Choetech Wireless Charging Pad review

The Choetech Wireless Charging Pad is a Qi wireless charger like any other, but this one won’t keep you awake at night. Read our Choetech Wireless Charging Pad review to find out more. Also see: Best power banks 2015.

Wireless charging is one of those luxuries in life that you don’t get just how useful it is until you try it. (Actually, it suddenly became a lot more useful to me last week when I snapped the Micro-USB connection inside my Samsung Galaxy S6 and wireless charging became my only option.) Also see: How to add Qi wireless charging to your phone.

All Qi wireless charging pads do in essence the same thing. Rather than plugging your phone into a mains-powered USB charger via Micro-USB you plug in the charging pad instead; you can then simply throw your Qi-enabled smartphone on top of the pad and it will begin to charge, meaning you never need to worry about fiddling around connecting or disconnecting cables – when charging is complete you just grab the phone and go. This Choetech pad (£17.99 from Amazon) will automatically enter sleep mode when you remove your phone, so you needn’t even power it off at the mains.

As a trade-off for this user-friendliness most Qi wireless charging pads have a few drawbacks. With 5W outputs they charge your device slower than can the typical adaptor bundled with your smartphone, and that’s particularly noticeable if your phone supports fast-charging or Qualcomm Quick Charge. In my experience this increased charging time is not an issue when charging my phone overnight or on my desk during work hours, only when I’m going out and need a quick boost to battery life first. (Of course, in such scenarios I can simply take a  power bank with me.)

Another disadvantage is that most wireless charging pads have built-in LEDs that glow blue while they are charging, and often green once charging is complete. This is useful for checking at a glance that the connection has been made and that the device is charging wirelessly, but when you’re trying to have a kip this light can be distracting, keeping you awake at night.

That’s one thing we really like about this Choetech Wireless Charging Pad: although it will glow blue until you remove the phone, regardless of whether the battery is full, it also has a built-in sensor that detects the amount of surrounding light; if it’s dark, such as when you’re trying to sleep, it will automatically disable the LED. Also see:  How to improve smartphone battery life.

Wireless charging pads can also be fussy about how you place your phone on top of them for charging to be possible. In my experience this Choetech Wireless Charging Pad is much less particular about the position in which I throw my S6 on top of it than is the official Samsung Galaxy S6 Wireless Charger. It seems to accept the connection at any angle, so I can literally throw down my phone and charging begins.

The wireless charging connection is possible up to 5mm, which means the Choetech should work without you needing to remove your phone case. A rubber ring on top of the charging pad helps to keep it in place should a wayward pillow or elbow knock it in the night. This is particularly handy with glass-rear phones, which can be more slippery than most. A second rubber ring is found on the base, and prevents it slipping on flat surfaces such as your desk or bedside table.

The Choetech Wireless Charging Pad has a minimalistic design that will fit into any bedroom or office environment without looking out of place. It’s a compact circular pad with a silver aluminium plate and Choetech logo on top, which is surrounded by a white rim and blue LED ring.

It becomes no more than warm in use, and Choetech says it uses premium components with an emphasis on safety. This Wireless Charging Pad is protected from overheating, overvoltage and short circuits, and it comes with an 18-month warranty. Also see:  Best desktop chargers 2015.

Follow Marie Brewis on Twitter.