Product review: ZeroEdge Qi Wireless Car Charger Car mount, Windshield/Dashboard and Air Vent Mount Holders

This type of charger has become my husband's favorite charger. It is identical to the Lerway Qi charger that he has been using for over a year. In fact, he loves the style of this charger so much that he decided not to buy Nexus 6 because it did not work well in this charger (Nexus 6 is too long to form a good connection with the coils of the Qi charger). We use this charger mounted on the vent because it puts it into a very convenient position for controlling and seeing the GPS app. The fact that it is a Qi charger make it easy to remove and place the phone without stressing its micro USB connector.

The charger chargers very well. We used Nexus 5 to navigate on a 35 minutes trip using Google maps. The Qi charger was able to keep up with the power consumption of the app and it charged the phone up by 2%. Not all wired chargers are not able to do this, so this performance is pretty impressive.

This car charger can be used for Qi wireless charging as well as wired charging. If your mobile device supports Qi charging the attached charging cable is attached to the cradle, if your mobile device does not support Qi charging then the cable can be plugged in directly into the mobile device. The mount can be either mounted on the windshield, the car vent, or on the dashboard (using provided plate that is glued to the dashboard).

The suction mount works well too. I tried the suction mount on the windshield and the hold is very strong. The mount's jaws open smoothly with one button push.

In attached video I show how the holder mounts in the car vent.

Performance tests:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I use the current monitor and a 10 minute charging to test to test all my chargers, these tests give me two data points to compare different chargers to each.

10 minute charging test: 7% up charge (this is excellent compared with the other wireless chargers measured with the same phone at the same charge level)
Current monitor: 1.34A/5.10V (also excellent, and very similar to Lerway Qi Charger)
Charging at AC rate

Size info:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inside jaws open 3.75"
Inside pad is 4" tall, open on top
Car mount neck is 5"
Charging cord is 58"

We like just everything about this charger! It chargers well and the vent mount is very convenient.

What could be better? This phone charger does not work well with large phones like Nexus 6 so it would be better if the holder had adjustable arms on all 4 sides.

My husband loves this charger so much that it is now a check off point for every new phone - the phone has to work with this car charger.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Parall Ultra-Slim Wireless Charger Portable Charging Pad

I have been using Qi chargers with Nexus 5 for over a year. I love the technology, it is convenient and does not stress the micro USB connector by constantly needing to connect and disconnect it. I own several Qi chargers and through experience found several features that make some Qi Chargers work better in day to day use than others.

➀ Speed of charging

Some charger charge my phone faster than others. Speed is always important to me. I compared charging Nexus 5 with Parall Qi Charger to the same test run with the other chargers and found that it was one of the fastest. It charge the phone 7% in 10 minutes. I run the test at the same charge level, running the same apps, and keeping everything the same for an "apples to apples" comparison.

I also measured the charge rate with a current monitor. The current monitor showed ? A, which was again among the best.
current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.21A and 5.05V (Excellent)

➁ The size of the sweet spot
This is an area where the charger did not perform as well as the others. It has a very small sweet spot. I show this in the video for a better illustration of what I mean. I show both the phone on the charger and the current monitor which shows the rate at which the phone is charging. When it is perfectly aligned it draws an optimal charge. If the phone is moved a little bit the charging drops from an optimal rate to lower rate, and when it is moved a little more it draw no current and then the charger turns off. So if you accidentally brush against the phone and it moves it may stop charging. This is particularly important if you have small kids or pets who may touch things.

➂ How well the phone stays on the Qi charger

The phone can be easily knocked off the sweet spot of the charger unintentionally. The charges that handle those unintentional bumps best are the ones that have non-slippery finish. Parall has a very shiny and slick surface. It looks very nice but not ideal for creating friction. In addition the size of the charger is smaller than Nexus 5 which it slightly harder to align it perfectly.

My trick for charging on the go: When I need to charge the phone on the go (i.e. when it cannot lay flat) I double wrap a rubber band around the phone and the charger. This keeps the phone on a sweet spot charging in a pocket/purse. I like it better than having a micro USB connector which can be damaged if the phone/battery are jarred. The rubber band trick works very well with this Qi Charger because it is square and thin.

