This is a Review of Choetech 3-Coils Qi wireless charging aluminum stand. http://www.choetech.com/Iron-Stand-...ils-Wide-Charging-Area-Wireless-Charging-Pad/ , available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010B6PSMC/?tag=vectron00-20
With all these new technologies to accelerate the charging of your smartphones and tablets, like 2A chargers and QC2.0 chargers and the latest USB-C chargers, why would someone still wants a wireless Qi charger that can't exceed 1A? The answer is very simple - convenience! It also means less wear'n'tear of micro-usb port which constantly has to be connected when using your wired charger. With wireless chargers you have a transmitter in the base and a receiver inside of your device. Since you are not making a physical contact between charging connections, the distance between transmitter and receiver will affect the charging speed or the amount of charging current which decreases with a distance due to a weaker electric field through the "air". The best you can do with Qi wireless tech right now is close to 1A, meaning you will charge your smartphone at 1/2 a speed of your usual wired charger, BUT with wireless you just have to place it on a pad and off you go.
Some of the early charging pads where in a shape of a coaster/puck, and it created a problem where you had to slide your phone/tablet until you align the charging receiver coil of your device with a transmitter coil of the charging pad. Plus, it had to be balanced horizontally so it doesn't slide down, and you had to be sure not to push it off the pad if you tap the screen. The next wave of wireless chargers were stands that made charging SO MUCH easier where you just place it upright without any extra alignment due to multiple charging coils, and while charging you can tap and see the screen. I had a few of these charging pads, even reviewed some, and they all broke within a month or two due to a poor placement of micro-usb connector and overall poor built quality. It's a waste of money for around $25 a shot, and I told myself I'm not going to review any more of these pads, but got tempted after I saw the latest offering from Choetech.
Unboxing.
Here you get a typical recyclable cardboard box with a sleeve on top which has a clear picture of the device and description of the product. On the back you get the essential charging spec and the dimensions. One peculiar thing, something that usually gets lost in translation, is mentioning of "Iron Stand" which basically means an aluminum metal stand, rather than some cheap plastic one. I have seen "iron" mentioned in a number of products from China, assuming it's a literal translation.
Out of the box you will find a high quality all aluminum stand, very lightweight at around 173g and with overall dimensions of about 5.2" x 3.2" x 4.1" in its upright position. In addition, it comes with a quality low gauge (for higher charging current) thick usb cable and a nice wall charger.
Wall Charger.
When was the last time you got an accessory which actually came with a quality usb charging cable and a nice 2A wall charger? I don't remember either. Well, you get one with Choetech Qi charging stand. We all got plenty of micro-usb cables and chargers, but not necessary of a high quality, thus many manufacturers don't even bother to include one. But I'm glad Choetech did - the charger itself is not some cheap generic ebay plug, but actually a cool oval shaped premium 2A charger.
If you are using one of those multi-port USB chargers, you don't really need this one. Otherwise it's a nice bonus to have, maybe a spare one for traveling or to keep in your office at work.
Design.
I already mentioned this Qi wireless charging stand is a very high quality. When you look at its brushed aluminum material finish, it feels like a typical premium Apple product. The stand is all aluminum with a large charging pad in the middle where you lean your phone or tablet against. That's where 3 charging coils are located, covering a large area and making sure you don't have to slide around your device to align for charging.
Micro-usb charging port comes out from a side, so there is no stress on a connector under the cable pressure. That was a reason why my previous charging stands have failed, having micro-usb connector at the bottom with a stress from a cable. Also, the cradle part where you place the phone/tablet has a rubber lining which comes right through to the other side forming a rubber foot-pad to protect the table surface. The same with the back of the stand, you have an opening for a rubber foot-pad to make sure metal part doesn't come in contact with a surface. This is a great design detail since you're protecting the surface from scratches, adding friction so it doesn't slide, and also the rubber pads at the bottom are not glued but rather come through a slit opening to stay securely attached.
