I appreciate the info on the replacement back cover the allows Qi inductive charging, but there is a much cheaper way to achieve wireless charging. I have had a qi sticker that fits under the factory back cover and adds no bulk. It cost like $25 bucks and I can still use all my covers. If you buy the new larger back cover your cases no longer fit. There are several different manufacturers making these on Amazon.
I use one of those on my S3; got both the sticker and the pad separately on ebay.
Works nicely under the original cover; it makes the back bulge very slightly but doesn't cause a problem with my cover.
The phone gets very warm on the pad though; not so keen on that and makes me wonder about wasted energy. I'd be interested to see the energy efficiency compared to wired charging.
Me too! Does it use substantially more power to charge your device? After a year is it noticeable on cost? Does the pad use power when not charging? All probably marginal but just in case...
The fact that it takes 1/3rd longer to charge despite the same amount of power going into the charger implies that the wireless charger is only 75% as efficient as the wired one. For a full daily charge at typical US energy prices the extra power will cost significantly less than $1/year. (10c/kwk is roughly equivalent to $1/wattyear. And 10W of power for one hour a day is ~.4W average load; for ~40c/year).
There are actually several cases that will still fit, mostly of the TPU variety. The Diztronic TPU case as well as the Spigen Neo Hybrid do. They may be 'stretched' a bit, but they serve their purposes still.
What was the URL for the sticker that you got on Amazon? Did it make the regular cover "bulge" slightly like other reviews I've seen of the kind you're talking about?
The more economic way would be a card that insert into the phone and put between the case and battery, here is where we could get with both transmitter pad and receiver on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DRB2ENK
For me the charging time isn't that important. I charge at night so wether it takes two or six hours doesn't matter cause I'm asleep in my bed anyway. What does matter is how much juice I can get in a few minutes when the battery is almost dead
I guess. But I just have a hard time getting excited about setting the device on a pad rather than plugging it in. I have no trouble plugging it in. For me it is sort of a solution looking for a problem. I guess if the problem is you really hate plugging in your phone, it is a pretty good solution.
Not to sound rude, but have you ever used a device with wireless charging for an extended period of time? It's only a minor convenience but once you're used to just setting the phone down to charge it you won't want to go back to plugging it in. I have my charging plate at my desk where I would set my phone down, anyway, so I basically never have to think about charging my phone anymore. It feels automatic.
You know, a LOT of numbers on your charts are simply not true. Not just this particular chart, but I also find lots of numbers here and there that are far from being accurate. My SGS4 charges in little less that 1:30 with the Samsung charger, never did I see one that took around 3 hours to charge...
The reporting around here, particularly from anand, is becoming more and more biased and innacurate
for instance, 3 MBA reviews in 3 weeks on a device absolutely unchanged from last year?
Apple did no innovation for the air in 2013... this years air is actually slower in many cases and it was all samsung and intel doing the upgrades, apple slapped it in the same package and anand is writing articles recommending to purchase the device.
At some point, you just need to ask yourself how much you are willing to tolerate.
I have an iphone 5 and SGS4 and i just timed it, the charge from zero to full was 1:46 for sgs4 and iphone 5 was 2:04 (stopped at 99%)
Or we could say your numbers are not true at all and are far from accurate... I have never seen one charge as fast as you say. If my sg s4 is almost dead it takes 3 hours for a full charge. At about 50% it takes about 1.5-2 hours for a full charge. this is using the samsung charger. I have never seen one charge as fast as you say..
What's insane is that, here in the UK, Samsung wireless qi charging will probably become more prevalent than Nexus 4 wireless qi charging even though the Nexus 4 has it built in! Honestly, the wireless charging was a big reason I got the Nexus 4 almost a year ago and almost a year later, one of the big features is still missing. Just how hard can it be to implement and sell a single-use, single-function wireless charger for a phone that is already built and sold to standard specs?!! Pathetic (yeah I know it's available in the US but that doesn't help me here in the UK).
This is false advertising to me. And the phone has very poor reception (compared to others same network same sim same area) and is jittery and far from the "buttery smooth" phrase copied from review to review. Disappointed Google....
