16 Best Wireless Charging Stations 2022

It’s right about time for the technophiles of the world to yell out, “No wire chargers!” at people who still plug charging cables into their smartphones for pushing a backward, anti-tech agenda. Okay, that’s a little dramatic. But the troubles are more than just having to untangle the wires, or losing the USB docks and being forced to buy new ones. When you have multiple electronics, from smartphones to headphones to smartwatches, it’s harder to keep track of the whereabouts of your USB-C or USB-A wires than it is to keep track of your actual devices.

A wired predicament requires a wireless solution, though many smartphone users are still resistant to wireless charging, whether they’re neo-Luddites or masochists for USB. But the future is wireless, as seen in mouses, keyboards, headphones, and now chargers. No plugging needed.

Well, technically there is a little plugging; a cord still needs to connect the charger with a power outlet. But that’s a reasonable trade-off when feeling for a cord behind the nightstand in the dark before sleeping at night is such a hassle. Just pop your phone on a charging pad and watch it fuel up—this quality-of-life convenience is worth the investment. First, here’s some important knowledge about wireless charging to inform your decision-making.

Wireless Charging Isn’t Faster
This is a hard pill to swallow, but wireless charging rarely competes against the rapid velocity of its wired counterparts. And just like the good ol’ cord options, the speed of wireless charging does rely on the power output of the outlet. The measurement in wireless charging is wattage, or W. The higher the wattage, the faster the charging speed, but most wireless chargers seldom have an output beyond 10W. For comparison’s sake, , which we use for newer iPhones, charges at 20W.

Only Qi-Enabled Smartphones Are Compatible
“Qi” is the essence of wireless charging. Pronounced as “chee,” it’s a Chinese word that means “life force” (Kung Fu Panda fans should be familiar with it). It is the charging method in which the device, once placed on top of the wireless charger, is aligned with a coil inside the charging pad that triggers electromagnetic induction. The charger basically instills its life force into the device.

Only Qi-enabled phones can be wirelessly charged. The good news is that almost all new smartphones nowadays are Qi-certified: Samsung, Google, Apple, LG, Huawei, etc. But because of different proprietary operating systems between brands, like iOS versus Android, charging speeds vary considerably. Apple infamously limits the wireless charging input of iPhones to 7.5W on all third-party chargers like Samsung or Google. This slow-down is also true between Apple devices: You can never charge Apple Watch or AirPods as fast as iPhones, even on MagSafe, which charges iPhones at an ideal 15W.

Thus, the best wireless chargers are one-size-fits-all. These versatile Qi charging stations can juice up both iOS and Android devices, sometimes together, for users with multiple smartphones and gadgets of different operating systems.

If you want to power up with only one string attached, these are the 16 best wireless charging stations, hubs, stands, and pads that can transfer life force into your smartphones. They are of varying designs and some can even charge across devices—smartphones, smartwatches, and earbuds, at once. Whether you have Android or iOS, as long as it’s Qi-enabled, these chargers will keep it vitalized in style.

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