’ve put together a guide of what to look for in a wireless charger for your next phone.
- Qi charging: This may seem obvious, but there are a couple of other wireless charging standards out there, so make sure whatever you pick up supports the Qi standard.
- Power: Base wireless charging starts at 5W, but most phones support some kind of fast charging. Apple’s iPhones are designed to charge at a maximum speed of 7.5W, Samsung’s phones charge at 9W, and other Android phones support up to 10W. So while chargers that output less will charge your phone, they won’t do so quite as fast. You’ll probably want to get a 10W charger to make sure that you’ve covered no matter what phone you buy.
- Standard connector: Most wireless charging pads plug in to an adapter of some kind to actually connect to a wall outlet. Some companies use weird proprietary jacks to plug in the pads, and others use standard ones like MicroUSB or USB-C. If you can, it’s probably better to go with a standard connector, just in case you damage or lose the cable.
- Wall adapter: By the same vein, check to see if your charging pad actually comes with a wall adapter. If you’re expected to provide your own, make sure that it can provide enough wattage to charge at full speed — a 10W pad with a 5W wall jack will only charge at 5W.
- Brand: A wireless charging pad is still a charger, and when it comes to anything that passes electrical current through your $699–$999 smartphone, you’ll want to be extra sure that nothing is going to get accidentally fried. When in doubt, stick to brands with a good reputation for charging gear, like Anker, RavPower, Mophie, Belkin, or Samsung, to name a few.
- Size and aesthetics: There are a bunch of styles of wireless chargers, some big, some small, some flat, and some that charge your phone at an angle. Buying for a desk? You’ll probably want an angled charger so you can see your screen (and unlock with Face ID, for iPhone users). Want one for your nightstand? Consider a flat pad so you don’t light up your whole room every time you get a text. There’s also convertible chargers, if you’d prefer the flexibility.
- Personal style: Wireless chargers come in all sorts of weird shapes and sizes — like this picture frame! Or this leather pad! Get something you like: it’ll be living on your desk/nightstand for a while.
Until recently, there were two different wireless charging standards that you had to be aware of when purchasing a wireless charging pad: the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) standard, and the Wireless Power Consortium’s Qi standard.
Powermat has since agreed to join the WPC and embrace the Qi standard. (We’ve noted in our individual wireless charger reviews if it supports the PMA standard, in case you have an older Android device that only supports PMA.) Now you only have one factor to consider when choosing a wireless charging pad: Does it support fast charging?
As technology has evolved, so too has the speed at which a phone can wirelessly charge. You will need to check the speed at which your phone can wirelessly charge, which is usually given in terms of 7.5 watts (W), 9W, or even 15W.
Sometimes software plays a part in the speed. For example, an iPhone 8, 8 Plus, or X running iOS 11.2 or later charges at 7.5W, while any of the same iPhones running iOS 11.1 charges at 5W.
The packaging for most wireless chargers will indicate its speed. Look for the wattage speed on the box or in the specification listing for a charger, then compare that with the speed at which your phone can charge.
Do keep in mind that as fast as wireless chargers have become, the included charger for most phones will be your best bet when you’re in a hurry and need as fast a charge as possible.
How we tested
Android
In order to properly test and measure how long a wireless charger takes to charge a smartphone from 0 to 100 percent, we followed the steps below each time we placed a phone on the charging pad. For the initial round of tests, we used an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S9.
- We enabled airplane mode on the Galaxy S9 to prevent notifications or connections from impacting battery life throughout each test.
- To completely drain the battery on the Galaxy S9, we looped a movie in VLC with screen brightness set to 100 percent until the phone powered off.
- If a wireless charger included its own power supply, we used it. If not, we used Samsung’s standard wall adapter and an appropriate cable.
- The phone was placed on a wireless charging pad, and a timer was set for four minutes (the minimum time required to bring the phone back to life across all the pads we tested). After four minutes, the phone was powered on and unlocked.
- A time-lapse video was recorded of each charging session using a Wyze Cam, with a photo captured every 60 seconds.
- Charge time was calculated by looking at the video and noting the time when the always-on-display of the Galaxy S9 would register 100%.
