The Real Reason Why You Shouldn’t Rely on Wireless Charging
I love it when people go out and actually test the hardware we rely on every day. This is why I was spending way too many hours on file transfer tests for routers at Wirecutter, and why I love the latest analysis by Lifehacker alumnus Eric Ravenscraft, which uncovers some serious issues with your phone’s wireless charging setup – issues that we all probably thought of. this or that item, but never put numbers.
The appraisal seems so simple that I’m surprised I haven’t met it before. Eric teamed up with repairmen at iFixit to find out how much power a typical wireless charger uses over the significantly longer amount of time it likely takes to charge your smartphone. He then performed the same assessment for a standard charging cable and power adapter.
To learn more about charging your phone, watch the video below:
Results? Eric writes:
“Charging the phone from fully discharged to 100% using a cable took an average of 14.26 Wh (Wh). Using the wireless charger averaged 21.01 Wh. This gives just over 47% more power, which means you don’t have to plug in the cable. In other words, the phone had to work harder, generate more heat and use more power when charging wirelessly to charge a battery of the same size. ”
Eric also found that the way he placed his phone on the wireless charger affected the number of watt-hours it would take to fully charge it. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to you: if you’re a little sloppy in how you set up your device, you’re not aligning the coils as well as you could, so it will take more watt hours for your device. charging device. If your wireless charger is designed so that you never miss coils when you put your phone on the charger, you will likely charge more efficiently.
But as Eric claims, wireless charging will still be ineffective in most scenarios. The charger itself also consumes energy: about 0.25W per hour, even if your phone is not sitting on it at all.
But don’t throw away those wireless chargers just yet.
Should you replace all wireless chargers with cables? Well, if you want the fastest charging possible, it doesn’t hurt. As Nick Guy wrote for Wirecutter last year:
“Qi wireless chargers are slower than wired chargers, full stop.
The fastest chargers we measured in our testing recharged a fully depleted iPhone XR to 50 percent battery capacity in an hour, about half the speed of a wired charger. But any wireless charger can fully charge any phone overnight. This is why I also use it on my bedside table. If I wake up in the middle of the night and want to check my phone (I know it’s a bad habit), I don’t have to worry about waking my partner up when I clumsily plug my phone into the outlet. ”
And if all you care about is power saving – just one LED light or so – then wired charging is the way to go, writes Jerry Hildenbrand of Android Central:
“Too long, unread the explanation is that the most efficient way to charge your phone is the slowest: a simple 5V 1A USB-A charger paired with a short, durable cable that plugs directly into your phone. It is also a method that most people will never use because it is very slow and speed and convenience matter. “
I think this is the right approach because it is important to be mindful of the power you are using, especially when you are thinking about the bigger picture. Using a wireless charger instead of a wired charger for your phone will have no discernible impact on your electricity bill . Skip a serving of fries at your favorite fast food outlet and you can easily recoup what you would spend on a more inefficient wireless charger.
However, if everyone started using a wireless charger, then we all make a huge contribution to the resource suck for the little added convenience of not having to plug anything in to charge. Literally, this is the only benefit of wireless charging right now: it’s slower, less efficient, but doesn’t require a cable connection – a process that usually takes only a few seconds, or about as difficult as throwing away recyclable materials. in a blue bin instead of a black one.
I would not throw away your wireless charger because it will likely waste as many resources, if not more, than simply using the charger. In the future, however, the inefficiency of wireless charging should be borne in mind. As new and better wireless chargers emerge, perhaps consider sticking to the cable when it’s not a burden – like when you’re working at your desk or going to sleep at night – and use wireless charging for those. a few times when you need extra convenience or you can’t change charging methods for another reason, like the new fancy wireless charging in your car.
And while you’re at it, do you really need to charge your phone all the time? Instead of constantly bumping your battery level to 100 percent from 80 percent, consider unplugging your phone from the charger until you’re done for the day (or you really need an extra battery for future walks you plan). Every little thing helps.