➃ How easy it is to see that the phone is charging

I like being able to see a visual indicator that the phone is charging. If the phones stops charging I like having a quick way of telling this without having to look at the phone charging status. Nexus 5 is 5.43" x 2.72" x .34" in size, Parall charger is 4.875" x 2.25" x 0.25" so Parall is smaller than Nexus 5. The indicator lights are faily large but can be seen only if I look under the phone.

➄ Is the battery using standard cables

I like the chargers that use a standard micro USB cable, so I don't need to worry about losing a special cable. Parall uses the standard micro USB cable. Excellent!

Bottom line? I thought it was good. Its thinness and shape makes the battery work well with my rubber band trick and that is very important to me for charging on the go. The charging is speedy. The small sweet spot is smaller than I like and requires extra attention to make sure the phone is aligned well.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Wireless Qi Charger by TechMatte

I have been using Qi chargers with Nexus 5 for over a year. I love the technology, it is convenient and does not stress the micro USB connector by constantly needing to connect and disconnect it. I own several Qi chargers and through experience found several features that make some Qi Chargers work better in day to day use than others.

➀ Speed of charging

Some charger charge my phone faster than others. Speed is always important to me. I compared charging Nexus 5 with TechMatte Qi Charger to the same test run with the other chargers and found that it fell in the middel of the pack, not among the best and not the slowest. It charge the phone 5% in 10 minutes. I run the test at the same charge level, running the same apps, and keeping everything the same for an "apples to apples" comparison.

I also measured the charge rate with a current monitor, which also also puts the charger in the middle of the pack.
current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.82A and 5.05V (below optimal, but above USB rate)

➁ The size of the sweet spot
The sweet has an average size. I show this in the video for a better illustration of what I mean. I show both the phone on the charger and the current monitor which shows the rate at which the phone is charging. When it is perfectly aligned it draws an optimal charge. If the phone is moved slightly the current rate drops from an optimal rate to lower rate, and when it is moved a little more it draw no current and then the charger turns off. So if you accidentally brush against the phone and it moves it may stop charging. This is particularly important if you have small kids or pets who may touch things.

➂ How well the phone stays on the Qi charger

The phone can be easily knocked off the sweet spot of the charger unintentionally. The charges that handle those unintentional bumps best are the ones that have non-slippery finish. TechMatte has has a matte finish which works well because it creates friction with the phone. In addition the size of the charger is slightly larger than Nexus 5.

My trick for charging on the go: When I need to charge the phone on the go (i.e. when it cannot lay flat) I double wrap a rubber band around the phone and the charger. This keeps the phone on a sweet spot charging in a pocket/purse. I like it better than having a micro USB connector which can be damaged if the phone/battery are jarred. The rubber band trick works very well with this Qi charger because it is square and thin.

➃ How easy it is to see that the phone is charging

I like being able to see a visual indicator that the phone is charging. If the phones stops charging I like having a quick way of telling this without having to look at the phone charging status. Nexus 5 is 5.43" x 2.72" x .34" in size, TechMatte charger is 5.875" x 3.123" x 0.125" so TechMatte is slightly larger than Nexus 5. This is ideal.

➄ Is the battery using standard cables

I like the chargers that use a standard micro USB cable, so I don't need to worry about losing a special cable. TechMatte charger uses the standard micro USB cable. Excellent!

Bottom line? I thought it was good. Its thinness and shape makes the battery work well with my rubber band trick and that is very important to me for charging on the go. It charges with an average speed but its non-slip surface and its size make it a practical charger for me.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Qi Charger WiPack Qi Wireless Portable Battery Charger 3000mAh

I have been using Qi chargers with Nexus 5 for about a year. I love the technology, it is convenient and does not stress on the micro USB connector by constantly needing to connect and disconnect it. I own several Qi chargers and through experience found several features that make some Qi Chargers work better in day to day use than others.