- We repeated the test three times for each wireless charger, then averaged the results.
iPhone
Testing a wireless charging pad with an iPhone requires a different procedure than with an Android handset. The iPhone doesn’t have an always-on display feature that constantly shows the current battery percentage. Because of this we opted to charge our iPhone X for a period of 60 minutes and measure the achieved charged level following the steps below:
- We enabled airplane mode on the iPhone X in order to prevent any unnecessary notifications or connections from impacting battery life throughout the test.
- Using VLC and a display brightness set to 100%, we completely drained the battery until the iPhone X powered off.
- If a wireless charger included its own power supply, we used it. If not, we used Samsung’s standard wall adapter and appropriate cable.
- The phone was then placed on a wireless charging pad, and a timer was set for 7 minutes (the minimum time required to bring the phone back to life across all the pads we tested).
- At the 7 minute mark, the iPhone would be unlocked and then placed back on the charging pad. A new timer was set for 60 minutes.
- After the 60 minute timer expired, the phone was removed from the pad and the battery percentage was recorded.
- We repeated this process three times for each charging pad and averaged the results.
For an approximate ballpark of how long it’ll take to reach full charge with an iPhone, you can divide 60 (the number of minutes used for this test) by the percentage result listed in each review. So if the result is an average charge of 36 percent in 60 minutes, the soonest that a full charge will take is roughly 167 minutes, or 2 hours and 47 minutes.
Keep in mind that this is an imprecise estimate: We say “approximate” because it’s possible for charging to slow down during a full charge
BEST WIRELESS CHARGERS FOR PHONES
- Aukey Graphite 10W Wireless Fast Charger
- iOttie iON Wireless Fast Charging Pad Plus
- Anker PowerWave Pad
- Google Pixel Stand
- Moshi Otto Q Wireless Charging Pad
- Samsung Wireless Charger Duo Pad
- TwelveSouth HiRise Wireless
- Fuse Chicken Gravity Touch
- Bezalel Altair
- Unravel Wireless Charger
NAMES | FEATURES | WHERE TO BUY |
Aukey Graphite 10W Wireless Fast Charger |
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GET IT ON AMAZON |
iOttie iON Wireless Fast Charging Pad Plus |
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GET IT ON AMAZON |
Anker PowerWave Pad |
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GET IT ON AMAZON |
Google Pixel Stand |
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GET IT ON AMAZON |
Moshi Otto Q Wireless Charging Pad |
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GET IT ON AMAZON |
Samsung Wireless Charger Duo Pad |
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GET IT ON AMAZON |
TwelveSouth HiRise Wireless
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GET IT ON AMAZON |
Fuse Chicken Gravity Touch |
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GET IT ON AMAZON |
Bezalel Altair |
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GET IT ON AMAZON |
Unravel Wireless Charger |
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GET IT ON AMAZON |
Aukey Graphite 10W Wireless Fast Charger
Aukey’s 10W Wireless Fast Charger definitely stands out as the more stylish of the two for those looking for something a little different. Its solid aluminum base has a traditional silver finish and has a finely woven fabric top in sharp blue color. Even though there’s no rubber found on top (or bottom), iPhones don’t have a problem sliding around while charging, even without a case.
The charger is mostly hard plastic construction, but it has rubber feet and a rubberized charging surface. The included USB cord is pretty generic, BUT it’s of a decent size. The instructions manual is clear and concise. The included support/warranty card, lists support options and presents the 24 month warranty. Nice touch!
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iOttie iON Wireless Fast Charging Pad Plus
The iON Wireless Plus fast charger pad allows you to charge your smartphone by simply placing your device on top of the pad’s surface. This sleek and powerful wireless charger for Samsung & iPhone devices features Qi wireless fast charging technology that delivers a faster charge than a standard wireless charger.
With a maximum charging output of 10W on Android and 7.5W on iPhone devices, the wireless phone charger pad delivers power safely and efficiently. The wireless charging pad also features a USB-A on the back of the pad to conveniently charge an additional smartphone simultaneously.
