How to choose a wireless car charger for your iPhone
You’re cutting one cord but adding another: The charger itself must have power, and that power comes from a cable that usually plugs into a USB port. It’s important to note that some charging pads, especially the cheaper ones, don’t come with a wall plug, meaning you’ll have to supply your own or plug the pad into your laptop or another powered port.
Some might say that’s a “cheat,” that this isn’t really wireless charging at all. Tomato, tomahto: There’s no longer a wire between your phone and the charger, so that part is wireless.
And if you want to cut the cord altogether, at least while you travel, there are mobile power-banks that have Qi charging capabilities.
How do I charge in my car?
It’s tricky, but not impossible. Some cars have Qi-compatible charging stations built in, which sounds ideal but may not be. Most of those stations reside down low, in the center console.
The ideal spot for a phone in a car is near or on top of the dashboard, where it’s close to eye level. (Actually, the ideal spot is in the glove compartment or anywhere else you won’t actually use it while driving. But that’s a lecture for another day.)
To accomplish that, you’ll need an aftermarket Qi car mount. As with regular mounts, these come in a variety of styles: vent mounts, windshield mounts and so on.
Other mounting options include a more traditional cradle (no magnets, just arms) like the one used by this Pairyosi car charger. Just take note that any Qi charger you install in your car will involve a cord running from the mount to the USB port or cigarette lighter.
How do I get ‘fast’ charging?
You don’t, not until Apple issues a software update, which is expected sometime before the end of the year. Even then, this is where things get a little confusing. Apple’s bundled wall plug delivers 5-watt charging via a Lightning cable. The aforementioned Belkin and Mophie pads can charge at 7.5 watts, but the new iPhones don’t yet support that rate. They will after the software update, and it’s possible they’ll be able to work with even higher-wattage chargers as the Qi specification supports up to 15 watts power delivery.
As for the charging pads and stands, not all of them specify their power output. So if you want a little future-proofing in the form of support for fast charging, choose one that explicitly states 10-watt (or better) output.
Of course, the pad on your nightstand doesn’t really need fast charging, so there it’s OK to go with low or unknown wattage.
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