Wired is more efficient, you can pick it up and use it while charging, and the cable usually comes free with the phone. What is the point of wireless charging pads?

  • @DrFistington@lemmy.world
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    94 days ago

    I’ve noticed that with the varying quality of USB cables, and them having broken/cracked wires over time, I usually get much faster charging when doing it wirelessly. If anything is way more consistent. With cords it’s a crap shot. Is this a fast charge cord? Was it cheaply made, is it deteriorating? I can use 4 different cords and get different results from each

    • @batmaniam@lemmy.world
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      14 days ago

      Similar. I got a vehicle that had android auto, but not wireless. Plugging and unplugging all the time I’d go through a cable every few months. Power would work, but the shielding would break and it would screw with cell/GPS until I replaced the cable.

      Got a wireless android auto adapter to stop buying cables. That’s great but I knew I wouldn’t plug in my phone every time like normal, so I use the wireless charging.

  • @T156@lemmy.world
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    53 days ago

    On my S5, there’s a little flap that you had to open and close to maintain the IP67 rating. Constantly opening and closing it was a recipe to breaking it off, where wireless didn’t put that kind of wear in.

    With my newer phone, it’s easier to keep the cable with a battery pack to charge when out and about, and charge wirelessly at home, since I generally don’t need it done with any great speed, and it saves having to buy/replace another cable, or forgetting to unpack and take it with me.

    Qi charging is also pretty standard, which is also good if I have a few devices with different cable needs, but mutually support the same wireless charging standard, since I can put an iPhone and an android on the same pad, without having to swap cables back and forth.

  • @Tahl_eN@lemmy.world
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    95 days ago

    I use one in my car - it’s more convienet for short trips or trips with multiple stops. I do keep a cable for longer trips though, especially if I need to keep the screen on for GPS - the wireless charger makes the phone warm enough to stop charging over the course of an hour or so.

  • @flop_leash_973@lemmy.world
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    63 days ago

    I just like being able to walk by the nightstand and have the phone “lock” to the charging pad when I lay it down.

    In my car it is a lot more convenient than a charging cradle for being able to use turn by turn while driving.

  • @TootSweet@lemmy.world
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    175 days ago

    Probably if you’re too lazy to grab a cord, line it up with the plug, and press gently but firmly. With wireless, you can just lob it vaguely in the right vicinity and not overstrain your fine motor skills.

      • FuglyDuck
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        15 days ago

        if it’s not aligned properly, it should shut off to prevent that from happening. (or, for example, if you place something else that’s metal over it.)

        • If it’s completely misaligned yes. But there’s a wide spectrum between too far off to even turn on, and perfectly aligned.

          This is what magsafe/qi 2 fixes by including magnets which should have been there from the start.

          • @monarch@lemm.ee
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            24 days ago

            That’s part of the reason magsafe is now everywhere. Can’t misalign it if they self correct.

            • @sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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              24 days ago

              Thank you I didn’t realize the wireless chargers used magsafe.

              Is magsafe built into the phone, or just in cases?

              • J_on_Lemmy
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                44 days ago

                If you’re using an iPhone(12 or newer, Although not the 16e), then it’s in the phone. The bit in some cases is to add strength for accessories to snap to where it would be on the phone.

                You can get MagSafe cases for some Android devices if you want to use MagSafe accessories with them.

                • @sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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                  24 days ago

                  My phone case is designed to attach a camera lens, and actually came with magsafe, but I didn’t have any magsafe attachments and ended up removing the magnets from the case because they interfered with the compass, despite promising not to.

  • Skull giver
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    34 days ago

    It’s very useful in sealed devices (smart watches, ear phones). Much better than pogo pins on your skin; whatever metal they pick, someone is going to be allergic. Things like active pencils (Apple Pencil, but als the Windows open standard ones) also make a lot of sense to charge like that.

    I also use a wireless charging stand for my phone. Most phone stands have an opening for a cable, but for some reason that opening is always at just the wrong space, or not right for the cable. K They’re also useful when using your phone for navigation in your car. I find a cable sticking from the bottom of my phone quite a handful to manage, especially as the USB ports are all so close to my gear shifter.

    For those still sporting lightning iPhones, it also provides a universal charging option.

    Oh, and then there’s the edge case of “I want to plug something into my phone and also charge it”. Tiny flash drives, 3.5mm converters, you name it. Most phones only have one USB port, so using it for anything but charging usually means not being able to charge unless you go wireless.

    Still, wired is the way to to moet of the times. Wireless is just a nice backup, and maybe a fun gimmick in certain furniture.