➀ Speed of charging

Some charger charge my phone faster than others. Speed is always important to me. I compared charging Nexus 5 with WiPack Qi Charger to the same test run with the other chargers and found that it falls in the middle of the pack. It is not the speediest and not the worst. On avereage it up charges the phone 5% in 10 minutes.

I was able to charge the phone from 65% to full in 1 hour and 20 minutes. The battery in WiPack went from fully charged 4 dots to 1 steady dot.
Looking at the level of charge during this charging cycle:
Start -------------- Phone battery is 65% full, WiPack 100% full (4 dots)
15 minutes later --- Phone battery is 76% full, WiPack at 3 dots
52 minutes later --- Phone battery is 93% full, Wipack at 2 dots
1h 20 min later --- Phone battery is 100% full, Wipack at 1 dot

Note: Nexus 5 is running Lollipop 5.0.1 release of Android OS.

➁ How well the phone stays on the Qi charger

The phone can be easily knocked off the sweet spot of the charger unintentionally (especially if you have kids or pets). The charges that handle those unintentional bumps best are the ones that have non-slippery finish. WiPack has a slick surface which looks great but has a drawback of being slippery. The sweet spot is average size. As you can see in the video I have slightly under 1/2" in either direction.
WiPack size is 5.125" x 2.5" x 0.31", it is a good match for Nexus 5 which is 5.43" x 2.72" x .34". WiPack weighs 3.90 oz.

My trick for charging on the go: When I need to charge the phone on the go (i.e. when it cannot lay flat) I double wrap a rubber band around the phone and a Qi Charger. This keeps the phone on a sweet spot charging in a pocket/purse. I like it better than having a micro USB connector which can be damaged if the phone/battery are jarred. The rubber band trick works very well with this Qi Charger because it is square, thin, and similar in size to Nexus 5.

➂ How easy it is to see that the phone is charging

I like being able to see a visual indicator that the phone is charging. If the phones stops charging I like having a quick way of telling this without having to look at the phone charging status. Nexus 5 is 5.43" x 2.72" x .34" in size, so WiPack is just a little bit smaller than Nexus 5. But because the difference is fairly small I can still see the charging indicator under the phone (as shown in the video). The indicator lights are pretty small, I prefer slightly larger and easier to see indicators but they work ok.

When Qi charger is working you see a red light on the charging indicator. If it is not charging the lights are green.

➃ Is the battery using standard cables

I like the chargers that use a standard micro USB cable, so I don't need to worry about losing a special cable. WiPack uses the standard micro USB cable. Excellent!

➄ Whether the Qi Charger provides charge through charging (i.e. I want to be able to charge the charger while my phone is charging on top of the charger).
WiPack does NOT support charge through charging when it is in wired mode, however it does charge in wireless mode when the battery is plugged in and charging. Since the capacity of the battery is not that large this is critical for over-night charging. It works!

✔ Wireless Charging (Nexus 5 phone)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5% upcharge in 10 minutes (average)

✔ Wired Charging (Nexus 5 phone charging via micro USB cable)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.11A and 5.05V (Excellent)

✔ Wired iPad Mini Tablet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
0.93A / 5.08V (below average in general, but typical for 1A port)
(for comparison, for the fastest charger I own the current monitor for Nexus 5 shows 1.42A/5.21V)

✔ Wired Charging (Galaxy Nexus phone)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
0.88A / 5.07V (below average)

Bottom line? I thought it was good. Its thinness and shape makes the battery work well with my rubber band trick and that is very important to me for charging on the go. The battery is average in the speed of charging. It looks sleek and is a good match for Nexus 5.

I received this Qi charger with a request for a detailed and honest review from Wireless Efficiency. I hope the pluses and minuses I described will help you determine if this charger a good match for you.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Koolpad Qi Wireless Charger Pad for All Qi Compatible Devices

The two features that stand out for me about this charger is its large size and super light weight. I own several Qi chargers. There are four things that make me like one Qi charger over the other.

1. I always prefer a fast charger to a slow charger. My phone gets used a lot and having a charger that can keep up is important to me. I test each charger with a current monitor, so I can compare them to each other and I am including results for this charger at the end of the review for those who like the details. Koolpad falls in the middle of the pack, it is not the fastest nor is it the slowest.