PS any chance you can test this Samsung qi charger with the Nexus 4 please Brian? Would probably be my best chance of getting wireless charging anyway! :)
Same here. I'm thinking of getting one for the Nexus 4. In Poland we can only buy Nokia qi chargers (which are expensive) and now this Samsung model which is somewhat affordable (you can buy the pad alone, without the snap-on back).
This uses the qi standard so in theory it should work, but I'm curious how accurate you need to be with this thing. Can you just put the phone more or less in the middle and have it charge reliably?
Also since I don't have a GS4, does the pad come with the 2 amp Samsung charger. I'm guessing it's not included since every GS4 owner already has one.
There might be something wrong with your N4 if the UI transitions aren't smooth. Even my old Galaxy Nexus was "buttery smooth" on Jelly Bean, and my Nexus 4 is no different. Are you on 4.2.2? What version was on it when you got it? I did have any issue with the GNex where it was noticeably slower after an update (I think from 4.1.2->4.2.x). Not iOS 4 on an iPhone 3G unusable bad, but it was obvious (e.g. home screen redraw time after exiting the app drawer). I had to do a clean install from the factory image to sort it out.
I'm in the UK and there are Qi charging pads available both on UK retail sites and on ebay. When I was looking for one for my S3 I found comments saying they work with the Nexus 4.
The more phones that make use of the Qi standard, the better. It'd be nice if it was standard rather than an add-on, though. Probably could be made a lot thinner, in that scenario.
Does the charging pad draw any power if there is no phone on it? If it draws power leaving it connected all the time comes at a cost (and will just waste power) and having to pull the plug after removing your phone would be more than just absurd...
I would really be interested in some numbers here.
I just ordered the tylt vu. I like the design and the way the phone can be put on at any angle. Will work much better for a charging stand by the bed. http://www.tylt.com/vu/
Hi, I just bought a Qi Wireless charging kit and its pretty cool! I bought it from the Bitmore UK site. They have a wide range of Qi (wireless charging) Devices and the one I bought is universal. You can charge any qi enabled devices on this pad. Chk it out at: http://www.bitmore.co.uk/products/qi-wireless-char...
There is a new wireless charger with battery bank too They provide a thing tag for the S4 instead of a whole cover. I think this is much thinner than the official samsung cover and probably able to use normal phone cover even with the tag is pasted.
Until they make a "cover" that's a "case" it's of little interest. I want a case on a phone for a little protection, Samsung makes this simple case (which I purchased and is fine), why couldn't they make a charging pad with a case/cover solution. Until this is done it's just not interesting to me and what I can tell most people.
Not sure if I am posting the same thing twice as I had to join after asking this. Can you still plug in to charge if your battery is set for wireless charging or are you now restricted to wireless?
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sergeant1975 - Saturday, July 13, 2013 - link
I appreciate the info on the replacement back cover the allows Qi inductive charging, but there is a much cheaper way to achieve wireless charging. I have had a qi sticker that fits under the factory back cover and adds no bulk. It cost like $25 bucks and I can still use all my covers. If you buy the new larger back cover your cases no longer fit. There are several different manufacturers making these on Amazon.BugblatterIII - Sunday, July 14, 2013 - link
I use one of those on my S3; got both the sticker and the pad separately on ebay.Works nicely under the original cover; it makes the back bulge very slightly but doesn't cause a problem with my cover.
The phone gets very warm on the pad though; not so keen on that and makes me wonder about wasted energy. I'd be interested to see the energy efficiency compared to wired charging.
noeldillabough - Sunday, July 14, 2013 - link
Me too! Does it use substantially more power to charge your device? After a year is it noticeable on cost? Does the pad use power when not charging? All probably marginal but just in case...Łukasz Markiewicz - Sunday, July 14, 2013 - link
Curious about this.Since Brian hasn't mentioned this in the review, I'm guessing the GS4 does not heat up noticeably with the qi kit.