The iON Wireless fast charger for Samsung, iPhone, and other Android smartphones comes in three soft fabric wrapped colors that coordinate with any home or office decor
PROS | CONS |
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Anker PowerWave Pad
You’ve got a lot to pack into your day, so you don’t want to waste time waiting for your phone to charge. The PowerWave will charge your phone and get you back up and running fast. It delivers a 10W charge for Samsung Galaxy phones, while iPhones get a boosted 7.5W charge that’s 10% faster than other wireless chargers.
Putting your phone down to charge couldn’t be simpler. The exterior ridge makes it easy to put your phone in the centre of the pad first time, every time. And the non-slip pad means your phone will stay put, even if it vibrates.
You don’t need to take your phone case off to charge – if it’s made of rubber, plastic or TPU and is less than 5mm thick, PowerWave will transmit the power through the case. But be aware that magnetic and metal attachments or credit type cards will stop your phone from charging.
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Google Pixel Stand
The Pixel Stand is a great wireless charging stand that works well with your new Pixel 3, charging it more quickly than other wireless chargers. But it’s also expensive. Unless you need the Ambient Mode and Google Assistant features, or you need fast charging, you may be better off buying a reliable wireless charger from Samsung or a similar brand.
The Google Pixel Stand is an outstanding piece of equipment. At its core, it’s a wireless charger supporting speeds of 10 watts, which is faster than the typical wireless charging stand or puck.
You can place any compatible phone on it, from the Galaxy S9 to the iPhone X, and it’ll work as a standard Qi charger.
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Moshi Otto Q Wireless Charging Pad
It’s a small circular disk with a diameter of 402″ a minuscule 0.51″ thick. My version was the nordic grey, which worked well for my flat. The size is great to just pack in your bag as you travel.
There is support for fast charging, 10W for Android and iPhones get 7.5W. There is a nice anti-slip feature which means the phone won’t fall off. Also, a USB-C cable is included.
Use is easy peasy, plug the cable in and plop your phone/device on top. My S20 Ultra charged straight away. The small size means that there isn’t much space to miss the charging coil. I managed to half charge my phone in around 40 mins, which isn’t too bad.
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Samsung Wireless Charger Duo Pad
Charge up to two smartphones by simply setting them down. Advanced Qi wireless charging technology enables you to charge your device without plugging in a cable.² The Wireless Charger Duo Pad can charge your Samsung smartwatch too. Gear S3, Gear Sport, and Galaxy Watch can charge in the same location as your phone by simply placing your watch on the charging pad
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TwelveSouth HiRise Wireless
Introducing HiRise Wireless, the newest member of our HiRise family. Never plug-in your phone again. Just set any Qi-enabled mobile phone on HiRise to begin charging. Our wireless charger delivers a gorgeous upright desktop stand for mobile phones, a wireless charging pad for AirPods and a USB-C portable wireless charger for travel – all in one beautiful chrome and leather package that’s half the size of other chargers.
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Fuse Chicken Gravity Touch
GRAVITY TOUCH blends sustainable leather with high strength aluminum into a premium wireless charging base perfectly paired to any environment. From the desk to the nightstand, the premium materials provide both the durability and beauty to complement all of your wireless charging needs.
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Bezalel Altair
Fast‑charges up to 10W. Altair delivers optimal wireless charging experience. For Qi‑enabled smartphones: iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, XS, XS Max and XR, Samsung, LG, Sony, Google and more.
Specially-designed wireless charging stand, Altair is designed for convenience and perfection. Set to a perfect angle and easy Face ID recognition. Open bottom allows for lightning connector usage when needed.
PROS | CONS |
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Unravel Wireless Charger
If you don’t care about the integrated Apple Watch charge capability, Ampere also offers the Unravel 3+1. This version uses the same folding design, but offers three 10W Qi wireless charge pads, plus USB-C output. That means you can charge up to four devices at once. And just to make things even more interesting, Ampere sells a USB-C Apple Watch charger that can plug into the Unravel 3+1.
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Conclusion
We have come to the end of this review, if you read from the start, up to this point, im certain you must have seen a wireless charger that best suits your needs. But before going for a wireless charger, read through the Buyer’s guide, so you know how to pick the one that suits you best. These wireless chargers have been selected, because they come top, they are reliable, and durable