2. The phone can be easily knocked off the sweet spot of the charger unintentionally (especially if you have kids or pets). The charges that handle unintentional bumps best are the ones that have sticky rather than slick surface. It helps if the size of the pad is larger than the phone so there is some room for slight movement without stopping the charging. Koolpad has a pretty slick finish, but it compensate for the slickness by its size. It sweet spot is quite large as I show in the video.

Koolpad's size is 5.875" x 3.125" x 0.375", a good match for Nexus 5. The charger is also very light 2.95 oz.

3. I like being able to see a visual indicator that the phone is charging. If the phones stops charging I like having a quick way of telling this without having to look at the phone charging status. Because Koolpad is longer than Nexus 5, I can see the charging indicator while the phone is on the charger. Koolpad's indicator light changes from green (plugged in) to blue (charging the mobile device).

4. I like the chargers that use a standard micro USB cable, so I don't need to worry about losing a special cable. Koolpad uses the standard micro USB cable.

I tested the charger with a current monitor to see what current it is drawing.

✔ Wireless Charger (phone not charging)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.01A (i.e. not drawing any current, which is good)

✔ Wireless Charger plugged into AC (Nexus 5 phone charging)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.14A and 5.17
(for comparison, for the fastest charger I own the current monitor for Nexus 5 shows 1.42A/5.21V)

Overall, I like this charger. Its good size and lightness stood out for me.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: QiStone+ Wireless Power Bank with Qi+ 4000mAh

My husband immediately liked this battery for its shape. It is just the right shape to fit into his breast pocket behind the phone. Because the battery is fairly fat it forms a tight fit in the pocket and keeps it against the phone and charging. He is about to go to a conference where in the past years he spent so much time on the phone that he drained the phone battery. He plans to keep the phone constantly charging in his breast pocket.

This wireless charger is both a wireless external power bank and a charger that can charge a phone while the battery pack is plugged in and charging (i.e. charge through charging). It uses a standard micro USB cable when it is charged in a wired mode. I have a strong preference for standard cables, so I don't need to worry about losing a proprietary cable.

The finish of this battery is somewhat gritty so it forms a good bond with the phone. It has a bright charging indicator. By comparison to other wireless chargers it is not a very fast charger but its shape and size make it uniquely useful.

Its size is 2.875" x 4.125" x 0.5". It weighs 4.80 oz.

Another unique feature of QiStone+ is that it can be totally wireless - not only you can charger the phone wirelessly but you can charge the charger itself wirelessly. Fonesalesman sells receivers for the battery pack, but I found that I am able to recharge this battery pack using any other Qi charger. My video includes clips that show the QiStone+ charging the phone wirelessly as well as wireless charging of the QiStone+ battery.

How I tested the wireless charger:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I tested the charger with a current monitor to see what current it is drawing. I also did a 10 minute charging test which I run on all chargers I test to compare how much the phone was charged in 10 minutes. Since the charging speed is non-linear I start charging each device from approximately the same charge level.

✔ Wireless Charger (phone not charging)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.49A (i.e.USB rate charging the battery pack)

✔ Wireless Charger (Nexus 5 phone charging)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4% change in charge in 10 minutes
current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.14A and 5.17V
(for comparison, for the fastest charger I own the current monitor for Nexus 5 shows 1.42A/5.21V)

This wireless charger provided by Fonesalesman.

My husband loves this wireless battery pack, because it more than doubled the life of his phone battery when he carries it in his breast pocket. And because it is wireless he does not have to tangle with the wires and do his business on the phone as normal.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Qi-infinity™ Portable Wireless Charger Power Bank 4000 mAh by Qi-infinity

My husband immediately liked this battery for its shape. It is just the right shape to fit into his breast pocket behind the phone. Because the battery is fairly thick it forms a tight fit in the pocket and keeps it against the phone and charging. He is about to go to a conference where in the past years he spent so much time on the phone that he drained the phone battery. He plans to keep the phone constantly charging in his breast pocket.