    • @ReanuKeeves@lemm.eeOP
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      14 days ago

      Universal charging is a good point if you have a bunch of stuff that can be wirelessly charged

  • @Krudler@lemmy.world
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    64 days ago

    I know people love these and I’m not going to go and break anyone’s balls but the reality is, because it is inductive charging you will never get clean voltage

    Anything electronic, it really doesn’t matter what it is, is going to suffer basically the equivalent of “mechanical damage” when powered/charged with unstable current

    An inductive charging is always going to be highly unstable, there’s no way around that

    Anybody who tries to tell you different just doesn’t understand that this is a real thing, and yeah, really nobody should ever use wireless charging unless they’re willing to accept continual device (battery) damage

    • @friend_of_satan@lemmy.world
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      24 days ago

      Can you explain why it’s not possible to stabilize the voltage on the receiving side before the power is sent to the battery?

      • @Krudler@lemmy.world
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        4 days ago

        That can be done but the voltage that it receives is variable so that’s causing damage. Which ripples down the chain, it’s not avoidable no matter how much you put in capacitors and diodes

        It’s really just an unavoidable aspect of electricity, people think of it as magic fairies floating through wires but really it’s like ropes pulling on things, and just like mechanical things, ripples and vibrations fk things up!

        If you’re really want to get down to it, electricity is destroying things by its very flow. But you want to reduce the unwanted harmonics as much as possible and wireless is not the way to go

    • oppy1984
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      44 days ago

      I get what you’re saying but as a counterpoint I charge exclusively via wireless and my last phone lasted 4 1/2 years. The only reason I replaced it was my friends kid was playing a game on my phone and dropped and it got damaged. It was running just fine right up to the end.

      Maybe it’s because I only use low power wireless chargers, or maybe it’s something with Samsung’s wireless charging controller. Who knows.

      • @Krudler@lemmy.world
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        54 days ago

        That’s not a counterpoint, you’re just describing that you had a battery that was okay for 4 years

        It doesn’t say anything really I’m sorry friend

        • oppy1984
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          13 days ago

          Eh, I couldn’t think of a better word so I just went with it.

  • @aturtlesdream@lemmy.world
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    275 days ago

    I have a wireless charger by my bed for charging overnight, it’s easier to just plop my phone on the stand when half asleep rather than fumble with a cable. Also, charging speed doesn’t matter because it’s going to be plugged in for a few hours when I and it’s easy to grab when my alarm goes off. But when I need a quick charge, then it’s a fast charge cable all the way

  • @edgemaster72@lemmy.world
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    25 days ago

    When my mom finally ditched her land line and ported the number to a smart phone, getting a wireless charger that propped the phone up was a nice way to set up a sort of designated place to keep the phone (where the landline phone had been) so that there’s less chance she misplaces the phone or forgets to charge it.

      • @edgemaster72@lemmy.world
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        65 days ago

        If charging speed were your top priority, sure. She doesn’t use her phone hardly at all so the battery rarely gets depleted much, therefore how quickly it charges isn’t really that important. Not having to mess with a wire makes it more convenient to grab and go when she does need it, and more convenient to put it back when done. And no risk of damaging the USB port.

        • @ReanuKeeves@lemm.eeOP
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          25 days ago

          I’m still confused about this “hassle” people have with a wire, like you just plug it in. I used a 2016 iphone se for 5 years, still use it now for an bedside alarm and have never had any issues with the port. I’ve used a samsung for the past 4 years and never had an issue with the port, now that I think of it, in the 20 years I’ve used cell phones I’ve never had any issues with any phone ports. I’m sure there are some that get damaged but it seems to be so unlikely that I don’t see the need to spend extra money on a pad

          • @JayGray91@lemmy.zip
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            25 days ago

            It is a hassle, even if very very slight. One you need to plug in something small. The other you just drop a big thing onto a slightly smaller big thing.

            Arthritis, poor eyesight, poor lighting, temporary/permanent hand disability are some that I can think of that greatly benefits wireless charging and found plugging in a cable a hassle.

  • Cethin
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    84 days ago

    It’s convenient to place my phone on at my computer and it’s just always charged. It is a little less efficient, but if you’re running a heater anyway then technically they’re both lossless (though gas heat may be cheaper for you if you have gas heat).

  • @danhab99@programming.dev
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    45 days ago

    Maybe a bit of an edge case but I use a wallet case and I still carry a credit card. Wireless chargers have cooked my credit card a few times… and nfc Google pay doesn’t always work.

  • @dukeofdummies@lemmy.world
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    113 days ago

    Admittedly, charging ports are the first to break on any electronic unless it has a joystick. Wireless charging is a lot more robust, more water resistant, and allows you to do sleek shit without a weird hole in it