DanNeely - Monday, July 15, 2013 - link
The fact that it takes 1/3rd longer to charge despite the same amount of power going into the charger implies that the wireless charger is only 75% as efficient as the wired one. For a full daily charge at typical US energy prices the extra power will cost significantly less than $1/year. (10c/kwk is roughly equivalent to $1/wattyear. And 10W of power for one hour a day is ~.4W average load; for ~40c/year).Waylo - Monday, July 15, 2013 - link
There are actually several cases that will still fit, mostly of the TPU variety. The Diztronic TPU case as well as the Spigen Neo Hybrid do. They may be 'stretched' a bit, but they serve their purposes still.shanesaccount - Tuesday, July 16, 2013 - link
What was the URL for the sticker that you got on Amazon?
Did it make the regular cover "bulge" slightly like other reviews I've seen of the kind you're talking about?
Thanks!
feihu989 - Sunday, November 3, 2013 - link
The more economic way would be a card that insert into the phone and put between the case and battery, here is where we could get with both transmitter pad and receiver on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DRB2ENKTotally_Rad - Wednesday, February 26, 2014 - link
You can't use nfc with the sticker, wiseass!snajk138 - Sunday, July 14, 2013 - link
For me the charging time isn't that important. I charge at night so wether it takes two or six hours doesn't matter cause I'm asleep in my bed anyway. What does matter is how much juice I can get in a few minutes when the battery is almost deadLonyo - Sunday, July 14, 2013 - link
Yeah, something like a 0-80% charge time would be useful as well as 0-100%. In many devices, the final part takes longest.kkwst2 - Sunday, July 14, 2013 - link
I guess. But I just have a hard time getting excited about setting the device on a pad rather than plugging it in. I have no trouble plugging it in. For me it is sort of a solution looking for a problem. I guess if the problem is you really hate plugging in your phone, it is a pretty good solution.abrowne1993 - Tuesday, July 16, 2013 - link
Not to sound rude, but have you ever used a device with wireless charging for an extended period of time? It's only a minor convenience but once you're used to just setting the phone down to charge it you won't want to go back to plugging it in. I have my charging plate at my desk where I would set my phone down, anyway, so I basically never have to think about charging my phone anymore. It feels automatic.lilmoe - Sunday, July 14, 2013 - link
You know, a LOT of numbers on your charts are simply not true. Not just this particular chart, but I also find lots of numbers here and there that are far from being accurate.My SGS4 charges in little less that 1:30 with the Samsung charger, never did I see one that took around 3 hours to charge...
dsumanik - Monday, July 15, 2013 - link
The reporting around here, particularly from anand, is becoming more and more biased and innacuratefor instance, 3 MBA reviews in 3 weeks on a device absolutely unchanged from last year?
Apple did no innovation for the air in 2013... this years air is actually slower in many cases and it was all samsung and intel doing the upgrades, apple slapped it in the same package and anand is writing articles recommending to purchase the device.
At some point, you just need to ask yourself how much you are willing to tolerate.
I have an iphone 5 and SGS4 and i just timed it, the charge from zero to full was 1:46 for sgs4 and iphone 5 was 2:04 (stopped at 99%)
wireless is cool though, wheres my idesk?
AnonReader - Monday, July 15, 2013 - link
Why is it that you need to bring up your perceived lack of Apple criticism on AnandTech in articles unrelated to Apple? It's getting quite tiring.Margalus - Tuesday, July 16, 2013 - link
Or we could say your numbers are not true at all and are far from accurate... I have never seen one charge as fast as you say. If my sg s4 is almost dead it takes 3 hours for a full charge. At about 50% it takes about 1.5-2 hours for a full charge. this is using the samsung charger. I have never seen one charge as fast as you say..JNo - Sunday, July 14, 2013 - link
What's insane is that, here in the UK, Samsung wireless qi charging will probably become more prevalent than Nexus 4 wireless qi charging even though the Nexus 4 has it built in! Honestly, the wireless charging was a big reason I got the Nexus 4 almost a year ago and almost a year later, one of the big features is still missing. Just how hard can it be to implement and sell a single-use, single-function wireless charger for a phone that is already built and sold to standard specs?!! Pathetic (yeah I know it's available in the US but that doesn't help me here in the UK).This is false advertising to me. And the phone has very poor reception (compared to others same network same sim same area) and is jittery and far from the "buttery smooth" phrase copied from review to review. Disappointed Google....