This wireless charger can charge a phone while the battery pack is plugged in and charging (i.e. charge through charging). This charger can work in wireless and wired mode. It uses a standard micro USB cable when it is charged in a wired mode. I have a strong preference for standard cables, so I don't need to worry about losing a proprietary cable.

Its sweet spot is not huge (I demonstrate it in the video). The battery pack is smaller than Nexus 5 in size so you need to pay attention on how you place the phone on the charger. This is the second charger we have with the shape and thickness that works in my husband's shirt pocket. The other battery (IQ Stone+) has a slightly larger sweet spot and it charges the phone in the shirt pocket a little more consistently (meaning the phone does not move off the sweet spot).

The power pack size is 2.75" x 4.125" x 0.5". It weights 4.6 oz.

How I tested the wireless charger:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I tested the charger with a current monitor to see what current it is drawing. I also did a 10 minute charging test which I run on all chargers I test to compare how much the phone was charged in 10 minutes. In addition, I timed the charging speed when the battery charged two phones (one wireless, one plugged in). Since the charging speed is non-linear I start charging each device from approximately the same charge level.

✔ Wireless Charger (phone not charging)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.51A (i.e.USB rate charging the battery pack)

✔ Wireless Charger (Nexus 5 phone charging)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7% change in charge in 10 minutes (Excellent!)
current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.19A and 5.17V
(for comparison, for the fastest charger I own the current monitor for Nexus 5 shows 1.42A/5.21V)

✔ Wired Charger (Samsung Nexus phone charging)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6% change in charge in 10 minutes (Excellent!)
current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.02A and 5.20V
(for comparison the best charging monitor result for this phone is 1.00A/5V)

This wireless charger provided by Q-infinity.

My husband loves this wireless battery pack, because it doubled the life of his phone battery when he carries it in his breast pocket and it charges quickly.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Aukey Wireless Charger Charging Pad Qi-Enabled for Nexus 5 and other Qi enabled phones

I am writing this review after using this Qi charger with my Nexus 5 for a couple of weeks. I measured its performance with a current monitor as well as a charging test I run on all my chargers as it helps me compare each charger it is peers. For speed of charging this charger fell in the middle of the pack, it was not speediest compared to other Qi chargers but not the slowest either. It does have however many features that I find very important in the Qi chargers.

♦ I like the battery to be similar or larger than the phone in size (this means I am less likely to miss the sweet spot where the phone chargers). Aukey charger did well in this category for Nexus 5.

♦ I like surface of the battery to be rubberised (this help that battery to stay on the charger or not be accidentally moved off the charging area). Aukey charger has a rubberised ring and its finish somewhat rough so my phone stays on the pad well even if gets bumped accidentally.

♦ I want it to charge quickly. Aukey charger falls in the middle of the pack in speed.

♦ I find a clear bright indicator that shows me that battery is charging very helpful. I like being able to see the indicators from a distance without having to rely at looking at the phone charging indicator. If you have pets, small kids or clumsy adults the phone can be moved off the charging sweet spot fairly easily. Aukey's wireless charger has a small indicator but because of the pad's large size I am able to see it even when the phone is on top of the pad.

Aukey size a nice match for Nexus 5, the charger's size is 3.125" x 5.75". It is 0.25" thick. Its weight is 3.75 oz. It comes with a standard micro USB cable and a USB wall charger.

How I tested the wireless charger:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I tested the charger with a current monitor to see what current it is drawing. I also did a 10 minute charging test which I run on all chargers I test to compare how much the phone was charged in 10 minutes. Since the charging speed is non-linear I start charging each device from approximately the same charge level.

✔ Wireless Charger plugged into AC (Nexus 5 phone charging)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Current monitor - 1.18A , 5.03V
5% change in charge in 10 minutes

Overall, I like this charger. It has many of the features I look for in a wireless charger.


My request to the manufacturer if they are reading this review: I would like to see a Qi charger shaped as a tray with raised edges so it would be impossible to push the phone off the charger. I have not seen a charger that is shaped this way. I would like the charging indicators to be on the outside wall of this tray charger, so it is not covered by the phone. Perhaps a product idea?

