Wow it is so cool the world is finally converging on Qi Charging (and USB C), we are near the grand unification. The idea that a phone never needs to be plugged in is nearly here with Air Pods (as long as you don’t lose them) and putting charging pads everywhere.
So here’s the scoop on the standard but as usual there are some considerations:
- Charging rate. The normal Qi charging is 5 watts (so same as the normal iPhone battery charger), but there is of course a faster one coming at 7.5 and also 10 watts The  iPhone X/8/8S will support 7.5 watts, but you probably want one to future proof. Also at some point Apple will ship their AirPad which will allow iPhone, AirPod and Apple Watch wireless charging, that would be great. To use 10 watts, you need a USB port that supports Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0. So look for that.
- Number of coils. The very nice RAVPower for instance is 10 watts, but is single coil which means you have to be careful about how you position your phone. You can have as many as three coils which means you don’t have to position the phone exactly.
- Thin case, you have to have a very thin case for these to work and you can’t use cases that hold credit cards on the back. Have to find another solution for those.
Net, net here are the things to try:
- Car charger. I love the RAM X Mount because they are sturdy and expensive, but they really work. I look for a Qi charger for the car, but none of them had good reviews and the arms didn’t look very sturdy. So instead right now I think I need to see if you can just take a standard Qi charger and put it behind the X-mount. So trying a small thing charger that is just 0.14 inches or 4mm and attach it with tape and see how it goes. The main issue is making sure the charger is in the right spot from Mega
- RAVPower. Because it is highly rated and works up to 10 watts.
So what’s to be done about AirPods and not losing the darn things. One set fell out of my bag the first time I’ve traveled, so the first thing is religiously put them into their case and then make sure the case is locked into something:
- Keychain ring for the AirPod case. This is a $10 gizmo that let’s you attach the case and therefore the AirPods to something in your backpack.
- VIMVIP AirPod Strap. This is a little magnetic cord so that you have some place to put your AirPods. That way if you need to take them out, you don’t just drop them and forget about them.
The final piece of the puzzle is to get something that charges all this stuff and your Apple Watch too. Get this really nice integrated battery pack with USB A and also an Apple Watch charger.