Power up.
You power up this Qi wireless charging stand by attaching the included cable and either using the provide wall charger or one of your multi-port USB chargers, etc. Keep in mind, just because you are using 2A charger it doesn't mean your phone or tablet will be charging at 2A speed. If you don't have a very thick case, as long as there is a distance of up to 5mm between the transmitter and the receiver coils, you can get the max charging speed of about 1A.
There is a 4-led indicator right above micro-usb port on the stand, but it will only lit up when you have your phone or tablet placed on a stand and it makes a successful charging connection.
Charging Note 4 - I placed my phone as is on a stand, got blue led confirmation, and started charging right away. My Note 4 doesn't have built-in wireless charging coil, I have one of those sticker coils you put under the battery cover. Using UAG case which adds a little bit of bulk on the back, it started to charge right away. Obviously, it was charging slower than my wall charger, but the convenience of just placing my phone upright on a stand and being able to wake it up and check the screen for any messages - that was priceless.
Charging Nexus 7 HD (2nd gen) - this one could get tricky because you are dealing with a tablet rather than a phone. I know Nexus 7 charging receiver coil is somewhere in the middle, so the best way to deal with it is to place it horizontally on a stand. Within seconds wireless charging started, and I didn't have to move it around fishing for a sweet spot.
Conclusion.
After using Qi wireless charging stand, there is no going back to any of those flat charging wireless pucks and the pain of trying to find a sweet spot to make sure transmitter/receiver coils are aligned. Charging stand with enhancement of 3-coils which covers a wider area is the only way to go. Furthermore, it is SUPER convenient when you want to watch a movie or catch up with your latest YT vlogs by keeping your phone/tablet upright and in landscape to see your display clear while charging your device at the same time. If you add to this a stylish and sturdy all aluminum high quality construction, durable rubber pads that inserted into the frame rather than glued to it, a side facing micro-usb port for easy cable connection, an included 2A wall charger, and 18-month warranty - all that for under $36 is a bargain. I actually look now for any excuse to place my Note 4 into this charger, using it almost every day!
With all these new technologies to accelerate the charging of your smartphones and tablets, like 2A chargers and QC2.0 chargers and the latest USB-C chargers, why would someone still wants a wireless Qi charger that can't exceed 1A? The answer is very simple - convenience! It also means less wear'n'tear of micro-usb port which constantly has to be connected when using your wired charger. With wireless chargers you have a transmitter in the base and a receiver inside of your device. Since you are not making a physical contact between charging connections, the distance between transmitter and receiver will affect the charging speed or the amount of charging current which decreases with a distance due to a weaker electric field through the "air". The best you can do with Qi wireless tech right now is close to 1A, meaning you will charge your smartphone at 1/2 a speed of your usual wired charger, BUT with wireless you just have to place it on a pad and off you go.
Some of the early charging pads where in a shape of a coaster/puck, and it created a problem where you had to slide your phone/tablet until you align the charging receiver coil of your device with a transmitter coil of the charging pad. Plus, it had to be balanced horizontally so it doesn't slide down, and you had to be sure not to push it off the pad if you tap the screen. The next wave of wireless chargers were stands that made charging SO MUCH easier where you just place it upright without any extra alignment due to multiple charging coils, and while charging you can tap and see the screen. I had a few of these charging pads, even reviewed some, and they all broke within a month or two due to a poor placement of micro-usb connector and overall poor built quality. It's a waste of money for around $25 a shot, and I told myself I'm not going to review any more of these pads, but got tempted after I saw the latest offering from Choetech.
Unboxing.
Here you get a typical recyclable cardboard box with a sleeve on top which has a clear picture of the device and description of the product. On the back you get the essential charging spec and the dimensions. One peculiar thing, something that usually gets lost in translation, is mentioning of "Iron Stand" which basically means an aluminum metal stand, rather than some cheap plastic one. I have seen "iron" mentioned in a number of products from China, assuming it's a literal translation.