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.



Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: TYLT Vu Wireless Charger for all Qi Phones - Nexus 5 overheating

This is a really cool looking Qi charger that makes it easy to view the phone while it is charging. I also found that it is less likely to get accidental knocked off the sweet spot while in this stand charger than it is laying flat on the night table. I really liked until I noticed how hot my phone gets on it. Turns out this is a problems specific to my phone, LG Nexus 5.

NEXUS 5 WARNING
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have been using it for a couple of weeks and noticed that it gets quite hot when I charge it. I went to TYLT web site and under "Positioning guide" for VU charger found a warning that applies only to LG Nexus 5 phones. Apparently Nexus 5 has a lot of metal in the back door and that causes it to experience abnormal temperature increases. TYLT provides a 3 step procedure for position the phone in the cradle which I included in my video for reference. To see the full position guide visit the tylt.com web site, click on the image of this charger on the home page, and then locate "Position guide" half way down the page dedicated to VU wireless charger.

The 3 step procedure seems to help, but I am still somewhat nervous leaving the phone in the charger overnight. I use it during the day when I can keep an eye on it and to take advantage of the stand that allows me to see my phone.

COMPARISON TO OTHER QI CHARGER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I own several Qi wireless chargers and I really like the geometry of this charger. It keeps the phone in the right position to charge and it is less likely to be moved off the sweet spot due to the stand-like shape. I am also able to view and use the phone easily while it is charging.

I run the same test on all my Qi chargers so I can compare them to each other. I start all tests at the same charge level of the phone to account for non-linear charging rate. VU charger fell in the middle of the pack.

This charger does not have a charging indicator that tells me that the phone is charging. I need to look at the phone charging indicator to get this information. For a Qi charger a charging indicator is important as it confirm that the phone has not shifted off the sweet spot.

TYLT Vu size: 7.5 inches, 3.5 inches, 3.5 inches. Its weight is 5.55 oz.
It uses a round connector attached to a fairly large AC plug. However, the plug is designed to be long and slim so it only takes up one slot on the power strip.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Lerway Qi Wireless Car Charger Dock with Windshield, Dashboard and Air Vent Mount

We do a lot of weekend trips and always use a GPS. My husband is pretty set in his ways and it takes a big improvement to change how he does things. This mount changed what he uses to navigate and where he places it. Previously we used the GPS built into the car, but since the car GPS is a bit old and some maps are out of date we also have Nexus 7 mounted on the windshield that runs Sygic. Sygic has the latest maps but Nexus 7 mounted on the wildshield it is hard to reach when route changes are needed or when the volume control needs to be adjusted. It also needs to be unplugged and removed when we leave the car. Nexus 5 was not used because it the screen was a bit too small to see when mounted that far from the driver.

And now Lerway Qi Wireless changed the game. It can be mounted on the car vent near the driver within easy reach for adjustments. We switched to using Nexus 5 to navigate because at that distance its 1080 x 1920 pixels display is easy to see. The car mount has a Qi wireless charger built in, so there is no need to plug and unplug the charging wire into the phone. The charger has outstanding performance. We used Nexus 5 to navigate on a 45 minutes trip using Google maps. Not only was the Lerway charger able to keep up with the power consumption, it charged the phone up by 3%. Not all wired chargers are not able to do this, so this performance is pretty impressive.

This car charger can be used for Qi wireless charging as well as wired charging. If your mobile device supports Qi charging the attached charging cable is attached to the cradle, if your mobile device does not support Qi charging then the cable can be plugged in directly into the mobile device. The mount can be either mounted on the windshield, the car vent, or on the dashboard (using provided plate that is glued to the dashboard).
The suction mount works well too. I tried the suction mount on the windshield and the hold is very strong. The mount's jaws open smoothly with one button push.

In attached video I show how the holder mounts in the car vent. We decided this is the mount we like best.

Performance tests:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I use the current monitor and a 10 minute charging to test to test all my chargers, these tests give me two data points to compare different chargers to each.