JNo - Sunday, July 14, 2013 - link
PS any chance you can test this Samsung qi charger with the Nexus 4 please Brian? Would probably be my best chance of getting wireless charging anyway! :)Łukasz Markiewicz - Sunday, July 14, 2013 - link
Same here. I'm thinking of getting one for the Nexus 4. In Poland we can only buy Nokia qi chargers (which are expensive) and now this Samsung model which is somewhat affordable (you can buy the pad alone, without the snap-on back).This uses the qi standard so in theory it should work, but I'm curious how accurate you need to be with this thing. Can you just put the phone more or less in the middle and have it charge reliably?
Also since I don't have a GS4, does the pad come with the 2 amp Samsung charger. I'm guessing it's not included since every GS4 owner already has one.
pati - Tuesday, July 16, 2013 - link
In Europe there are other wireless charging Solutions like Qinside.Bob Todd - Sunday, July 14, 2013 - link
There might be something wrong with your N4 if the UI transitions aren't smooth. Even my old Galaxy Nexus was "buttery smooth" on Jelly Bean, and my Nexus 4 is no different. Are you on 4.2.2? What version was on it when you got it? I did have any issue with the GNex where it was noticeably slower after an update (I think from 4.1.2->4.2.x). Not iOS 4 on an iPhone 3G unusable bad, but it was obvious (e.g. home screen redraw time after exiting the app drawer). I had to do a clean install from the factory image to sort it out.BugblatterIII - Sunday, July 14, 2013 - link
I'm in the UK and there are Qi charging pads available both on UK retail sites and on ebay. When I was looking for one for my S3 I found comments saying they work with the Nexus 4.Alexvrb - Sunday, July 14, 2013 - link
The more phones that make use of the Qi standard, the better. It'd be nice if it was standard rather than an add-on, though. Probably could be made a lot thinner, in that scenario.uhuznaa - Monday, July 15, 2013 - link
Does the charging pad draw any power if there is no phone on it? If it draws power leaving it connected all the time comes at a cost (and will just waste power) and having to pull the plug after removing your phone would be more than just absurd...I would really be interested in some numbers here.
Margalus - Wednesday, July 17, 2013 - link
all chargers draw a little power even when not in use. that is why it is recommended that you unplug them when not charging.shanesaccount - Tuesday, July 16, 2013 - link
I just ordered the tylt vu. I like the design and the way the phone can be put on at any angle. Will work much better for a charging stand by the bed.http://www.tylt.com/vu/
prasanth2u - Friday, July 19, 2013 - link
Hi, I just bought a Qi Wireless charging kit and its pretty cool! I bought it from the Bitmore UK site.They have a wide range of Qi (wireless charging) Devices and the one I bought is universal. You can charge any qi enabled devices on this pad.
Chk it out at: http://www.bitmore.co.uk/products/qi-wireless-char...
dannanners - Thursday, August 1, 2013 - link
There is a new wireless charger with battery bank tooThey provide a thing tag for the S4 instead of a whole cover. I think this is much thinner than the official samsung cover and probably able to use normal phone cover even with the tag is pasted.
http://igg.me/at/WaveJuice/
SiliconSorcerer - Saturday, August 10, 2013 - link
Until they make a "cover" that's a "case" it's of little interest.I want a case on a phone for a little protection, Samsung makes this simple case (which I purchased and is fine), why couldn't they make a charging pad with a case/cover solution. Until this is done it's just not interesting to me and what I can tell most people.
r-dog - Friday, September 6, 2013 - link
Does it work through a 3rd party protective cover or do you have to remove itKyler Dima - Thursday, January 16, 2014 - link
Got of the charging cover and RAVPower Qi wireless charger for $35. I'm happy the two works great together. Saved me some cash.Horabed - Friday, May 9, 2014 - link
Not sure if I am posting the same thing twice as I had to join after asking this. Can you still plug in to charge if your battery is set for wireless charging or are you now restricted to wireless?