Out of the box you will find a high quality all aluminum stand, very lightweight at around 173g and with overall dimensions of about 5.2" x 3.2" x 4.1" in its upright position. In addition, it comes with a quality low gauge (for higher charging current) thick usb cable and a nice wall charger.
Wall Charger.
When was the last time you got an accessory which actually came with a quality usb charging cable and a nice 2A wall charger? I don't remember either. Well, you get one with Choetech Qi charging stand. We all got plenty of micro-usb cables and chargers, but not necessary of a high quality, thus many manufacturers don't even bother to include one. But I'm glad Choetech did - the charger itself is not some cheap generic ebay plug, but actually a cool oval shaped premium 2A charger.
If you are using one of those multi-port USB chargers, you don't really need this one. Otherwise it's a nice bonus to have, maybe a spare one for traveling or to keep in your office at work.
Design.
I already mentioned this Qi wireless charging stand is a very high quality. When you look at its brushed aluminum material finish, it feels like a typical premium Apple product. The stand is all aluminum with a large charging pad in the middle where you lean your phone or tablet against. That's where 3 charging coils are located, covering a large area and making sure you don't have to slide around your device to align for charging.
Micro-usb charging port comes out from a side, so there is no stress on a connector under the cable pressure. That was a reason why my previous charging stands have failed, having micro-usb connector at the bottom with a stress from a cable. Also, the cradle part where you place the phone/tablet has a rubber lining which comes right through to the other side forming a rubber foot-pad to protect the table surface. The same with the back of the stand, you have an opening for a rubber foot-pad to make sure metal part doesn't come in contact with a surface. This is a great design detail since you're protecting the surface from scratches, adding friction so it doesn't slide, and also the rubber pads at the bottom are not glued but rather come through a slit opening to stay securely attached.
Power up.
You power up this Qi wireless charging stand by attaching the included cable and either using the provide wall charger or one of your multi-port USB chargers, etc. Keep in mind, just because you are using 2A charger it doesn't mean your phone or tablet will be charging at 2A speed. If you don't have a very thick case, as long as there is a distance of up to 5mm between the transmitter and the receiver coils, you can get the max charging speed of about 1A.
There is a 4-led indicator right above micro-usb port on the stand, but it will only lit up when you have your phone or tablet placed on a stand and it makes a successful charging connection.
Charging Note 4 - I placed my phone as is on a stand, got blue led confirmation, and started charging right away. My Note 4 doesn't have built-in wireless charging coil, I have one of those sticker coils you put under the battery cover. Using UAG case which adds a little bit of bulk on the back, it started to charge right away. Obviously, it was charging slower than my wall charger, but the convenience of just placing my phone upright on a stand and being able to wake it up and check the screen for any messages - that was priceless.
Charging Nexus 7 HD (2nd gen) - this one could get tricky because you are dealing with a tablet rather than a phone. I know Nexus 7 charging receiver coil is somewhere in the middle, so the best way to deal with it is to place it horizontally on a stand. Within seconds wireless charging started, and I didn't have to move it around fishing for a sweet spot.
Conclusion.
After using Qi wireless charging stand, there is no going back to any of those flat charging wireless pucks and the pain of trying to find a sweet spot to make sure transmitter/receiver coils are aligned. Charging stand with enhancement of 3-coils which covers a wider area is the only way to go. Furthermore, it is SUPER convenient when you want to watch a movie or catch up with your latest YT vlogs by keeping your phone/tablet upright and in landscape to see your display clear while charging your device at the same time. If you add to this a stylish and sturdy all aluminum high quality construction, durable rubber pads that inserted into the frame rather than glued to it, a side facing micro-usb port for easy cable connection, an included 2A wall charger, and 18-month warranty - all that for under $36 is a bargain. I actually look now for any excuse to place my Note 4 into this charger, using it almost every day!