10 minute charging test: 5% up charge (this compares well with the other wireless chargers I own)
Current monitor: 1.42A/5.21V
Charging at AC rate

Size info:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inside jaws open 3.75"
Inside pad is 4" tall, open on top
Car mount neck is 5"
Charging cord is 58"

We like everything about this charger! It chargers well and the vent mount is very convenient.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★




Ali Julia review

Product review: OXA Qi Wireless Charger

This is my third wireless charger and my favorite thus far. In addition to excellent charging speed it has one other key design feature. This charger has a rubberised ring in the center which creates a bit of extra friction especially if you have a rubberised skin on the phone. My first two chargers have a smooth finish which turned out to be an important difference. A smooth finish makes it easy to knock of the phone from the charger, especially if you have a pet or a child who  might unintentionally do it without you noticing. 

OXA wireless charger is 5.125" by 3.375" and 0.625" thick. It weighs 7.2 oz.

This charger is not only a wireless charger but a 70000mAh external power pack. In addition to wireless charging it is capable of charging another device via a mini USB cable. The package includes two micro USB to USB cables: one is 55" and the other is 10.5".

WIRELESS
~~~~~~~~~
I ran several test to see how fast this wireless charger is charging the phone. I included the details of these test below for those who are interested, but to summarize the test I can say that this charger has a excellent  performance.

In addition to excellent performance there are several things I really like about the design of this charger:
1. It is an external power pack in addition to being a charger
2. It uses a generic USB to micro USB charging cable not a proprietary charging cable.
3. Its shape matches the shape of the phone, so it is easy to place it right on the sweet spot on the wireless charger
4. It has a rubberised ring in the middle of the charging sweet spot, which creates nice friction with the phone
This charger provides the best friction with the phone among the three chargers I own. Ideally, I would like the charger to be shaped as a tray with raised edges so it would be impossible to push the phone off the charger.

The minor weak point of the charger is the light that indicates that wireless charging is on.  This LED is fairly dim and it is hard to see whether it when the light is bright in the room.

WIRED
~~~~~~~~~
In addition to being a wireless charger, this battery can also be used to charge a wired mobile device from a USB port.  The USB port does not charge if the charger itself being charged. Note that wireless charging works both when the external battery itself is charging and when the battery is not connected to AC.

I tested charging Nexus 5 wireless and Nexus 7 via the charging port at the same time. I tried both a data cable (charging at USB rate) and a charging cable (charging at AC rate). When the second device was charged using a data cable it charged but charging was fairly slow, while wireless charging was superb.  When the second device was charged using a charging cable the charger could not charge both devices, the unit shut down. Charging only once device with a charging wire worked well, the device was charged at a good speed (average compared to other external batteries).

How I tested the wireless charger:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I tested the charger with a current monitor to see what current it is drawing. I also did a 10 minute charging test which I run on all chargers I test to compare how much the phone was charged in 10 minutes. Since the charging speed is non-linear I start charging each device from approximately the same charge level.

✔ Wireless Charger (phone not charging)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.01A (i.e. not drawing any current)

✔ Wireless Charger plugged into AC (Nexus 5 phone charging)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6% change in charge in 10 minutes
current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.07A and 5.15V

✔ Wireless Charger NOT plugged into AC (Nexus 5 phone charging)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔ Wireless (Nexus 5 phone) and Wired (Nexus 7 tablet)  using a data cable
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wireless 6% change in charge in 10 minutes
Wired    2% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔ Wireless (Nexus 5 phone) and Wired (Nexus 7 tablet)  using a charging cable
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wireless - unit shut down, power demand too high
Wired    - unit shut down, power demand too high

✔ Wired (Nexus 7 tablet) by itself using a data cable
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wired    2% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔  Wired (Nexus 7 tablet) by itslef using a charging cable
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wired    5% change in charge in 10 minutes

Overall, this an excellent wireless charger.  It is now my favorite of the three I own.  Not only does it give me superb wireless charging, I can also charge another device at the same time via a micro USB cable.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: TechMatte Power Pod Qi Wireless Charger

This wireless charger is 3 7/8" across, is pretty thin and weighs 1.9 oz. Taking advantage of its thinness its main use for me is to charge Nexus 5 in the car. Our car has a bin next to the main console with a width that is just right to fit this wireless charger and the phone next to it. The sides of the bin hold the phone and the charger close enough for the phone to be charging when both the phone and the charger are in a vertical position (see video).

I ran several test to see how fast this wireless charger is charging the phone. I included the details of these test below for those who are interested, but to summarize the test I can say that it worked reliably although it is not the fastest wireless charger I have tested.

However there are several things that I really liked about this charger. First, it uses a generic USB to micro USB charging cable not a proprietary charging cable. Second, its thinness allows me to use the charger in the car. Thirdly, I like that it clearly indicates when the phone is charging: the red LED means not charging, the green LED means charging.

The weakest point for me is the polished surface of the charger and fairly small "sweet" spot (meaning position on the charger that charges the phone). The polished surface makes it fairly easy to accidentally push the phone off the sweet spot on the charger. The phone has to be positioned on the charger in a specific way to get charged, so the green/red LEDs are a very helpful indicator. One of the benefits of using it in the car that I can control the position of the phone because the bin is a fairly tight fit.

I would have liked to see the surface to be made out non-slick material so there is as much traction between the phone and the charger as possible. Ideally, I would like the charger to be shaped as a tray with raised edges so it would be impossible to push the phone off the charger.

How I tested the wireless charger:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I tested the charger with a current monitor to see what current it is drawing. I also did a 10 minute charging test which I run on all chargers I test to compare how much the phone was charged in 10 minutes. Since the charging speed is non-linear I start charging each device from approximately the same charge level.

✔ Wireless Charger (phone not charging)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.01A (i.e. not drawing any current)

✔ Wireless Charger (Nexus 5 phone charging)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3% change in charge in 10 minutes
current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.78A and 5.01V

I received this charger from TechMatte for testing and review. Overall, I am pleased with the charger. Even though it is not the fastest wireless charger I have tested it has features that I really like, especially its thinness which allows me to use it in the car.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Noosy Qi Wireless Charger for Cell Phones and Tablets

I am very impressed with this wireless charger. It is Qi standard charger and I am using it to charge Nexus 5 phone. A wireless charger has some inefficiency compared to the wired charger, so I expected that it will charge the phone significantly slower. However, I was pleasantry surprised!

To test the charger I charged the phone directly when plugged into the wall charger that came with this wireless charger (it is used to power the wireless) as well as laying the phone on top of the wireless pad. I ran two sets of tests, first I measured the current with a current monitor. Second I ran a 10 minute charging test. I use these two tests on all chargers I own because it lets me to make unbiased comparison purely based on the performance numbers. Since the charging speed is non-linear I start charging each device from approximately the same charge level.

The wireless charging was only slightly slowler than wired. The stated inefficiency of wireless charging is documented as 74% of wired charging. So this means it is getting 0.92A out of 1.26A shown on the current monitor.

✔ Nexus 5 Phone (wireless)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AC ----- 6% change in charge in 10 minutes
current monitor: ~~~~~ 1.26A and 5.08V

✔ Nexus 5 Phone (pluged in directly into Noosy wall charger)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AC ----- 7% change in charge in 10 minutes
current monitor: ~~~~~ 0.94A and 5.03V

This wireless charger is 4" across and 0.375" thick. It comes with a 56" AC cord.

Input requirement: 5V/2A
Output: 5V/1A
Charging effeciency: 74%
Transmission distance: 0.31" or less
Operating temperature range: 32°F to 45°F56"

As much as I am impressed with this wireless charger there one thing I would have liked to be different:
I would have liked the surface to be rubberised so it has more traction with the back of the phone. It is easy to accidentally move the phone off the pad by sliding a book on the night table or by a careless cat stepping on the pad or the phone. Ideally, I would like the shape of the wireless pad to be a little tray with raised borders so the phone stays within the tray safely.

I am impressed with the wireless' pad speed of charging and would recommend it.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★